Work That is Worth Referring
We all know that referrals are the Holy Grail of this industry. If you’re looking to build a career, recommendations from satisfied clientele represent the most effective and efficient method of securing new leads and sales.
Referrals also tend to compound. One happy client recommends you to three. Three happy clients refer you to nine new leads, and on it goes until you have a solid business built on word-of-mouth recommendations.
But here’s the thing…if you want more referrals, you can’t just expect to be average and have them roll on in. You have to do work that’s worth referring.
Don’t ask. Deliver
Sometimes we put the cart before the horse. We focus on how to ask for referrals, or spend too much time considering the right moment to request a testimonial from a client.
Instead, we should be laser-focused on doing work that’s actually worth referring. That’s right. Referrals aren’t the result of simply asking for a recommendation to others. They come from delivering.
They’re the by-product of exceeding expectations, of making people feel like they didn’t just hire an agent and instead hired ‘the one’.
They are the result of having your clients walk away with the certainty that you were dedicated to their needs and left no stone unturned, delivering on their goals.
The best referral strategy
Long before you ask for a referral or incorporate testimonial requests into your workflow, consider this: is your work worth referring?
Did you remove the barriers that stood between your client and the result they wanted? Did you make the experience of selling or buying a property frictionless?
Were you the one who understood, anticipated, and solved their problems at every stage of the selling or buying process?
And I don’t mean just stepping through or offering a cursory nod to the process, I mean honestly investing in and understanding exactly where your clients want to go and helping them get from A to B by problem-solving and removing the obstacles in their path.
Because the best referral strategy is to be unforgettable, to be unreasonably helpful, and to anticipate your clients' needs, provide them with the options and solutions they require in order to get where they want to go.
You have to be invested, empathetic and genuinely committed to achieving their goals.
A top referral tip
Now here’s a quick shortcut. If you want to earn more referral business, start by reviewing the last five properties you sold.
What stood out? What would clients rave about? What would they forget?
And that last one is critical. Improve on that, and the referrals will follow. Also, look at those who have referred you in the past, dig deep to find out why and then drill down on that. You'll likely find it's all the little things that matter.
Referrals are the result
We can talk about how to ask for referrals and when to request them as much as we like. But the reality is this: referrals are a result - not a request.
They come after trust is built, outcomes are delivered, and a client feels compelled to tell someone else about you.
It’s not about doing just enough. It’s about considering their needs and doing what no one else would. That’s what people talk about.
About the Author
Manos Findikakis is the CEO of Agents’Agency, Australia’s first multi-brand real estate network, ‘the only fully integrated solution for you and your people to create an unforgettable experience.’
For all enquiries and more information on how the Agents’Agency can help you take your career to the next level, click here to get in touch.
