Ryan DohrnPresident/Founder, Brain Swell Media · Keynote Speaker - Emmy Winner - Billion Dollar Sales Coach - Niche Media Conference Owner - Media Revenue Strategist

Referral Rebuttal - Ryan Dohrn - Q&A Sales Training Tips and Sales Advice

16 Feb 2023 · 2 min

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2:16

In this solo Q&A video, Ryan Dohrn answers a listener question from Trevor in Wyoming who asks how to handle advertisers who claim that word‑of‑mouth or referrals are their best marketing source. Ryan explains that media businesses are actually the engine that creates and amplifies word‑of‑mouth by making brands visible and top‑of‑mind. He points out that many advertisers view media as a “one‑trick pony” that only brings in new customers, but he reframes the role of media into three distinct functions: (1) attracting new business, (2) re‑engaging past customers, and (3) generating thanks, retention, and referrals. He calls this the “marketing success triangle.” Ryan uses this framework to give Trevor a concise objection‑handling script, emphasizing that media drives referrals and should be presented as a multi‑purpose marketing tool. The video ends with a brief promotion of Ryan’s speaking services, his book Selling Forward (with proceeds to the Golden Harvest Food Bank), and an invitation for viewers to submit more questions.

Questions this video answers

Ryan explains that media drives word‑of‑mouth by making brands visible and top‑of‑mind. He reframes the objection by highlighting three media roles—bringing in new business, re‑engaging past customers, and creating thanks/retention that leads to referrals—forming a "marketing success triangle." He suggests presenting media as a multi‑purpose tool that not only attracts new customers but also fuels referrals, thereby turning the objection into a selling point.

Chapters

Hey friends and fans, Ryan Dohrn here answering your listener questions sent in to ryan@ryandohrn.com. Keep those emails coming, I love to answer your questions. All right, next one comes from Trevor in Wyoming. Ryan, most of my advertisers are saying to me that word of mouth or referrals are their best marketing source. How do I handle that objection? So Trevor from Wyoming, and I just was actually in Cheyenne, Wyoming for the Press Association, that was a ton of fun. Word of mouth and referrals is actually a vital part of marketing for almost everybody, you and me included, Trevor. The nice thing about what we do in the media business is that we get conversations started. So when someone says to me, hey, word of mouth is my best marketing vehicle, I say that's awesome because we do an amazing job of driving word of mouth, driving referrals, making sure that people see your name, your brand, your business. I mean, it causes them to remember you, to keep you top of mind, which means they will refer you a lot more often. Here's the thing, friends, those of you that sell media like I do all the time, most advertisers, most businesses, what they do is they see us as a one-trick pony. They see us as only being good at bringing in new business. They don't see us as being a great way to drive referrals or bring back past customers. There's 3 things that we do in the media advertising business. One, is we bring in new business. Number 2, we drive past customers back. And number 3, we create thanks, retention, word of mouth, and referrals. So remember, that's kind of a 3 sides, if you will, to the marketing success triangle. New business, re-engaging past business, driving referrals and thanks. That's that triangle that we always want to be talking about when we're out there selling marketing services. So Trevor from Wyoming, stay warm as well. And I hope that helps you answer that objection next. Friends, love to come to speak to your national sales meeting or at your conference. Reach out to me over at ryandohrn.com. Don't forget my new book, Selling Forward, over on Amazon. Check it out. All proceeds are going to the Golden Harvest Food Bank. All right, friends, see you next week.