Whenever we talk to producers about their sales pipeline, we often hear some version of how often they take in referrals. While it’s true that referrals are an essential piece of a well-rounded sales pipeline, you should not rely on them exclusively.
If your sales pipeline is powered almost entirely by referrals, you are taking the following risks:
Referral activity can be inconsistent, which could create long periods of stagnation.
Referrals are not a reliable way to capture or expand into new markets.
Even in the best of times, referral activity is largely driven by the total sum of your other marketing and brand development efforts.
The truly exceptional producers take an aggressive approach to initiating new relationships. They use appointment setting to continuously and consistently inject new prospects into their pipeline, powering a steady flow of sales and referrals that leads to long-term growth.
For more on this, download our free White Paper, “The Keys to Building a Well-Rounded Sales Pipeline.”
We’d also love to talk to you about your goals and your new business efforts.
John Pojeta is Vice President of Business Development at the PT Services Group, where he initiates and manages strategic, corporate-level relationships. Previously, he owned and operated an Ameriprise Financial Services franchise for 16 years.
John Pojeta is Vice President of Business Development at the