Referral Wall

Photo by Raphael Lovaski on Unsplash

What do you do when you hit the referral wall?

One of the most frustrating things that can happen to any consultant is running out of leads. What do you do? Who do you call? Where does your next party come from? Here are 3 quick and easy steps to get leads when you hit the wall.

1. Call all the people you didn’t call but should have called. We all have the list of people we didn’t call because we’re afraid of them. Let’s be honest about that. I know you deleted them from your contact list, erased them from your handwritten call list and maybe you even avoid them in public. She seem so put together. Do you know what it’s like to be that person? Maybe you do, maybe people have thought that about you. It doesn’t actually feel good to her, she probably gets left out of stuff because if you’re intimidated by her, so are others. Try saying this “Jane, you always look beautiful and your make-up is just so perfect. Mary Kay just came out with some great new eyeshadows. I’d love to get together this week and let you try them on. I’m curious what you think! Would Wednesday evening or Thursday afternoon work better.”
2. Call your customers. If you have people that buy from you, you can ask them who they know. Create a promotion for new customers and those that refer them. Make it something wonderful like the new compact, filled. Call existing customers and tell her that you’re going to give that away but the only way to go into the drawing is to refer someone to you. If that person holds an appointment both go in the drawing. Try saying this. “Hi Mary, I’m so excited about our beautiful new compact that I decided to give one away. I’m looking for some fresh new faces for my spring makeover binder and I just know how much people love you I thought maybe you’d know someone who could use some pampering. When she and I get together both your names will go into the drawing for the compact. I’m not setting a limit to how many times your name can go in, I’ll just put it in once for everyone you refer to me who decides to spend a few minutes on herself. And you know me, I’m not going to hound her. So who can you think of that deserves a spring makeover?”
3. This is the best time of year to contact brides and prom goers. I really think prom is overlooked. Those girls may not be rich, they’re just high schoolers…but let me tell you the truth, their moms are spending some serious cash on prom. I’m prepping my second senior for prom this year, which makes this jr/sr prom number four. We have two more daughters in the shoot. By the time high school times four is over we will have spent thousands on dresses, shoes, undergarments, makeup, and nails. Why would we overlook this selling and customer building opportunity? Bridal fairs, shows, and stores aren’t just for brides. They’re for prom goers too. Here’s what you do. GO to local bridal stores. Do not call…GO. Walk in there in your business dress. Ask to speak to a manager. “Hi there, I’m Susie Consultant with Mary Kay. I offer free makeovers to brides and girls going to prom along with their moms and friends or bridal party. I do events at local bridal stores where I offer a drawing for a beautiful gift basket. I would set up close to the front and out of your way. I welcome them to the store and make them feel special, give them a chance to enter the drawing and then send them to you. After they shop I thank them for coming to the store and hand them a rose on their way out. Even if they don’t buy a dress that day, they’ll remember your shop because they felt so special and maybe even come back. Either way it’s about making them feel like a million bucks. So would this Saturday or next be better for you?” Then you get to call every one of those entries. Make sure you put a place on your drawing slip to mark if they are a bride or a prom-goer so that you can be sure to include the moms!

Those are my favorite ways to meet new people, but I’m sure you have more. What do you do when you’ve hit the referral wall?

Originally published at https://blog.pinkoffice.com on February 26, 2019.