Client references tin make the difference betwixt a airtight sale or a lost one.

Just at that place'southward a time and a place to introduce your prospects to your customers. It's not in the offset of the sales procedure, when many prospects enquire. It might non fifty-fifty be in the centre of your process if you haven't already washed a good job addressing their concerns.

In fact, most of the fourth dimension, salespeople should rely on references simply as a last resort and toward the cease of their sales procedure. Every bit Dave Kurlan, all-time-selling author, acme speaker, and sales development thought leader explains, "Any reference request is a momentum stopper and at best extends the sales process. At worst, it volition delay it indefinitely."

So, how should yous handle prospects who ask for references, especially if it's besides early in your sales process?
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Customer Reference Requests: 12 Ways to Reply

one) Acknowledge their request for a reference and empathise their reasons.

Don't ignore your prospect'due south reference request. Prospects ask for references for wildly dissimilar reasons. When it'due south early in your sales process, they could be trying to blow you off, or information technology could exist a buying indicate. When it'south closer to the finish of your process, it might just be out of habit or because their visitor requires them to talk to references before making any purchase. No thing why they may be asking or when, it's important to first acknowledge their asking.

When y'all get a premature reference request, enquire, "You'd like to talk to a few of our customers?" Chances are they'll say "Aye" and explain why. But if this doesn't prompt their reasoning, don't be afraid to inquire direct. It's critical to sympathize why your prospect is asking for references so you can differentiate between legitimate requests and ones intended as put-offs.

Here'south a way you tin ask directly while keeping the mood light: "Usually, when prospective clients ask for a reference, it's because they are serious well-nigh moving forward with me, or information technology's considering they don't trust a discussion that comes out of my mouth and want to talk to someone else who is more trustworthy than me. Which scenario describes your reasons ameliorate?"

(It's important to chuckle a flake when you you lot refer to yourself equally untrustworthy, otherwise this strategy might backfire.)

two) Don't be a pushover.

While it's okay to provide references at the stop of your process if they are absolutely needed to close a deal, near of the time they are unnecessary. Your sales procedure should aid you build trust with your prospect. Enquire the right questions, heed finer, and position your service as a way to solve their most pressing challenges. Do it well and your prospect shouldn't need anyone else to tell them they're making the right decision. While it might exist tempting to allow your customers do your selling for you, don't be dependent on information technology.

The better approach is to "sell from an abundance mentality" says Mike Weinberg, author of New Sales Simplified and Sales Management: Simplified.

"One of the things that gets us relegated to 'vendor' condition is when we become yes men and do everything our prospect asks us to do" Weinberg explains. "Y'all're proficient and you know it. Y'all've got lots of work and y'all're okay if they don't hire you. You take a sales process that works and you're sticking with it." This level of confidence makes prospects respect that you've done this before and you're going to guide them in making a smart determination.

Many salespeople are reluctant to button back on prospects. But if they can suppress their demand for approval and respectfully question the prospect's need for a reference, they'll start to earn respect.

Having a documented sales process that you lot follow is key to having this confidence and earning this respect, however. The primary purpose of a sales process is to build trust and then that a prospect can make an informed decision. Prospects oftentimes believe that a tertiary-political party reference request is a quick way to learn whether someone is trustworthy or not. Information technology'due south not. You and your process are the all-time way to acquire whether you and your company are trustworthy or not. Don't shirk your responsibility.

3) Inquire them what questions they would like to ask your client.

Try something like, "I sympathize that you'd like a reference or two. So that I can become you introduced to the correct references, do you have a list of questions prepared?"

Usually, when prospects enquire for a reference early in the process, they haven't idea through the specific questions they'd like to get answered. If they don't have a list of questions prepared, brand information technology simpler for them by asking them if in that location are whatever top-of-mind concerns they take about a product or service like yours: "When you've used products or services like ours in the past, did y'all run into challenges you lot're afraid of repeating?"

