At first glance, a referral is a pretty simple thing: A satisfied client gives you a name and phone number and you contact the prospect to explain your value proposition — a simple, straightforward process.
Unfortunately, this “do a good job and ask for a referral” approach is totally and completely wrong. Not only is it a waste of time and effort, it deceives salespeople into believing it is their fault it has not worked, when the fault lies in a “system” that is deeply flawed.
Generating a large number of high-quality referrals requires far more than doing a good job and asking for a referral. If you want to generate a large number of high-quality referrals from your clients, you must understand what creates a quality referral.