6 Tips for When Referral Prospects Don't Respond - Russ Caforio

6 Tips for When Referral Prospects Don't Respond

Even with the greatest of introductions and strong trust between the referral source and the new referral prospect, sometimes referral prospects don’t respond to our overtures for connection. 

Here are six ideas for you to consider implementing when this situation arises for you (whether you asked for the referral or not): 

1. Let your referral source know you’re not hearing from the prospect. They will often go to bat for you. 

2. Don’t ask for too much from the prospect. Going for an in-person meeting right off the bat is often too much of a commitment for the prospect to make at the outset. Go for an “easy yes.”  Ask to schedule a 5 or 10 minute phone call “to get the conversation started.” 

3. Get your referral source to invite the prospect to your next event – social or educational. 

4. Consider hosting fun and interesting social events just for prospects you’re trying to reach. Sometimes they don’t want their first meeting with you to be about their business. 

5. Send them something either fun or highly interesting/informative.  Sometimes some “bulky mail” will get their attention, prompt a thank you, and get your foot in the door.


6. Use humor.  If you have a sense of the prospect’s personality, humor can work wonders. I’ve sent fun emails to prospects that have prompted immediate replies. For instance, I sent a prospect – who had just returned from a vacation in Costa Rica - an email recently saying something like, “Are you still recovering from a Costa Rican spider bite?”   He replied immediately and apologized for the delay in getting back to me.

I'm curious. What are you doing to get more referrals, introductions, appointments, and turn those prospects into new clients? Send me your best practices so I can share them with others. What are your greatest challenges? Send them to me and I'll do my best to help. My direct email is [email protected]. 

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