If they still tin't seem to come up with specific questions or don't seem to want to divulge them, be prepared to suggest a few issues they should exist concerned with. Say something along the lines of, "Would y'all like me to suggest some questions you could inquire them?" and and so use your noesis of their electric current situation to advise a few. For case, if your product requires a certain amount of time and effort before ROI is realized, advise that they should exist asking, "What kind of internal resourcedo I need to dedicate to ensure ourbuy achieves a quick ROI?"

four) Apologize for not proactively addressing their bug before.

One time you've uncovered a few questions they'd like to ask a customer, apologize for non proactively broaching these sticking points earlier. After all, the reason they're asking for a reference is because they don't feel comfortable asking yous, or worse: They don't trust you to give an honest answer. Try, "I'g sorry that I haven't addressed these questions and issues with yous before."

While not always hands achievable, edifice trust is the salesperson's responsibleness. An apology will disarm your prospect and make them realize that you're going to practise your all-time to understand what they need, non but what they want -- and definitely not just what you lot want to sell them.

5) Suggest talking through their questions first before bothering a client.

Adjacent, suggest that you might be the best person to help them answer their questions instead of a customer. Co-ordinate to Kurlan, many times prospects are just trying to sympathise what to expect from yous and your service when they ask for a reference. Who's the best person to analyze expectations? (Hint: You.)

Try saying, "I'm uncomfortable providing references to you correct now for a few reasons. The beginning reason is that it is my chore to help you determine whether our offerings are the right ones for your specific needs. Would you lot be willing to schedule a longer chat with me where we tin thoroughly determine your needs, if and how we can help you with them, and what you can expect if you choose to work with u.s.?"

In case this prompt doesn't jibe with your process, Rick Roberge, partner at Unbound Growth (and my personal sales bus) suggests a few alterative means to deny the prospect's referral request.

If you lot call up blunter is better, Roberge suggests, "I'thou not there notwithstanding. Let's see how our conversations go. If they become well, and then we tin meet each other'south friends."

Another of his methods uses humor to deflect. He first says, "No problem -- call 555-555-5555. Inquire for Phyllis." When they inquire who Phyllis is, he answers, "That's my mom'south cell phone number. She's a little difficult of hearing, but if you speak upwards, she'll requite me a glowing recommendation."

Once they laugh, he follows with, "Sometimes when people enquire for references at this betoken in the chat, it's not a serious request. They're but looking for a reason to end the conversation. I don't seriously expect you to call my mother, but I am interested to know what I said that fabricated you ask."

If they give up their quest for a premature reference and tell you what their real issues are, you're off and running. Set an calendar for your phone call and make sure you have a sales qualification framework for your next telephone call that helps you and your prospect make up one's mind whether a common fit exists.

6) Tell them you try to avoid burdening your clients with referral requests.

If they are still insistent that yous provide a reference, tell them that you don't burden your clients with reference calls until you lot've determined the likelihood of the prospect buying.

Perhaps the chief reason you shouldn't provide referrals to every prospect who asks is out of respect for your customers. They have jobs that don't include selling your product for you, and their fourth dimension is valuable.

Try a brusque and sweet, "I'm not able to oblige your request right now because information technology is unfair to my clients."

Alternatively, Weinberg suggests the post-obit longer, more explanatory version: "That is not something I can give you at this stage of the process, because we are at this stage with a bunch of prospects. If you were my client, you wouldn't desire to take a call every week -- or more than 1 telephone call a week -- to serve as a reference, right?"

7) Tell them you're willing to offer a reference at the correct phase of the sales procedure.

Sometimes you won't be able to avoid providing a reference entirely, merely you should only give it afterwards you've determined the prospect is a serious buyer and you've washed your job to aid them sympathise how you'll work together to their benefit.

