#LinkedInLifeLive Episode # 07 – Four Things to Ask Clients
| April 27, 2021
In this episode, the Social Sales Link Team talks about asking our clients for internal introductions, external introductions, referral partner introductions, and recommendations.
Did you know that there are four other things that we can ask from our clients to enrich our own business? Sally Jo talked about one of the four things which is asking our clients for internal introductions. She asks her clients if she can drop their name when she’s connecting with someone on her client’s internal network. In line with this, Bill also shared that it’s important to connect with your clients’ Human Resources department because they know the in’s and out’s of the company personnel.
Did you also know that you can ask for external introductions from your clients? Bob shared that this offers an opportunity to get connections from your client from outside their organization. He said that he would be researching contacts by using different LinkedIn filters such as job titles, companies, locations, industries, and keywords. All of these are possible even with just the free version of LinkedIn!
In addition, Brynne discussed asking clients for referral partner introductions. This is one of the more effective ways to leverage our clients to grow our businesses further. She shared that she will ask her clients for vendors they recommend, ask them for introductions, then share this vendor to her clients as well. Don’t you think this is a win-win situation?
Finally, Bill said that it is a must to ask for recommendations from our clients. He emphasized that this should be a part of the sales follow-up process. Check-in with your client on their experience, then ask for feedback that you can share on LinkedIn for social proof. Use LinkedIn as a tool to attract, teach, and engage with your future clients. Plus, you can also give a recommendation for your client. How amazing is that?
Connect with Brynne, Bill, Bob, and Sally Jo on LinkedIn or you can also visit our LinkedIn page to watch this episode again and get daily tips from the Social Sales Link team!
Important points on this video
Things you will learn in this episode:
* Make sure you ask for internal introductions from clients. It’s critical you socially surround yourself with key decision makers. Review your past clients and assess the titles of key influencers. Use this as a roadmap for introduction requests.
* Always ask your clients for external introductions, who are connections from outside of your clients’ organizations. You also need to research the contacts with whom you would like to have external introductions.
* A powerful technique to start more conversations with referral partners is by asking your clients for introductions to other vendors they buy from. By building these relationships, there is an important trust factor, a high level of credibility and a likelihood of an ongoing referral partnership.
* Requesting recommendations from our clients must be a part of the sales follow-up process. Check-in with your client and ask for feedback that you can share on LinkedIn for social proof. Social proof shows that you’re a thought leader in your industry.
