You've been trained to ask for referrals in a pushy, obnoxious, and downright embarrassing manner. When you use the tactics you've been trained to use it's very harmful to your relationship with your customer. Don't try asking ever so clever questions like, who do you golf with. Choke, puke, gag. These tactics are manipulative and you should stop using them right now. Don't stoop to using these high pressure approaches to get the referrals you need.

The biggest thing for you to remember about referrals is that you have to earn them. Just because someone penned their name to some paper work doesn't mean you have in any way shape or form earned a referral. You earn a referral when you exceed a customer's expectations and that takes a little time.

You can accelerate the process and make it something they voluntarily do without hesitation. If you've ever referred someone why did you refer them? Wasn't it because they provided: more value, service with integrity, more quality etc. If you take away nothing else from this article take this one idea and never forget it. Whatever everyone else is doing don't do that. That means never approach referrals the way you've been trained.

There is a quick and easy way to accelerate the referral process, provided you are capable of exceeding your customer's expectations. Make something about working with you so valuable that your customers will want to share it with their friends. There are lots of great marketing ideas used by successful service businesses outside your industry that you can adapt to fit your business. Viral marketing is one of the most powerful marketing tools ever.

Websites like YouTube and MySpace are prime examples of viral marketing. These websites get tons of traffic because they engage and entertain the visitors. Those visiting these websites blast all their friends directing them back to the website. You're probably a little confused about what the heck these websites have to do with you, referrals, and insurance sales at this point.

You can make get unasked for referrals using this concept. Find a way to provide more value for your clients than the competition through the way you provide information, how you engage your customers, or even exclusive opportunities. Do it right and all you have to do is let them know that you encourage them to share this with the people they know. Now you've got a viral referral system bringing qualified leads into your sales funnel. Geez, stop thinking like a boring insurance sales person.