Q: Why Do People Refer You?

By far, the most common question senior Sales and Marketing professionals ask us about referrals is: “How do we get someone to refer us?”. That is, what is their motivation?

Our research of 600+ companies (incl. SaaS, professional services, and financial services) revealed who, what, when, and how people actually refer high volumes of profitable business.

So, here’s the Real Deal about why people refer you, your offering, and/or your organization:

1.  Your referral source must be trusted by the prospect you want; AND 2) Your referral source must trust YOU. To be trustworthy, you must demonstrate that you are: Able, Believable, Connected and Dependable.

2.  The motivations to initially refer you are different from the motivations to continue to refer you.

3.  Rather than viewing referral program as finding the “right” dollar amount that will serve as an effective incentive to spark action, you need to uncover the reasons that enable past, present, and future referral behaviors.