When using a referral, tell the client what their friend found most appealing or beneficial about your product. If you do some research, you can focus on features that the client should also find appealing. Be prepared to respond if the client says something like, “Well, Charlie’s business is a little different from mine. He has different needs.” If you have done some research, you can respond by saying, “I understand that, but this is what our product can do for you.”
This allows you to show that your product is versatile but, more importantly, it also shows that you have considered their business needs and how you can meet them. You are not just trying to badger them into a sale; rather you are showing understanding about their business.
By preparing in this way, you demonstrate your business’s strength and credibility and give the person to whom you are speaking reason to consider you as a potential business partner. You also encourage them to think of you as someone that is worth speaking to on a business level and give yourself more time to build a coherent pitch. You may even find that no pitch is necessary, but it is nevertheless useful to have it in your reach and be able to deploy it.
