Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder & Chairman of BNI, asserts that sales skills are needed inn 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. The, 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.
To read Dr. Misner's full Entrepreneur.com article, please visit:
http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/marketingideas/networkingcolumnistivanmisner/article172292.html
Questions? Call Misner at BNI Headquarters in the USA at 1-909-608-7575.
BNI (www.bni.com) is the world's largest business networking organization, with more than 4,600 chapters in 36 countries worldwide. BNI's Founder & Chairman, Dr. Ivan Misner is the author of several book's including the NY Times best-seller, "Masters of Networking" (www.MastersofNetworking.com), and the recently released #1 best-seller, "Truth or Delusion, Busting Networking's Biggest Myths" (www.TruthorDelusion.com). He is also the Senior Partner for the Referral Institute (www.referralinstitute.com), a referral training company with operations around the world.
Contact:
Michael R. Drew
Phone: 512-858-0040
Fax: 512-857-9428
16208 Crystal Hills Drive
Austin, TX 78737-9009
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