How Referrals Stack Up as a Sales and Marketing Strategy

In our opinion (and the data back us up), referrals are THE most effective executive sales and marketing strategy.

Just think in terms of the temperature of your calls.

Cold calls to executives leave you flat; empty, at a dead end with nowhere else to go. But a warm call, the ones that were set up by someone you know who wants you to meet and executive that they know, leave you with realistic possibilities and likely opportunities. In fact, 70% of referral calls lead you to qualified prospects. And even if they don’t result in an actual executive sale, the other 30% can lead you to someone else who knows another target executive.

Referral selling builds upon the executive relationships that you have nurtured and your past successes. If you have proven yourself as trustworthy, able to help your customers, sincerely supporting their success, why wouldn’t they want to introduce you to a C-Level friend or colleague? It only enhances their value within their own network and allows them to repay you in part for the time and energy and focus you have leant them in your dealings together.