Which of the following statements about referrals is true?

A) Salespeople should work on obtaining referrals when they are not engaged in selling activities.
B) It would be inappropriate to try to enact the referral cycle during the sales presentation.
C) Salespeople must sell the product, plus sell the prospect on providing referrals.
D) All salespeople ask for customer referrals.
E) The referral cycle consists of three steps.

Salespeople not only need to sell their product or service, but they also need to sell their prospects on the importance of providing referrals. The referral cycle typically consists of four steps: planting the referral seed, asking for a referral, following up on the referral, and thanking the referral source. It is appropriate to try to obtain referrals during the sales presentation if the customer expresses satisfaction with the product or service. However, it is important to ensure that the customer feels comfortable providing referrals and is not pressured to do so. Not all salespeople ask for customer referrals, but it is generally considered a best practice in sales.