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Dear Quota Team

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I've been in my current role as an AE at a B2B company for three years. It's a pretty good job, and I have no major complaints so far. But I've run into a very specific problem I'm hoping you can help me out with. Our VP of Sales is pushing a team-wide initiative for us to get more referrals from our existing customers. He wants every AE at the company to make this a priority, which makes sense as our customers are generally pretty happy with our product. It seems like it would work.

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But it really isn't working. I've started asking my customers for referrals. I've been doing it organically on check-in calls instead of email, and I usually get some kind of positive response saying something along the lines of "Let me think of who would be a good fit and I'll get back to you." But then nothing really happens. I don't want to be too pushy and keep bringing this up on calls. I feel like this may be too big of an ask and could risk hurting the relationship. Our product is also incredibly niche, so I feel like our customers don't have too many relationships with other companies that would be a good fit for us (or any that aren't direct competitors to them). Why would they refer our product (which helps them be more efficient) to their competition? 

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What's the best way to thread the needle here? My boss is pushing me on this, so I'm feeling the pressure. I want to bring in new business this way, but I don't want to risk these customer relationships, and I also feel like this initiative is kind of a waste of time. 

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Timid in The Carolinas 

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Dear Timid

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The good news is your problem isn't that unique. Customer referrals are the holy grail for getting new business. The acquisition costs for the company are a fraction of what marketing spends to get you a lead, and referral leads are much easier to close. That being said, getting your customers to introduce you to new prospects is tough, especially in B2B.

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Asking for your customers to introduce you in a business context to their peers is a big, serious ask. It needs to be worth their time, effort, and social capital. If your VP of Sales is serious about this referral initiative, they need to make sure that there's some kind of (good) incentive in place that will make your customers more willing to make introductions.

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It also seems that the way you've been asking your customers, just passingly on check-in calls, may be making it easier for them to brush you off. It may be worth trying to start a new email thread or set up a meeting with them to discuss referrals specifically. This is of course a bigger ask, and they could say no, but at least you won't be in a limbo where you have a bunch of empty promises from your customers and not know where you stand.  You shouldn't worry too much about your ask hurting your relationship, it's very unlikely that asking will upset you customer, unless you're obnoxiously persistent or don't take no for an answer.

Be intentional, and don't be afraid. You don't get what you don't ask for. Good luck!