If trust is the economy of partnerships, referrals are the currency

What is the point of building trust if it never results in a business outcome?

That business outcome should be revenue. Sourced revenue is just another way of saying a referral that resulted in a sale.

While referral programs are one of the most powerful tools available, they’ve always had a fundamental problem.

Being top of mind .

Channel partners struggle to keep all of their partners and their solutions in their conversations. Software partners struggle to be top of mind at their channel partners. Both are missing out on opportunities for revenue.

How to be top of mind

Referral programs help channel partners and software companies work together. This way, when opportunities arise, they’re both top of mind.

By incentivizing channel partners to refer leads to software companies, the companies can make sure that those leads are genuine and from trusted sources.

Incentives can help to create a more efficient and effective sales process, as well as increase sales. Additionally, referral programs can help build trust between channel partners and software companies, making working together easier.

I asked the CEO of a Sales Operations agency which partners he was referring most often; he said, "The one’s who pay me."

Make referrals easy

If it takes your partners a lot of time or work to refer a lead, they’re unlikely to do it often. They won’t refer as often if they have to work hard to get paid.

There is an abundance of referral management software that makes it easy for your partners to sign up and start referring quickly. It’s a good idea to invest in them.

This referral management software also makes tracking each partner’s performance easier. You can see who is referring the most leads, and if they are converting to customers.

This data allows you to reward partners who are doing the best job. You can also set up automated messages that let your partners know when they have referred a lead, or when a lead has converted.

These communications help partners feel appreciated and encouraged to keep referring. By investing in referral management software, you’ll keep the flywheel spinning.

Make referrals scale

What about the problem of remembering at scale?

Partnerships are an economy of scale. Referrals are what create the efficiencies for that scale. Sellers and consultants in the channel can’t remember which solution solves which problem because there are too many options.

The inability of the human brain to hold on to so many connections is to blame. The scale problem is a biology problem, not a will problem.

The best way to increase the scale of your channel is to invest in technology.

A dedicated platform that automates the process of providing the right referral to the right seller, at the right time, for the right customer. Working with their stream of work and sending them through a straightforward referral process.

Automating the referral process allows partners to refer solutions to their contacts without having to remember what problem each partner solves. It reduces confusion and increases sales velocity.

Being top of mind has long been the holy grail of sourced revenue, and one of the hardest things to unlock.

Jessie Shipman is the CEO and Co-Founder of Fluincy, a Sales Enablement Software for Partnerships. She has a background in education and learning theory and spent 4 years building and delivering partner enablement strategy for Apple’s top partnerships before building Fluincy.

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