PMG Power Blog: Handling Referral Objections with Confidenc

You finally mustered up the courage to consider asking a client for a referral and, after a bit of squirming, you made the request… only to hear an evasive response:

• I can’t think of anyone.
• I don’t know anyone.
• I never give referrals.
• Let’s see how things go for a while.
• Everyone I know is already working with someone.
• Everyone I know does not have extra money.
• Everyone I know is old like me.
• I can think of some people, but let me talk with them first.
• I never discuss finances with my friends.
• Give me some business cards, and I’ll pass them around for you.

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While a great deal of what I teach in my Referral Mastery Webinar Series is how to discuss introductions in a way that trumps these evasive responses, objections will still come—no matter what.
 
However, most of these objections are Automatic Negative Responses (ANRs) or smokescreens for the four real reasons clients raise them:

1. They’re not sure how you’ll deal with people to whom they might refer you.
   
   Will you stalk or badger them? Will you try to pressure them into buying from you?
   
   
2. They do not yet fully trust you.
   
   The old adage that clients need to know, like, and trust you has truth to it! Trust comes when clients feel you are fully serving their interests and care about them.
   
   
3. They’re not sure how their friends, family members, or associates will respond to being referred.
   
   Even if they trust you to be the kindest and gentlest of professionals, they worry whether the people in their lives will resent being referred.
   
   
4. They’ve had a bad experience with referrals in the past.
   
   There’s always a perceived risk that an unsuccessful referral can damage a friendship. If there’s already a story in which that was the case, the client will be even more uncomfortable with making new introductions.

A pithy reply to an ANR will make you look smart at the expense of alienating the client. Instead, dig deeper to learn more about the underlying objection:
 

1. Ask permission to explore.
   
   “I’m sorry if bringing this up has made you uncomfortable. Do you mind if I ask you why?”
   
   If the response is, “I just don’t know you well enough,” which initially may have been expressed as, “Let’s see how things go for a while,” you can say something like this:
   
   “I’d love to build a relationship with you where you would want me to help your friends and family. How can I make that happen?”
   
   
2. Explore.
   
   If the response is that they have had a bad experience, ask them to tell you about it. If their concern is about how you’ll deal with their friends or how they’ll react to you, move directly to step three.
   
   
3. Reframe.​
   
   Point out the positive experience they have already had with you. Then, ask, “Would it help if I explained to you how I’d approach and work with someone you referred?”
   
   Explain your process, highlighting the help you’d provide and the lack of any “sales” pressure.  
   
   
4. Move ahead, or leave the door open.
   
   ​Ask if the explanation helped. Depending on the response, either go back to asking about people who might need your help, or simply ask permission to talk about introductions again in a few months. 

The most important thing to remember is not to fight objections, but to ask about them instead.  
 
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P.S. If you’re interested in additional training on getting referrals, check out my 6-Week Referral Mastery Webinar Series starting April 19th.
 
P.S.S. If you want a free taste of what you’ll learn in the 6-Week Referral Mastery Webinar Series, join me on April 12th for a complimentary session: 10 Ways to Get Great Referrals NOW!

Written By: Sandy Schussel, a sales trainer, author, and speaker who works with financial advisors and insurance producers to help them earn more, work less, and find what’s missing in their lives and careers.

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