Episode 480: 5 Things We Want from Our Clients

Bob Woods 00:22
Hey there, everybody, and thanks for joining us for Making Sales Social Live, coming to you from the Social Sales Link virtual studios. I’m Bob Woods, and Brynne Tillman and Stan Robinson Jr. are here as well. How are you all doing today?

Brynne Tillman 01:02
Great. How are you doing?

Stan Robinson Jr. 01:04
Excellent. Thank you.

Bob Woods 01:08
Good. Excellent. Always glad to hear that. Getting the sale—getting the client to sign the proverbial dotted line—is always great. Don’t get me wrong. But it’s really more like a “yes, and,” like from improv comedy. We’d like to get more from our clients.

That’s why today we’re going to talk about some of the additional things we can gain from our clients. These can be new or old clients, too, right?

Brynne Tillman 01:41
Absolutely. They could be current clients or someone you worked with years ago.

Stan Robinson Jr. 01:46
Don’t forget about past clients—they’re a gold mine. New, old, and past.

Brynne Tillman 01:56
Let’s jump into this. The five things we want from our clients. I’m going to throw this out: take inventory of the people you’ve worked with in the last five years. Not just the companies, but the actual people inside those organizations. What we’re about to teach you can be used with them. Chances are, you’ve worked with dozens and dozens of people you’re forgetting about. This is a great time to go back and ask, “Who have I served over the years?”

Bob Woods 02:28
Could not agree more. So let’s get into our agenda. Brynne is going to go first with getting more business within the client’s company.

Brynne Tillman 02:43
A lot of times, we get into an organization with either a small group of people, like a pilot program, or maybe only one department was interested in what we had to offer. But there’s often a lot more opportunity inside that organization.

The other side is that we may have more than one solution we can offer. So the first thing we want—more business from a current client—is to make sure we’ve had deep conversations not just with our champion, but with other folks inside the organization. Even sharing the successes we’re having with one group can open doors. Sometimes I’ll send a message, or have the champion send a message, saying, “I’d love for you to hear a little about what we’re doing, if nothing else, just to loop you in.” That creates opportunity—which may have just crossed into number two.

Bob Woods 03:55
There’s definitely a fine line there, but enough to separate them. So let’s roll into Stan with internal introductions within a company.

Stan Robinson Jr. 04:12
One thing that happens in every company is turnover. We may not want to talk about it, but it happens. LinkedIn stats say about 20% annual turnover in most organizations. So one in five people won’t be there next year.

We talk about multi-threading—having multiple contacts within an organization so you’re not reliant on just one champion. No matter how much your champion loves you and your solution, if they leave for a better opportunity, you’re starting over unless you’re connected to others.

So while you have them, ask: “Who else should I be talking to? Who are your peers? Who do you report to? Who reports to you? Can you introduce me?” The more connections you have within an organization, the happier you’ll be.

Bob, did you want to add to that?

Bob Woods 05:34
Yes. This is where Sales Navigator comes in, if you’re a user. You can map out who’s in the company and identify potential contacts. You can even come back to your champion with specific names and ask, “Is this someone I should know?” That puts you in a position of strength. Sometimes it’s someone they hadn’t even considered.

Brynne Tillman 06:15
That’s brilliant. In pre-call planning, we often forget to create a buyer map inside the organization of everyone we want to meet. You can do this in free LinkedIn, but it’s much more powerful in Sales Navigator. It really supports that internal introduction step.

This is what’s often called multi-threading inside an organization.

Anything to add, Stan?

Stan Robinson Jr. 07:02
Do the work for them. Instead of asking them to think about who you should meet, identify the people yourself and say, “Would Bob Woods be someone I should get to know?” Make it easy.

Bob Woods 07:24
That takes us into number three: external introductions.

This gets misunderstood all the time. When people hear “external introductions,” they think, “Here comes the awkward referral ask.” Everyone dreads it.

This is not about putting your client in an uncomfortable spot. It’s not about saying, “Who else do you know that might want to buy from me?” That’s lazy and puts all the pressure on them.

If you’ve done your job well—supported them, guided them, helped them succeed—they’ll want to help you. They just don’t know how unless you make it easy.

Pull up their connections. Use LinkedIn search or Sales Navigator filters to identify who you’d like to meet. Then say something like:

“I noticed you’re connected to a few people I’ll be reaching out to in the next couple of weeks. Would you be open to sharing any insights about them before I do? Are you available for a quick 10-minute Zoom call?”

