How to Start Referral Selling in 5 Steps

Sales Prospecting Perspectives is pleased to bring you a guest blog by Donato Diorio, CEO of RingLead.

Referral selling is all about helping you acquire new customers by utilizing a crucial asset: your past and existing customers. It can be one of the most effective sales strategies because the referral from a satisfied customer provides you with credibility and opens doors.

Referral selling starts from the top and impacts the entire organization. It’s a cultural shift where everyone is focused, passionate, confident and ready to sell. Improve sales prospecting by implementing referral selling. 

Step 1: Build.

Start with personal connections or people that you’ve worked with in a capacity other that your business focus. 

Step 2: Reach Out.

Kick off your sales process and outreach. Look at your CRM and the contacts for potential outreach. 

Step 3. Create the Infrastructure.

Look at all of your contacts, whether they are professional, personal, family, etc. in your CRM. Start your CRM infrastructure from there.

Step 4. Connect.

As you gain customers, ask to meet new contacts with the goal of building your network. 

Step 5. Learn.

As you move through the referral selling process, you’ll uncover your true brand, your partners and your new customers.

See the infographic below for even more on referral selling steps. 

5 Smart Referral Selling Steps from RingLead

This business approach of references and one-on-one sales outreach can open up an entirely new line of revenue. This is referral selling.