Four Secrets from a Referral Coach

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Referrals are and always will be a hot topic for financial advisors. I enjoy helping advisors improve their referral efforts because it enables them to form closer relationships with the people in their lives who are most important. A relationship-based business thrives on one’s ability to nurture, support, leverage and maintain the connections to the business and the people associated with it. Referrals require trust from all parties.

I impact that culture by increasing the trust between people.

You’ve likely seen many ideas, strategies, techniques, tips and more on referrals throughout your career. Perhaps these ideas might cause you to think a bit differently, implement something for the first time, or enhance the trust you have with someone close to you. Let’s dive in.

Stop asking and start teaching

You might be thinking this is a play on words, but not really. Asking for referrals makes a lot of people very uncomfortable. And for others it’s a breeze. When I talk to people about what’s in their head when they think about asking for referrals, I often hear things like, “I don’t want people to think I’m desperate,” or, “I don’t like making people feel uncomfortable.” When you create mountains like this in your mind that you have to overcome, it will always feel difficult. Instead of asking, teach people how to refer you effectively. Focus on becoming the best referral educator you could possibly be for your business. Teach people what they need to know so they can refer you to the right people and in a way that makes it easy and comfortable for everyone. When people feel good about referring you, they are likely to do it again.