At this point, Weinberg suggests the following: "We're happy to requite you a handful of advisable references at the right stage in this process. Considering of our situation in the market and as popular as we are, I can't have my best clients having four conversations a week with our prospects or they wouldn't be happy to exist references for us. When we get to a place where you're because one or two providers, or you're at the point of deciding to apply usa, we're happy to give you a significant list of our longer-term or shorter-term clients."

Are they nevertheless pushing back and asking for a reference now? Don't be afraid to be firm: "While I'1000 willing to give you a reference subsequently you and I mutually concord that nosotros're a fit, I'thou not willing to oblige your asking right now."

Listen to how Weinberg handles reference requests in this podcast (starting at xi:15). Pay close attention to his vocalisation tone (something that doesn't come up through so well in blog posts).

eight) Offer case studies, research reports, and third party reviews instead.

Once you understand what your prospect hopes to gain by checking references, you can probably provide it for them in a dissimilar grade.

Perhaps the best arroyo to deflecting early reference requests is to apply published proof of the value of your service via case studies. If your sales team is frequently asked for references early in your sales procedure, you might desire to consider publishing instance studies (like yesterday).

Putting together an armory of solid instance studies doesn't have to be difficult -- get your best customers on a video conference call, printing record, and hire a transcription service and editor to put together the finished product(s). At HubSpot, our marketing team is responsible for producing and updating several case studies every month. We now have hundreds of them that feature customers of unlike sizes in a diverseness of industries.

Research reports are some other fashion to address a prospect's skepticism. For instance, every year, HubSpot produces State of Inbound, a survey study that examines the ongoing efficacy of inbound marketing and sales tactics and how they produce results for customers and not-customers alike. In improver, we as well study the affect our software has on customers' marketing and sales success on an annual basis, and share the findings in an ROI report. Our salespeople use these documents early and often in lieu of reference requests.

Over the last few years, review sites that amass customer reviews accept grown in popularity too. While virtually of us are familiar with companies similar Yelp, Foursquare, and TripAdvisor for our consumer purchases, sites like Finances Online, G2Crowd, Capterra, TrustRadius, and SoftwareAdvice collect B2B software reviews. Review sites similar these exist in many (if not all) industries. Encourage your best customers to exit reviews on these sites and betoken reference requests there as well.

9) Offer to talk through why customers fail to exist successful with your service.

Prospects who seek referrals early on do so because they want to get an unbiased stance. They might even specifically ask to speak with an unhappy current or onetime client.

To handle this request, tell them that you are committed to helping them determine whether they will be successful or not with your service. Sidestep the need to directly connect them with an unhappy client by proactively offering to discuss the reasons former customers left you, every bit well as helping them build a plan that will help them avoid the same fate. Try saying something similar, "Practice you lot remember it makes more sense for the states to only talk most the characteristics of successful and unsuccessful customers outset?" Coupled with the tactics to a higher place, this is usually plenty to go the prospect to shelf the referral asking at least temporarily.

If they insist on talking with a former client before making the final purchase conclusion, you've ensured that they hear the gory details from you first. They'll trust y'all more than for being forthright and you'll have an open up line of communication on a subject they were formerly reticent to broach directly with you.

10) Proactively build a customs of customer advocates.

"If y'all're talking to a decision maker at a qualified, bully fit company, you shouldn't hesitate to make the introduction," argues Emmanuelle Skala, VP Sales at customer advocacy platform company Influitive.

To exist able to handle a volume of reference requests, y'all demand an affluence of at-the-ready customers who are willing to speak with prospects.

"If you mobilize a community of advocates and give them a purpose, they will be more than happy to connect with prospects," Skala says. "The key is not having these reference requests feel like a 'asking' that burdens your customer. If yous inquire, y'all'll find that plenty of your customers want to brand new connections so they can expand their personal network and larn from peers. In one case yous've built this customs, you don't need to worry virtually 'reference exhaustion' and you tin can oblige more and more requests."

