Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Referrals... Referrals... Referrals

Your best source of leads for new business will be your current book! They're a warm market for you. They know who you are, and already love your service. So whynot ask if they know someone who could also benefit from relationship with you and your agency??

Written by: Jerry Nisker

Target Marketing Training

This is the nineteenth article in a series of Target Marketing ideas that I hope will help you to think differently and set yourself apart from your competition. In this article I will deal with one item that most agents do very poorly; asking for referrals!

Referrals are the lifeblood of sales…any kind of sales! Whenever you call someone and are able to say “I was asked to call you by____________” it increases your chances of an appointment and later the sale. The real question is why so many agents fail to ask for referrals. My theory is that they don’t want the rejection that they believe comes with asking for a referral.
Early in my career I began trading Laker tickets for five referrals. There was little or no rejection and I found that I expanded my book of business without making “cold calls.” I have also learned that if someone believes that you have done a good job for them they are happy to refer you to others. You simply need to ASK.

The renewal appointment is the perfect way to accomplish three goals. (1) To be certain that you have properly covered your client. (2) It give you the opportunity to speak with them about other lines of insurance (3) It gives you the opportunity to ask for referrals.
Asking for referrals should be part of the renewal process. I recently did a seminar for an agency in southern California. The next morning I received an e-mail from a producer telling me that he had a renewal appointment at 2 p.m. that day. He received three referrals from his client; and one of those referrals was made by the client directly to a friend of his during the renewal appointment.

All of this is especially true when Target Marketing. The reason is that your client knows others in the same industry; the industry that you are specializing in; the industry that you are considered the expert. All you have to do is ASK.

I welcome your comments, and if you are interested in taking my complete Target Marketing Seminar, please give me a call at 714 813-3221. Four hours could change your entire career. (4 CE credits available in California)