The Importance of Sales in NetworkingReleased: Jan 15, 2007
Even if you’re getting all the referrals you need, you can’t leave your sales skills by the wayside.
Anybody who’s experienced and successful in referral marketing will tell you that sales skills are needed in every part of the referral marketing process – not just in closing the sale with the prospect.
From the very beginning, you must sell yourself to your potential referral source. A referral is not a guaranteed sale; it’s the opportunity to do business with someone to whom you’ve been recommended. You still have to close the deal. You have to make it clear that you know how to sell, that you can and will provide the products or services you’re expected to provide. If you can’t make that first “sale,” your potential referral source won’t become your referral provider.
Beyond selling yourself to the referral source, you have to sell yourself to the prospect to get that first appointment. Then, once you’ve made the appointment, you have to persuade the prospect to buy your product or service. This is the part that usually comes to mind when you hear the word “sale.” However, in referral marketing, closing the deal with your prospect is neither the beginning nor the end of the selling process.
Learn more about the importance of sales in networking, the number-one rule in referral marketing, and the bottom line about sales in referral marketing by reading the entire article.
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