Skala disagrees with some of the advice earlier in this article. She argues that prospects have plenty of ways to get references without going through the salesperson: "Other than burdening your customers, the only reason salespeople say 'no' is considering they don't want to lose control of the sales procedure. But salespeople should face the fact that they tin't end a determined prospect from finding references, since we live in such a continued earth. And if yous say 'no' to a reference request and they find a reference without your help, yous've lost fifty-fifty more command."

And then exist careful deflecting reference requests too aggressively. After yous've done your best to make them feel comfy talking to you nearly their concerns, be ready to oblige if they still insist.

11) Invite them to an outcome where customers will be present.

I way to retain control of your sales procedure while reducing the brunt on your customers is to create opportunities for prospects to interact with customers. For instance, consider hosting an in-person or virtual event, or by request your customers to publicly publish a mail or annotate on how you've helped them.

I'yard personally a big advocate of events, having hosted hundreds of them. There's no better fashion to convince a prospect y'all tin can help them than to put them in a room with customers who you've helped. As an example, I recently spoke at "Brewing Marketing and Sales Success" hosted by Impact Branding & Design, a HubSpot partner. They had a number of their customers give presentations at the consequence. These customers did a meliorate job selling value than I or Impact founder and president Bob Ruffolo could always do. While information technology's expensive and fourth dimension-consuming to host events like these, if you sell to local businesses, think about how you lot can host a regular networking lunch or dinner for clients and prospects.

If your clients and prospects are geographically dispersed, making in-person events less applied, host a regularly occurring webinar that features your clients and allow prospects to ask them questions.

Roberge uses an interesting spin on this technique: "We invite our clients to write about their experience on our or their blog. When a prospect searches my proper noun in Google, they find articles like, 'Need to Increment Sales? Rent Rick Roberge.'; 'Are You lot Having Conversations with People or Prospects?'; and 'Inbound Sales Rockstar? My Experience with Rick Roberge.'"

12) Offer a proof-of-concept or trial.

Accept I given you enough ways to deflect or handle a reference request? No? Okay, hither's one more -- and it'due south a surefire way to avoid a reference request and assure a auction. Only be warned that this one requires a lot more than endeavour and won't work for every product or service.

Drumroll, please: Offer a proof-of-concept and/or trial. A proof of concept is a examination drive that allows your prospect to experience firsthand what it's like to be a customer, making it unnecessary for them to talk to one before they commit.

As Jebbit sales evolution managing director Hunt Norfleet explains, "A proof of concept entails our squad really implementing the production at the prospect'southward organisation and letting them play around with it. In the absence of a client reference, this helps the buyer proceeds balls that the product works in the way they expect it to, and enables them to identify whatsoever sticking points early."

A live demo can also work if you lot use real customer data -- non a dummy environment. Trials and demos require a significant time commitment from you lot and your prospect -- much more than than a reference asking call. To ensure it's fourth dimension well spent, don't skip the qualification steps laid out above.

Beware of Reference Request Red Herrings

When a prospect asks for references early in the buyer-seller relationship, it'south oft a cerise herring. The real outcome is that they don't trust you. Some prospects inherently distrust salespeople and some might not trust yous or your company. Either manner, the fundamental to maintaining control of your sale is to acknowledge the request, understand the reasons for it, offering to address the reasons yourself, reset expectations, and have additional means of deflecting the request at the set up.

But in some cases, reference requests are unavoidable or should even be embraced. And if that's the norm in your sales process, be prepared to give them. Build a program -- even if it'southward an informal one. Larn what types of customers value introductions to your prospects, and understand how your references will answer specific questions, so you know who to match them up with.

How exercise you handle reference requests? I hope these 12 adept-canonical guidelines will aid yous handle the side by side 1. Follow even role of this advice and yous'll avoid losing control of your procedure. Exercise information technology right and I bet y'all'll find that a reference request is a nifty opportunity to develop a deeper human relationship with your prospect.

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Originally published Jul one, 2016 vii:30:00 AM, updated Oct 29 2019