AmericanCowman.com: Timely, practical production and management strategies that will add efficiency, value, and profitability to cattle herds with up to 100 head.
“How can I get more referrals?” is a question that Colleen Francis, president of Engage Selling Solutions, a sales training company based in Ottawa, Ontario, frequently hears from salespeople. Her response is, “What have you done to deserve more referrals?”
Referrals are the most powerful tool in any salesperson's arsenal. “A referred prospect is much more likely to be ready to listen to you, trust what you say and, ultimately, to buy from you,” Francis says. “Referrals make your job easier and help you sell more with less effort and in less time.”
Here are her six tips for increasing referrals:
Start a monthly advocate program. Once a year, do a customer genealogy to see who or what was responsible for the additions to your customer base. Odds are, you will find 5 to 20 primary referral sources, ranging from current clients to friends, partners and suppliers. Make an “advocate list” and keep in touch with them regularly.
Every four to six weeks, for example, send them something they will actually use, like an article or book you think they will enjoy, an invitation to lunch or breakfast, or even a referral for their business from you.
Develop a culture of referrals. Ask questions that benefit your customer first. One of Engage Selling's customers doubled her referrals simply by asking the following client-focused question at the end of every client meeting: “Now, how can I help you?”
Francis says the follow-up question is equally important: “You've helped my business grow by becoming part of our family network. I'd like to help your business grow, too. So let me ask you, What type of people do you want to meet to help increase your revenue?”
Write some letters. If you feel uncomfortable asking for referrals face to face, write a letter. An effective letter-writing campaign can bring in a stream of new leads that will have an immediate and dramatic impact on your bottom line. When drafting your letters, make sure you thank your customers for their business; remind them how you met, especially if it was through a referral; ask them to send you some names; and tell them that you will reward them with lunch or a gift if their referral turns into business.
Have fun with holidays and celebrations. Most salespeople send Christmas cards. But if you want your customers to remember you, Francis says, try sending them something different, such as birthday cakes on their birthdays; plants on the first day of spring; Thanksgiving cards or food baskets; or congratulations cards when they have completed something significant in their personal or professional lives.
Send thank-you notes. Send a thank-you note for every referral and a gift for every referral that turns into business. Thank-you notes should be handwritten on a note card or postcard that does not feature company advertising. Francis says, “That little extra effort of sending a personalized note is what will get you noticed — and get you more referrals.”
Service-selling tips
WHEN SELLING to a customer, you must illustrate value, and to keep a customer, you must prove value over time, says John Wagner, president of AgRePlan
Invaluable service
WHY SHOULD ag retailers sell services? The resulting customer interaction is invaluable and helps create long-term ties that are difficult for competitors
Listen up
JUST HEARING the words of a speaker does not make for a good listener. Real listening the kind that brings results, solves problems and clarifies the
Invaluable service
WHY SHOULD ag retailers sell services? The resulting customer interaction is invaluable and helps create long-term ties that are difficult for competitors
21 days and counting
It generally takes 21 days for a certain behavior to become a habit, says Colleen Francis, president of Engage Selling Solutions, a sales training company
A fresh approach
We need to look from the outside in to step back and reassess how we are conducting business, says retailer Tim Sanders of the DeLong Company, Clinton,
Shifting loyalties
I like orange juice in the morning as part of my breakfast ritual. What made me think about that was a study done at the University of California Berkeley
Computers don't get tired
The sole purpose of Tri-State LLC, located in Fairmount, ND, is to supply either raw or blended fertilizer for other retailers. For that reason, it has
Urban opportunities
URBANIZATION HAS contributed to the demise of some ag retail operations. But for retailers able to adapt to the changing landscape, it has opened new
Marketing your services
PICK UP ANY marketing book and you'll find hundreds of ideas that you could use to market your services and products, but before deciding to implement
Design inspiration
AN EXCELLENT company Web site is much more than a billboard in cyberspace. Instead, it creates an inviting and easy-to-use environment where prospective
Cherry-picked software solutions
WHEN MIDLAND Co-op Inc. and Impact Cooperative Inc. became partners in 2002, the partnership, called Midland-Impact LLP, faced the challenge of integrating
3 steps in creating a company brochure
WHEN YOU create a brochure for your company, the act of identifying the benefits your customer receives from your service is, in and of itself, a valuable
Achiever or Struggler?
THE FUTURE of agriculture is likely to look dramatically different in the next 10 years, says David Kohl, professor emeritus, agricultural finance and
Courting the young customer
Ag retailers trying to determine how to sell to their younger customers should not make assumptions about their motivations or buying habits. Some [young
Communicate 24/7
Creative agricultural retailers have learned that the Internet, once feared to be the potential source of unwanted competition from afar, has turned out
It's not all about you
According to business speaker and coach Donald Cooper, most businesses make the mistake of defining themselves by what they sell and by how they do business
Covering new ground
Venturing into new markets can have its ups and downs. Some ag retailers have successfully added lawn and garden or hobby farmer product lines, for example
Paid Content 
Enhanced for the Web
