Use this small riff on the referral language I’ve always recommended advisors use to make it even more effective during this time of economic volatility. Plus, it’ll make your client look like a hero!

• Learn this language to ask for referrals in a way that always feels good – for you and your clients.
• Let clients know you’re always eager to help their friends and family, but you’re also in demand, and capacity is limited.
• Stick to a process. Make it easy for people who have been referred to you to reach you and make sure they do not slip through the cracks when you’re busy.

Transcript

You know the referral language I love. With all the market volatility, here’s a riff on that to make it even more effective.

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And if you’re not familiar with the referral language that I promote, follow the link within this post to see the details first.

If you already know this language, you know, or as you’ll hear in that video, I recommend saying, “If you have friends or family who have questions or concerns have them give me a call. I’m more than happy to spend five or ten minutes answering any questions they’ve got. I don’t promise I’ll bring them on as a client because it’s got to be a great fit.” You’ve possibly heard me mention that before, and I know advisors are using it, and I know that it’s working.

Given the market volatility we’re experiencing right now, you might want to change it up just a little bit. That might sound something like this: “If you have friends or family who have questions or concerns, have them shoot me an email referencing you in the subject line and that they know you. That way it’ll get priority flagged for me, and I will reach out and connect with them.” You can mention this to existing clients to let them see how they can be a hero by offering your help to their friends or family.

You can also follow that up by adding, “With the market volatility that’s been happening, we are getting a number of people who, understandably, have questions and a lot of concerns and, unbelievably, are not hearing from their advisors. So, we’re filling up a little faster than we were expecting. We’re going to tap the brakes on the growth because we’re definitely not going to have our service suffer. However, as much as we can, we want to be available to people who are important to our clients, so if you do have friends or family who are concerned about what’s happening right now, have them pop me through an email mentioning you in the subject line. I’ll flag it, know they’re connected with you, and make sure we reach out and connect with them.”

That’s the kind of language you want to be using with existing clients to let them see that you’re in demand and, therefore, letting them know they’re in the right place, talking with the right person, especially during these tumultuous times.

So to do that most effectively,

1. Dial in the language. Get comfortable using this language.


2. Have conviction that you’re filling up. Let them know that you stand ready to help, but time is limited. You are bringing on new clients who need your help, but won’t exceed your capacity to provide great service.


3. Highlight your process. Let that existing client know all they have to do is have their name mentioned in their friend’s email letting them know how they’re connected to you..

This way you’re going to appeal to existing clients. You’re going to clarify that you’re in demand and filling up fast. Provide a bit of urgency for them to tell their friends and family, and know that when you do receive that email, the chances are you’re now talking with a person who’s a little more serious, and not just tire kicking, about moving forward with talking to a professional (just like you) to find the help they need.

I look forward to bringing you another Distraction-Proof Advisor Idea next week.

For more Distraction-Proof Advisor videos, click here.