During a referral seminar last week, a participant came up to me at the break with a question. He told me that our Referral Success Kit had changed his practice forever, but he was stuck on transitioning from the initial “rapport building” part of the call into the “business” part of the call.
Here’s the verbiage I suggested to this gentleman. Perhaps you’ll find a way to adopt and adapt this idea to your business.
Calling the New Referral Suspect
“Good morning Bob, this is Bill Cates with XYZ Financial. George Smith suggested I give you a call. I have to tell you, you have a real admirer in George. In fact, he told me you have one of the best business minds he’s come across. Is George a trustworthy source on this matter? (I always believe in having a little fun with referral suspects and prospects.)
“In this case...yes! You can believe George. He told me to expect your call.”
“That’s good. Look Bob, I don’t know if I can be an additional resource for you or not, but based on George’s satisfaction with my work and his recommendation that we talk, here’s what I’m hoping for from this brief, first conversation. I’d like to ask you a few questions and tell you a little bit about the value I believe I provide. After 10 minutes or so, we’ll both be able to decide if it makes sense to continue the conversation - either through another phone call or getting together. How’s that sound?”
This is an easy way to transition from the initial “rapport building” part of the phone call into the “business” part of the call. I’m not expecting you to use the exact words I set forth (though you can if you wish). It’s the transition that bothers many people. I hope this helps a bit.