Archive for Referral Week
Referral Process Explained – Step 2 of 7
Posted by: | CommentsStep 2 = Your Ideal Referral Client
Service, Product, Retail, Construction, Professional services, Employee, and Volunteer … it doesn’t matter. A referral system should include 7 basic steps that helps you identify and succeed in ways you never imagined. The principles are outlined in a 7-step process that we will communicate this week in leading up to Referral Week. It is the basic understanding on how to apply the Referral Flood program to Your Business or Organization .
Step #2 – Identify your ideal referral client – In order to receive high quality referrals you must be able to quickly communicate the exact type of person or business that has the ability to make great referrals. That is not hard, is it. Anyone that breathes and you have met. If you convey that message I can assure you will get exactly what you ask for, and you better be careful. But if you can identify exactly what makes an ideal referral client there will be the synergy needed to make a referral.
What is different about a Referral Client:
-
It may not be your best customer or your best vendor. It is the person that knows "your ideal client" best.
-
It always helps if the company or person that refers you is famous. I am not talking sports hero or anything but the better known may establish great credibility for yourself.
-
They need to have a built in reason to motivate you. It is still about what’s in it for me.
-
Is there a way that you can motivate them that requires little effort on your part to fulfill.
-
They need to have the ability to repeat the process. Just because they know 1 person that might buy is not reason enough to build a system around.
-
A natural connection point to your organization. If you have to work to have a dialog, both of you will not be active enough to make it work.
-
You need to be important to them. There has to be a reason that they have your best interest at heart.
-
Use social media to make contacts and follow-ups. It is a different animal, but it is an important to distinguish.
Ok, simply stated Ideal would mean: A Star with a wealth of contacts that would be willing to give them to you freely. That is ideal.
Referral Process Explained – Step 1
Posted by: | CommentsStep 1 = Target Referral Market
Service, Product, Retail, Construction, Professional services, Employees, and Volunteers … it doesn’t matter. A referral system should include 7 basic steps that will help you identify and succeed in ways you never imagined. The principles are outlined in a 7-step process that we will communicate this week in leading up to Referral Week. It is the basic understanding on how to apply the Referral Flood program to Your Business or Organization.
Step 1 = Create a referral target market(s) – you must first create a target list of companies and individuals who can be motivated to refer. This can be clients, volunteers or a network of related businesses. Most people think that everyone is already doing it or would be unwilling to do it. They just look at it as a black and white issue. But I will tell you one thing; very few things are black and white. Ask yourself, who would be willing to refer my company and why? Who is going to benefit? Example: Does a Home Stager make a Real Estate agents job easier? If you want to build a strong referral network and program, sit back and think about what is the motivation for this person or organization to refer us? What is in it for them? Don’t think about yourself.
But as you go through this list, don’t start with strangers. Strangers are not going to refer you unless there is a real incentive package included. The less you know the person, the greater the incentive you must make. The more the people know, like and trust you the easier it is to refer.
This is not rocket scientist type information but it is amazing how most of us forget about it and jump into a network group thinking that someone is going to refer you. They seldom do but remember the old adage to give before you get. So think about a few of these Target Markets and how they would benefit from referring you.
The reason I made a Venn diagram is to demonstrate your Core Referral Message that will be discussed in the next post and how to hit a home run with it.
Call and Leave a Referral Story
Posted by: | CommentsGreat opportunity for you to call and leave a referral story. Listen to how one sounds:
This content from: Duct Tape Marketing 
Another Best Referral I Ever Received In a previous post I asked readers to share stories of the best referral they ever received. It was a lot of fun listening to the audios so I thought I would share a couple with you. This referral story comes from Kevin Sanders of Creative Concepts in Lancaster, CA. If you would like to share your referral stories call (214) 615-6505 ext 6998 and listen to the message prompts to leave your message.
I encourage you to leave a referral story it might be fun and you never know who may hear it!