That’s respectful and permission-based. It removes pressure because you’re bringing specific names. And always offer to give referrals as well. It’s a two-way street.

Brynne Tillman 09:56
Here’s a legitimate hack. With free LinkedIn, when you search someone’s connections, you get a random sampling. But if you create a search for your ideal customer profile and apply the first-degree connection filter, the URL that’s generated is generic. Anyone who uses that URL will see their own first-degree connections that match the criteria.

So you can send that link to your client and say, “Here’s a list of people you’re connected to who match my ideal client. Of these, who should I reach out to? Who should I avoid? Who can you introduce me to?”

They’ll see their full list, and you don’t have to manually review names together.

Bob Woods 11:18
Excellent. Anything to add, Stan?

Stan Robinson Jr. 11:22
That’s one of those ninja tricks most people would never think of. Once you see it, it’s a mind-blown moment.

Bob Woods 11:34
Brynne should have put on her ninja mask for that one.

Brynne Tillman 11:39
We are unmasked here at Social Sales.

Bob Woods 11:43
Fair point. Now let’s get into number four: vendor introductions.

Brynne Tillman 11:55
I love this one. Vendor introductions can be incredibly powerful for growing your business.

You can meet networking partners at events or on LinkedIn who serve similar clients. That’s great. But there’s always some risk—you don’t know how good they really are, and you may hesitate to introduce them to your top clients.

Instead, ask your clients for introductions to vendors they already use and love.

For example, if you’re a financial advisor, you might ask for introductions to their CPA, estate attorney, or contracts attorney. When you connect, you can say, “We both work with Stan. Your name came up, and I thought it made sense for us to connect and get on the same page.”

Now you’re building a relationship with someone vetted by your client. You can confidently refer them because your client already trusts them.

There’s another side to this. If a client says their CPA firm merged and they’re not sure who they’re working with anymore, you can say, “I have a few CPAs my other clients love. Would you be open to a few introductions?”

You’re making a huge deposit in the relationship bank. These are meaningful value adds.

For us, it might be sales trainers, marketing partners, or HubSpot implementers. Sometimes clients need help with negotiation skills, objection handling, or CRM process optimization—areas outside our expertise. Having trusted vendor partners allows us to refer confidently and continue serving our clients at a higher level.

Stan Robinson Jr. 15:52
These introductions are another way to add value. We talk all the time about bringing value to potential and existing clients, and often we mean valuable content. But arguably, introductions are an even higher level of value because they can lead to meaningful business relationships.

And Brynne, I love how you phrase it. There’s a reason you ask, “Who is a CPA you work with that you love?” We might assume people will only give us names of those they’ve had good experiences with, but it helps to clarify. Don’t give me the person you fired—give me the person you enjoy working with. That way, I can feel comfortable referring them to others.

Brynne Tillman 17:02
That’s a great place to—oh wait, we have one more.

Bob Woods 17:06
We do have one more. Don’t cut Stan off—this is another important one that all three of us love: testimonials and case studies.

Stan Robinson Jr. 17:16
Yes. Testimonials and case studies are powerful. LinkedIn gives us a great platform where people who’ve worked with us can share why they loved working with us through recommendations. Of course, it should be reciprocal—we can do the same for them.

It’s always more credible when someone else talks about the great job you do rather than you talking about yourself. A case study is like a higher-level testimonial. It may require collaboration with your marketing department and the client to create something formal that outlines:

• Where the client was when they started

• The problem they were experiencing

• How you helped solve it

• The measurable results

Then you have a structured format you can share with others.

Brynne Tillman 18:26
I’d love to add a quick side note because I love what you’re saying.

When it comes to LinkedIn recommendations, offer to write it for them. Or record a quick Zoom where they talk about why they love working with you, then use tools like Copilot, ChatGPT, or Gemini to help frame their words in a clear, compelling way.

But there’s something ultra-important you mentioned that I want to emphasize: giving recommendations is just as powerful—if not more powerful—than receiving them.

When you give a recommendation, you solidify the relationship. Whether it’s a referral partner or a client, you’re deepening that connection in a way that can impact future business. You also gain real estate on their profile. If someone checks them out and sees that you recommended them, it reflects positively on you. Who doesn’t want to work with a vendor who publicly supports their clients?

Recommending your clients can have a significant impact on your business.

Bob Woods 20:04
Speaking of value, that’s what we’re all about.

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Brynne Tillman 21:08
All right, guys. Have a great one. See you later. Bye!

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