Referrals and testimonials are the lifeblood of any sales career. No matter how fancy a video or Instagram post, the best way to find a new client is to be introduced by their friend, or to be seen as trustworthy by others. However, many newcomers flounder when it comes to asking for referrals or testimonials: they feel that they’re “bothering” people, and don’t know how to ask. Here are some simple but effective ways to do it:
There’s an old saying that “you are what you think”. Your beliefs about yourself, and your actions,l reinforce your behaviour.
This means that, if you keep thinking you’re bothering people, that’s exactly what you’ll end up doing. This is the difference between people who are smooth at asking for things, and those who look needy or annoying.
When you think you’re being bothersome, you tend to take on mannerisms that are bothersome.
For example, you might feel awkward, and so make excuses to strike up long conversations to lead to a testimonial request. But in doing so, it might not occur to you that you’re wasting more of a client’s time, by beating about the proverbial bush. They may be more annoyed by having to meet you at a coffee shop and chit-chat for 20 to 30 minutes, just to find out you want a testimonial. Someone who straight up called and asked for a testimonial would probably be better received.
So get in the right frame of mind before asking: don’t think of yourself as a nuisance, and you won’t be.
One of the main reasons people don’t give referrals or testimonials is that they “don’t know what to say”.
It takes a lot of effort for them to sit down and write what (they think) is a good testimonial. You can raise your odds of success by making your request specific. For example, instead of asking “Can I get a testimonial?” you might ask “Can I get a testimonial about how (whatever service you provided that day) helped you?”
This has the added advantage of providing relevant testimonials, not just generic paragraphs about how you’re helpful, kind, etc.
You’ve probably filled in feedback cards or surveys yourself; think about how many times you’ve skipped the comments box, just because of the extra effort needed to write a paragraph. If you don’t like doing it, neither will your clients.
In face to face communications, practice the process of asking for referrals. Don’t “wing it”, and wrack your brains trying to ask in a different way each time. There should be a clear and repeated script, which you can refine over time for results.
If you’re looking for referrals or testimonials online, don’t write a new email every single time you do it (it’s time consuming and exhausting). Rather, have two or three template emails prepared, and check which ones perform best.
This is not to say you never need to do any work, and just follow the templates mechanically. You will need to make changes for different clients – but having a template ensures that you stick to the overall “formula”, and that you don’t need to rethink sentence structure, choices of certain words, etc. every single time.
Most salespeople assume that, when it comes to getting referrals and testimonials, they need to make the client say what they like about the salesperson. You can “flip the script” for better effect.
Instead of asking them what they like about you, tell the client what you like about them (e.g., “I like that you’re more responsible with money, you’re more disciplined than most of the people I meet”).
This is a good way to transition into your request, such as by asking if they know anyone who has the same level of financial concern; or by asking them for an opinion on how your service / advice helped (this can be turned into content for a testimonial).
This also feels less demanding, in the sense that you “give” something to the client in the form of a compliment, before asking for something in return.
Be sincere when doing this. Other people can tell you make-up compliments just to flatter them; that will backfire and make you look manipulative. If there’s nothing relevant to highlight or compliment, then don’t do it.
This takes a bit more skill, as you need to be observant, empathetic, or a practitioner of active listening.
Using what you know of the client, make an observation that leads into a referral or testimonial. For example, you might say that “I notice you’re more worried about healthcare / home ownership / care of dependents than retirement. Does my service address that specifically enough?”
From here, you can lead in to requesting a relevant testimonial, about how you helped in that specific area (these are always better than having clients make generic statements about you). Alternatively, you can ask if they know anyone in a similar situation, so you can offer the same help.
As an added bonus, accurate observations tell your client that you’re paying attention to them; and that you’re on-board with their needs and concerns.
As with point 4, this does not work if you do it in an insincere manner. You must genuinely listen to be able to make accurate observations.
The overall concepts are quite straightforward, as you can see. However, nothing beats direct mentorship, when it comes to implementing these concepts. At Exodus Capital, we steward both veterans and new entrants to the finance industry, in getting ahead with their careers. Do reach out to us for help, if you want career opportunities that can match your wider goals.
