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Help Your Clients Be Heroes

Written by: Sandy Schussel

Article Overview: Don’t deprive your clients of the opportunity to be heroes. Ask them to introduce you to people you can help in the same way you’re helping them.

Help Your Clients Be Heroes

Lawyers tremble at the thought of it. Financial advisors and many entrepreneurs avoid it whenever they can. Coaches blush when I bring up the subject. Medical professionals pretend it's beneath them, so they won't have to do it. Even when I show them how to do it, they find ways to avoid it. What is this unthinkable task? Asking for referrals.

Why don't they ask? Either they’re afraid (What if my client thinks less of me for asking? What if she grabs back her retainer check and storms out of the room?) or they just don't know that it's okay to ask and don't know how to do it comfortably.

What these professionals fail to understand is that there are reasons why their clients would want to refer them to someone else.

Years ago, Police Captain Myron taught me about the “hero factor” in the referral process. Myron, who tipped the scale beyond the 300 pound line and was known to consume more than his fair share of alcohol, was at a party to which both he and I had been invited. At one point during the party, he threw one huge arm around my shoulders and announced, “You see this guy? I brought him all his business.”

It was true that Captain Myron had introduced me to several clients. I thought it wise not to argue that most of my business came from other sources. But what I came to understand that evening was how important it was to Captain Myron to be the champion of my practice—to be a hero.

Here's how it works:

(1) People generally like to help one another. If a client likes you and believes you add value to his businesses or to his life, helping you will make him feel generous and important.

(2) More importantly, when your client is referring you to someone she cares about, it's an opportunity for her to show the people whose opinions are important to her that she makes wise decisions--decisions that can help them, too. In other words, she can be a hero to them.

So, when you’re not asking clients to introduce you to those business associates, friends and family members you might be able to help (in the same way you’re helping them), you’re depriving them of the opportunity to be a hero.

Asking them to refer you to the people in their lives also gives them something else they need— validation. What they're thinking is: “ If my sister uses your services too, she must see in you what I saw. Then I know I made a good decision going to you after all.”

Don’t deprive your clients of the opportunity to be heroes. Ask them to introduce you to people you can help in the same way you’re helping them.

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Article Tags: alcohol, asking for referrals, business associates, captain myron, champion, decisions decisions, fair share, family member, financial advisors, grabs, hero, lawyers, medical professionals, police captain, pound line, referral, retainer check, shoulders, storms, wise decisions



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