He Jiehua gets proactive about passive referrals.

One of his more successful passive referral journeys involved a client who asked him for help filing a claim on another carrier’s insurance policy. He read the policy, explained the procedures to him and showed him how to file the claim. His motive was simple: When providing client service, we should not bring in any commercial purpose. Just help a good friend do something well. That client later referred He to a friend with such high praise that their first meeting was smooth even though they’d never met before.

What preparations enable you to get passive referrals?

If we’re not active, passive referrals will be rare. One activity I have done is have a positive image on social media. Show that you are a person who loves life very much and avoid posting negative information. Second, show your real self on social media. If you say one thing and then post something contradictory, your client will feel like they don’t know what kind of character you have. Third, take the neutral position in posting comments and opinions. If you say you support one side and your client supports the other, they will have reservations about you. I regularly contact my clients with birthday greetings and send greetings during Chinese New Year. I also contact clients for policy renewal and claim settlements, and during those interactions, I get passive referrals.

Which clients are more likely to give you passive referrals?

There are two types of clients who take the initiative to introduce me. The first type is a client who is very close to me or has a special affinity with me and has a lot of friendly conversations or interactions with me. The other type has a wide network of people, and knowing a lot of people gives me a higher chance of getting passive referrals.

What was the most difficult situation you dealt with after getting a referral?

A passive referral client contacted me and said that he was very busy and that I didn’t need to tell him much. He just wanted me to send information he was interested in, and he would only contact me if he wanted to learn more. So, I didn’t send him information he was interested in immediately because contacting him afterward was difficult. Instead, I talked to the client who referred him and learned about the referral client’s situation in detail. Then I contacted that referral client with information pertaining to his situations to arouse interest and strived to communicate further in detail.

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Q&A: He Jiehua