received a call today from a verizon employee that reminded of how NOT to handle a referral. the precursor was a conversation at a party with a guy who worked with the fios product. i had told him i’d be interested in exploring a switch from cox. click on for what transpired next, what went wrong and how to handle situations like this properly.
below is what went wrong, followed by how it could have been handled in the right:
- i was left with a detailed voicemail that was clearly according to a script and strict procedure. referrals should be more personal and interactive. i wouldn’t have left a voicemail with details – just offered a hello, my contact information, a reference to the referral, and a request to call me back when it’s convenient.
- the call came from an agent i have never met – not from the original person with whom the matter was discussed. i believe referrals are handled best when the referror softens the ground first with a call, recalling the original conversation and informing of next steps. the unknown agent can then call behind this and it won’t be off-putting.
- the tone of the call was monotone, hurried and nasal. it was not upbeat and positive. the only thing that left me to know that this was a special occasion of any kind was a “referral code” that was left with me. the language was so stiff and formal – i thought it was a cold sales call! this is happy time and win-win for all parties involved. don’t be a drone!
- the agent mispronounced the referror’s name so badly that i struggled to recall where the connection began and why i was receiving a call. the fact that the person’s name may have been foreign to the agent (adjo) is not an excuse to read it improperly from a script on the fly. she called him audio, which when combined with his last name sounded like a business was the referror and not a guy i met at a party. are you kidding me? if i’m adjo, i’m not going to bee happy when i learn of this!
- the agent did not detail any promotion or finite amount that i would save for a. switching from cox to verizon, or more importantly, how much of a savings i would see for being referred. there was no amount offered to go with the “referral code” that was given. for my business, i offer a dicsount to the referred on their first project and a set amount to the referror based upon the size of the referred commitment. i even offer a residual payment of 5% for each time the referred customer renews his/her commitment or returns with a new project.
the bottom line is that referrals are an important part of growing a business. most business people would quickly point to referrals and word of mouth advertising as the the most important ways to advance a business. don’t drop this ball! no company – not even a business as established as verizon – can afford to be sloppy with new business!
