Part II Referability Quiz (Ockham’s Razor)
Yesterday’s referability quiz was about EARNING the fitness referral.
Today I want to quiz you on the second part of the formula: ASKING.
Have you ever heard of Ockham’s Razor?
Ockham was an English philosopher in the 14th century. I still remember the first time I ever heard the classic, “If a tree falls in the woods and nobody’s there to hear it, does it make a sound?”
This guy was sharp.
Ockham’s claim to fame is his “theory” that to be most productive, we need to peel away the layers of, well… crud…in order to get to the simple truth of things. Essentially, solve problems through simplicity rather than sophistication.
That sounds good, right?
Keep it simple.
I can dig it.
Ockham’s razor states: “Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily.” The term razor refers to the act of shaving away unnecessary assumptions to get to the simplest explanation. The simplest truth, the simplest solution.
Now, with that said, let me ask you question #1 in today’s quiz:
1. Do you simply and clearly ASK your clients to refer? In person, face to face, nose to nose, belly to belly. Do you ask them?
Most people, I’ve discovered, do not. They lack the fortitude, fear the potential rejection, avoid, at almost all cost, the confrontation.
And that is a big mistake.
It’s curious to me why so many will go to such great lengths to avoid confrontation.
And this goes back to my question #12 from yesterday’s quiz… are you fearless about feedback?
See, there’s no way - none - that you can improve if you live in your own little bubble, sealed off from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
Remember your Shakespeare?
To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them?
I’m not rambling here, so don’t think I’ve gone off my rocker with Ockham and Shakespeare. There’s a very real, and a very serious point to be made, and it’s right there in Shakespeare’s quote from Hamlet.
Should you suffer the “outrageous fortune” - should you be a martyr?
Or should you stand up and fight, and by fighting, put an end to the problem?
Stand up, straighten up, and confront your fears.
ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT.
And then let the chips fall where they may. If they make a big mess, clean them up. Believe me, you’ll learn a valuable lesson by doing that. You’ll learn how valuable it is to confront - you’ll learn how valuable it is to find out what your clients are REALLY thinking - because only then will you know how to fix the problem. Only then will you know the secret to turning your clients into champions of your business.
Anyway, food for thought. At the very least, I hope you found this stimulating and entertaining and different. Those are good things.
Cheers,
Ric Isaac
P.S. Despite having just conveyed what may be the most important lesson on referrals you’ll ever get, I can appreciate that maybe you were hoping for something more today. If so, don’t fret. Lots more on referrals coming tomorrow. In fact, tomorrow is the official unveiling of our new AUTOMATIC REFERRAL ENGINE. You’ll like that, for certain. Until then…