Are You Referral Ready?

Archive for the ‘Referral Ready Program’ Category

All referrals are not created equally.

For some people, a name and phone number is perfectly acceptable.

Others insist that a personal introduction is when a referral begins.

One key ingredient, perhaps THE key ingredient, is the element of ANTICIPATION. In other words, when you pass a referral, is the contact EXPECTING to hear from someone regarding a specific service or product?

For example, Bob might ask for introductions to, let’s say, high school teachers at ABC School. Steve knows a teacher at ABC School and quickly says to Bob  “I know a lady who you might want to talk to.”

Steve wants to help, knows someone, and thinks he is passing a referral. But is the teacher at ABC School EXPECTING a call from Bob? Not at this point.

To create stronger referrals, try introducing the element of anticipation. In this case, Steve and Bob would probably benefit from a more strategic meeting to discover how well Steve knows the teacher, how often he sees her, how frequently they talk, and perhaps when they expect to talk again. Bob could give Steve specific instructions about what to say when they do talk, what questions to ask and perhaps what not to ask. And when that happens, Steve could be taught to say “I know a guy you definitely need to talk to about that. His name is Bob. Shall I have him call you?” or, “Would you like to go to lunch with us?” or, “Would you like me to try to get him on the phone right now?”

If the teacher declines, at least you tried. If she accepts, the seed of anticipation is planted and the likelihood of an introductory meeting (and closed business) is greatly enhanced.

Who you know is a great start. Making a real connection takes a little more work, but you’ll find that most people will gladly take your instructions on how to make a prospect more qualified. When you begin to build a reputation as someone whose referrals are always ready, willing, and able to purchase, you are building the kind of “trust” fund that makes people want to reciprocate.

How can you introduce the element of anticipation in the next referral you give?

Great words from Jim Rohn:

Any day we wish; we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish; we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish; we can start a new activity. Any day we wish; we can start the process of life change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.

We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause. As Shakespeare uniquely observed, “The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves.” We created our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today. Those who are in search of the good life do not need more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions. They need the truth. They need the whole truth. And they need nothing but the truth.

We cannot allow our errors in judgment, repeated every day, to lead us down the wrong path. We must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how our life works out. And then we must make the very choices that will bring life, happiness and joy into our daily lives.

And if I may be so bold to offer my last piece of advice for someone seeking and needing to make changes in their life – If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree. You have the ability to totally transform every area in your life – and it all begins with your very own power of choice.

Here’s some great business advice from our friends at the E-Myth Worldwide:

A happy customer doesn’t need to know why she’s happy, but you do! And, if you don’t, you better find out! First, ask yourself: “What’s standing in the way of my clients getting exactly what they need? And what would it look like if we could actually deliver that?”

Consider everything you know or suspect about your customer. Become that person in need of your service. Be very picky, and assume that nothing is impossible. Now imagine the perfect product that meets, as closely as possible, what you determine are your customers’ ideal choices.

You can organize your thinking around six broad categories:

1. Functionality. What does your product actually have to do to completely satisfy?

2. Sensory impact. How should your product ideally look, feel, taste, and/or sound to meet customer expectations?

3. Conscious associations. Some people are naturally drawn to state-of-the-art products; others respond to superior performance, price, safety, or reliability. Learn enough about your customers to know which conscious associations resonate with them.

4. Unconscious associations. Colors, shapes, scents, and experiences unconsciously attract or repel us. I have a client who test-marketed an enzyme-based cleaner. Sample shoppers selected bottles labeled “safe,” “gentle,” and “environmentally friendly,” but avoided bottles that included the word “enzymes.”

5. Pricing and Value. The lowest-bidding contractor may, or may not, be seen as the most desirable choice. For many customers, “low-cost oil change” is compelling, while “low-cost surgery” is not. That a restaurant is expensive may be its biggest draw.

6. Access and Convenience. