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By Colleen Francis

Critical for sales success focusing on what to do to keep referrals coming. Specifically saying "Thanks". People love to feel appreciated, and when you show them appreciation for helping you they will reward you with endless qualified referrals.

A powerful driving force in all customers, candidates and sales people is the desire to make a difference. We want to see that our lives count and we need to feel that we matter to someone, that we are noticed and important. That's why acknowledgement is important. To acknowledge someone is to say: I see you. You are significant. I understand you…I admire you. This is the case with all humans, and because all selling is ultimately Human to Human selling we need to pay attention to acknowledgement and use it everyday to help us sell more, in less time.

Often I am asked: "Is it possible to over-acknowledge someone?" Not if the acknowledgement is genuine. The concern should not be the quantity of acknowledgement, rather the quality of the gesture—whether our sincerity is in the acknowledgement. To my knowledge, no one has ever left an organization or refused accept your candidates because they were acknowledged or supported too much. Sadly it's a different story on the flipside. Who hasn't heard a story about a customer that leaves an agency because they perceive that the salesperson or the agency doesn't care?

1. Be empathetic and compassionate

Truly care about your customer (no matter how good an actor you are, faking it won't work). Ask questions, take notes and lean in to show that you're engaged in their answers. When you take an interest in people, they remember you—and when people remember you, it's good for business.

2. Observe their eyes, handshake, body language and tone of voice

Try to capture the physical impression your prospect makes, then try to match the spirit of it. Mimicking will not work. Rising to your customers emotional level will.

3. Be a life giver—give first

Share your network of contacts with your customers and don't expect them to give you their business without you giving them something first. Look to give away things that increase your value. Perhaps they need a referral to a partner of yours, or help finding a new dentist. Or maybe they have a business problem that can be fixed with a new idea you read about or heard from someone else you've met.

4. Don't go for the big decision all at once

In our personal lives, we don't propose to someone before we've been on a first date. The same is true in our business relationships. Obtain approval from your customer to move ahead in increasing increments. All too often, salespeople jump way ahead of their prospect's buying curve. This puts the buyer and the seller out of sync. When the salesperson is trying to close while the prospect is still evaluating options or determining risk, trust is broken and the prospect feels pushed. The sale comes dangerously close to disappearing.

5. Use friendly, warm words instead of formal business speak

When you use simple language, people respond better and trust you more. So limit your words to three syllables. Don't try to impress prospects with your extensive vocabulary—you run the risk that you end up just sounding inauthentic.

7. Thank your referral source immediately upon receiving the referral. . It can be a simple note such as:

"Dear Clayton, thank you so much for the referral to Bob. I will be in touch with him this week and let you know what happens."

The most critical part of that thank you note is letting them know that you are going to follow up to tell them what the end result was.  If you don't follow up and the client is left to call you to find out what happened, our referral relationship has eroded because the client's trust in you has eroded.

Remember that the note must be hand written. Email doesn't cut it.

Lastly, don't forget to also follow up with the referrer to let them know what ultimately happened with the referral. If "Bob" (from our example above) comes on board and does business with you, reward your referral source! Small gifts, a donation to their charity, their favorite wine, pick something that is personalized to the referrer. There is no point in buying them a bottle of wine, if your referral source is not a wine drinker! The gift has to be personal. And, it doesn't have to be expensive. You could give a five dollar Starbucks card. Any gift, as long as it's personal, goes a long way to helping secure more referrals in the future.

Acknowledgement is about more than singling out someone and showing them with praise or gifts (although that helps too!). There are also implicit support behaviors, and these should be worked into your daily sales calls and routines for all interaction. Making acknowledgment part of your day, everyday, will ensure your sales and placements will grow beyond what you could have imagined.

Colleen Francis, Sales Expert, is Founder and President of Engage Selling Solutions (www.EngageSelling.com). Armed with skills developed from years of experience, Colleen helps clients realize immediate results, achieve lasting success and permanently raise their bottom line.

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