A Tool to Help with Reference Selling

Unless your sales method provides processes, tools, training, and measurements for leveraging existing customers as references, you are probably leaving money on the table.

I remember an insurance salesman years ago who cornered me into providing him with names of my friends and relatives so he could call them. Those tactics weren't appropriate then and certainly aren't now. But asking your customers for names of people within other companies or the same company who might need your product or service is a good sales technique.

Some of the best salespeople I know regularly go a step further: They ask their customers to make phone calls or send e-mails on their behalf as an introduction to potential buyers. Hey, if you've delivered on your commitments to your customer and they've received real business value from you and your products and services, why not?

One way savvy salespeople can leverage referrals is through the online service LinkedIn.com, a business networking site. This company provides an invaluable tool to many of their 6.8 million members.

LinkedIn makes a contribution to sales performance and helps boost referral selling. Your reps can learn where their targeted prospect worked before and with whom. The rep can then see whether the target connects with anyone in his or her business or personal network. There may be people within your company with connections to the target executive.

LinkedIn shows you those connections. The site eases the rep's pitching duties and is less intrusive for the prospect. It makes getting in contact much easier from the rep's point of view and much more acceptable for the prospect. LinkedIn is one technology helping salespeople sell more effectively.

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Comments

[David Moore]

Great post - it's always good to learn new ways in which LinkedIn can be used to build trust and open doors that may otherwise remain firmly closed...

[buy mortal gold]

For what it's worth, I used to love LinkedIn but now I am finding that other networking sites (like www.octopuscity.com or facebook) give you more of an ability to really connect and interact with people, rather than just "have connections".

[gaia gold]

Nice post. This post is different from what I read on most blog. And it have so many valuable things to learn. Thank you for your sharing!

[James Hyaes]

Has anyone seen the price LULU.COM are charging to post books to Europe 8 times the price,,, some joke, just down load, and it cost less...

James Hayes
Author of Lisbon Yes or No.

[James Hayes]

I came here to learn not to teach,,,,Why a survey, no better way then to get people to move out as quick as they came...

James

books@jameshayes.ie

www.jameshayes.ie

[Malcolm Duff]

Just got here from Linkedin.
First thing that happened was that I got a popup "survey" request from Nielsen. Well... sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. This time I did.

Thanks. It has confirmed my view of the narrow focus and arrogance of Americans. Many of the questions cannot be answered by non-americans. In case you haven't noticed, other countries (yes, they do exist) have different education systems, sports, entertainments, lifestyles, experiences etc damn etc.
I hope this survey has nothing to do with Jakob Nielsen who, up to now, I had a great deal of respect for.

[Nicole]

For what it's worth, I used to love LinkedIn but now I am finding that other networking sites (like www.octopuscity.com or facebook) give you more of an ability to really connect and interact with people, rather than just "have connections".

[Alain Mokbel]

This is indeed a great post and I believe that LinkedIn and online networking has redefined the way we do business in the world.

Thanks
Alain

[Ajay Jain]

Hi,

I am a journalist and blogger based in India, and am writing a book on how to get LinkedIn to work for you.

In that regard:
1. Could I send you a few questions - I would like to carry your quotes in the book?
2. May I use any useful portions of this post for the book?

Should you agree to it, I would be happy to post you a free copy of the book when its published; this would be a way of showing my appreciation.

White Paper on 'Ten ways to get Linked to work for you': I have written this document to precede the book; should you be interested in reading it, click or copy and paste the URL http://www.techgazing.com/?p=37 in your browser.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Regards

Ajay Jain
Journalist / Blogger

Mobile: +91.99100 44476
Email: ajay@ajayjain.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ajayjain9

My Blogs
www.ajayjain.com: On things that matter to all of us
www.TechGazing.com: Profit from technology at work
www.GreenDioxide.com: Simple ideas for a healthy planet

Forgot to include the URL:
http://www.referenceselling.com

[Bill]

The Reference Selling solution allows you to quickly identify and leverage the optimum customer relationships to utilize as references in the pursuit of new business opportunities.