The practice of asking for referrals is without a doubt the most cost effective and the fastest way to build a massive travel business. Your closing ratios will also be much higher with referrals than from any other source of advertising.
The biggest mistake a salesperson can make is to only ask occasionally for referrals. You must ask for referrals from every person you know and everyone you meet. Ask after every sales presentation-even if the person you are talking to does not buy from you.
Don't stop at one or two referrals either. Try for a minimum of 10 from every person you know and everyone you meet. It's never-ending. You must not be shy about this and you should never pass up the opportunity. Ever. I have been using the same “tried and true” script (committed to memory) for years with tremendous success.
I have created hundreds of clients with this word–for-word script. You too can experience immediate success if you follow it precisely and commit it to memory.
Warning: Do not alter the script or your success rate will drop dramatically. Ask for referrals at the end of every phone call. It doesn't matter if it is a friend, client, prospect, or well-dressed stranger you met on the street and exchanged business cards. At the end of every conversation say,
Most of my clients (Everyone I know) are (is) kind enough to share the names of people they believe will benefit from the service I provide. Who is the first person that comes to mind?"
You've done two things with this statement. You've let them know everyone does it and it's the right thing to do. In fact, it may be rude not to give you some referrals. You've also positioned yourself as a professional with something to offer. You're not asking for a favor. You want to know who you can help. When they give you a name the only thing you should say is,
"Who else?"
Don't ask the person giving the referral for the referral’s last name, phone number or anything else (yet). Your only goal in this stage of asking for the referrals is to get as many first names as possible and to get the person giving them to you "on a roll". After every name the person gives you, the only thing you say will be, "Who else?"
When they start to slow down after giving you a few names, give them some help: Who do you know that loves to travel? Who is the wealthiest person you know? Who do you know that recently retired? Who is your best friend? Who is your boss? Get creative when jogging their memory and after they give you someone, ask, who else?
They might know 5 millionaires so don't go off that subject. Try to build a list of as many names as possible. My record is 17 referrals on one phone call and I've had a few clients who have followed-up by giving me their entire contact database.
One friend prepared a list for me with 78 people on it. He included notes on each person to give me an idea about who I would be calling and tips on how I could sell them. This type of person is known as a "center of influence". They can make your career for you so seek them out.
Ultra Pro Tip: Tell the people giving you referrals what your record is and they’ll try hard to beat it.
After you get your list of names, go back through the list with the person who gave them to you and get all the contact information on each person. This is where you will also want to ask for a personal story or tidbit of information that you can use to create rapport with each referral when you contact them.
What are their interests? Do they have kids? Are they involved with any charities? etc.This is vital because even though the people you will be contacting were referred by a friend, you may catch the person at a bad time and they may attempt to blow you off the phone.
(I know this may seem hard to believe, but some people aren’t waiting for us to call them and sell them a cruise)
This is where I will assume you are a professional salesperson and know how not to get blown off the phone. I remember a referral I called years ago. I did a great job of getting past the receptionist and charmed my way through the Executive Assistant but when I got to the referral, he was in terrible mood. Not only did he try to immediately blow me off the phone, he was downright rude.
But when I said, "John, Carl tells me you're very active with the Make-a-Wish Foundation, this must be very rewarding for you. I have some ideas I believe can make difference and I'd like to share them with you"John's tone instantly changed. He apologized to me for being curt and long story short, became a client.
Side Bar: You must be sincere in your conversations. You can't fake interest in people simply to get a sale. After you have gone through the entire referral list and have all of the contact information and personal tidbits, ask the person, who gave you the names, "Who is the first person you would call if you were me?
You'd be surprised at what additional info you will pick up with this question. You'll hear things like: "Call Bob, I just overheard him saying the other day he wanted to surprise his wife with a second honeymoon?""Call Mary, she just inherited 4 million dollars." Call John, he is the decision maker for all of the incentive travel for Ford Motor Company"
This referral strategy is for professionals who provide great service. You don't have to be a 20 year travel industry veteran but you do have to treat people’s referrals with the utmost professionalism.
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