A Proven System to Get Referral Business

by: MichaelWalsh
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Business referrals are one of the tried and true (but sometimes frustrating) ways to grow your small business. A few years ago I learned a fact about how the brain works that when I applied it, exploded my referral business. Below, I'm going to quickly outline it for you so you can start using it today.

When and how do you bring up the whole conversation of referrals?

If you wait until you have proven your worth, most of the time you've completed your work. Your client is pleased but then they are immediately on to the next thing. You're gone from their mind. It's not personal-it's the natural way their brain works.

You have a center in your brain called the reticular activated system (RAS). This system is the attention center of the brain. It also functions to automatically filter out all of the various noises and distractions in life that are not important right now, so that you can focus on areas that are important.

For example, a mother sleeping in a 14th floor apartment above a noisy street can sleep, oblivious to the noise below. Yet when her baby stirs two rooms over, she's up like a flash and at her child's side. The reticular activated system is the brain's system to selectively and automatically focus what you pay attention to.

Have you ever noticed how, once you like a certain car, you start to see them everywhere? Did they just suddenly appear or were they there all along? Your RAS responds to your interest by making the cars noticeable. They were there all along, before you liked them but they were not important so the RAS ignored them.

How to Use a Customer's RAS to Refer Business

I've already shown that waiting to ask for a referral is less useful... they've gotten their result and you are spontaneously forgotten.

Example of a Referral Request

"Mr. Smith, if we do business, there will be a time when you will be thrilled with what we provide. We won't take on a new client unless we know we can provide what they need. A single client fee is not worth the potential loss in reputation from taking an assignment where we are not confident of success.

Our business grows by word of mouth. So, we don't stop until we achieve success together.

So, if we do business together, there will be a time when you are thrilled with who we are and what we do. We actively set it up that way.

Of course, if you refer me that's a positive thing and it will only happen if you are thrilled with my services.

Once that takes place, I'm betting that you will want to tell you friends and associates about my service. Which is great! I'm going to make sure that you are so excited and pleased with your results that you can't wait to tell other people about me.

If you refer us to a colleague, it will be because of a benefit you see for that colleague by working with us.

Just like you, we won't do business with them unless we see a clear win for them. However, we will promise you: We will treat anyone you send our way with just as much courtesy, professionalism and respect as we treat you with and of course you would never send anyone to us unless you were satisfied with the levels of courtesy, professionalism and respect we provide, would you? Of course not!

Of course, I will only work with them if I know that I can give them great results as well. No matter what, I will deal with them in a professional and caring way. I would only expect that you would send me someone if you have been dealt with professionally and with care. Right?

So if this makes sense, I'll be checking to make sure that you are happy with my service."

If you ask in this way, you will notice your referrals increasing. Without their having to work at it, your customer's RAS will be compelled to find friends that will benefit from working with you.

About the Author

Want to discover secrets to easily make your revenue doubling, even tripling revenue? Discover Michael Walsh's free Business Growth Report For additional great free information go to Business Growth blog  

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