The Referral Engine – How to develop external and internal referral sources

Course Outline

Any principal or partner will acknowledge that referrals are still the most common source of new clients (with the exception of fee acquisition of course). Typically, over two-thirds of new clients of accounting firms still come from referrals from other clients or external networks.

It is perhaps surprising therefore that many firms complain that they receive insufficient referrals. All sorts of reasons are given, from not having clients who can refer, to being overworked and therefore not having the time to seek referrals. In reality, there are usually two reasons for lack of referrals from clients:

1. The client is not ‘delighted’ with the service and does not feel comfortable with recommending it to friends and colleagues.
2. The practice does not actively ask for referrals from clients or external networks.

What’s the course all about?

This 2 module course outlines key steps that professional firms can take to improve the number of quality of internal referrals (from clients) and external referrals (from professional partners).

The course consists of:

1. 2 presentations
2. Workbook and support materials
3. 8 Assessment tasks

Each learner will develop a SMART action plan appropriate for their professional development needs.

Who’s it for?

This course is suitable for any professional directly or indirectly involved in client and professional advisor relationships, including partners, managers, accountants and adminstrative staff.

Course Content

Module 1: How to ask clients for referrals
Module 2: How to develop referral partners

Course Structure

• Learners can complete courses at a place that suits them, within and outside work hours
• Each learner will have a dedicated login to give them personal access to their course
• Module material includes online presentations, workbooks, PowerPoint Slides, templates, scripts and articles
• All modules also incorporate formal qualitative assessment tasks that encourage learners to develop practical actions demonstrating understanding of the concepts
• All assessment tasks are scored, with directed feedback to learners on their response
• As the learner progresses, they develop their personal SMART action list to drive change
• Managers are able to see at a glance how their staff are progressing
• All learners have access to course content for 12 months following their enrolment

Learning Process

Our self-paced eLearning courses follow a 4-step process in relation to learning objectives:

All modules are structured with specific learning objectives and assessment tasks. Learners are expected to demonstrate that they understand learning objectives and can apply concepts through completion of the assessment tasks. A SMART action planning template is used to consolidate specific actions and to ensure that a timeframe for completion is established and followed. Regular review of progress is ensured through commitment to completing the course.