MAKING REFERRALS IS HUMAN NATURE Dentists often have no background in sales, and many are reticent to ask for referrals. To some soliciting recommendations can feel a bit too much like a pushy sales technique. However, it is important to understand that making evaluations and recommendations to others is rooted in the survival instinct. The need to make referrals is hardwired into the brain. It is not too big a step to imagine how thousands of years ago making a referral could be the difference between life and death. Sharing things like the location of a good hunting ground or the whereabouts of dangerous predators was essential to man’s survival as a species. This instinct is still present today. If someone asks you the name of a good restaurant, you are usually only too happy to oblige. Instinctively we know that in the future we might need to call on that person to pay back the favor by providing a tip of their own. Sharing information with others also has the bonus of raising one’s status and value within the community. Most people like to be recognized as good source of information, whether it be for traffic directions or the name of a good dentist. Making referrals creates social currency in society. If I refer you, then I implicitly expect you to be obliged to give something back in return at some stage. Amassing and crafting this kind of credit is what most people aim for throughout their life. It is why people collect information to be seen as the ‘’go to guy’’. Sharing information, including making referrals, also helps people to feel part of a community. It is a way for people to connect with each other. It can be reasonably argued that the proliferation of online social networks is directly linked to this need to connect and build groups around common ideas and needs. People love to share with others experiences that have thrilled or benefitted them, whether it be a great burger stand or a great doctor. The thousands of online user groups and specialized review sites bear witness to this. An example of how a successful business excites customers enough to want to talk about it can be found in the experience US-based business coach Tammy Redmond has spoken about how one her favorite businesses is the hole-in-the-wall Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland. She enthuses about how unusual and creative the doughnuts are and that people will queue thirty deep around the block just to buy them. Voodoo is not just selling doughnuts, according to Redmond, they are selling an experience.
It is this kind of elusive buzz that creates referrals. It is vital, however, to recognize the social currency of making referrals does not work in the same way as financial currencies. The former does not have the direct reciprocal link of the latter. Making a referral stems from a fundamental desire to help, not profit. There are no accounting ledgers for social currency. Instead, people instinctively believe in the adage ‘’you give to get’’. In essence, then, making referrals satisfies a human need. Asking for referrals is just the different side of the same coin. Making referrals is a rewarding way for people to make connections and asking for referrals is just the other side of the same coin. DrDDS is a Digital Marketing Services agency, connecting vendors and dentists with incredible online experiences. DrDDS was started by the founders of RecordLinc which is the largest network of dentists in the world. We bring in 2.5 million records on dentists from 400 different sources and work with our highly target their ideal customers using big data and machine learning. This allows you to focus on a much more concise prospecting list.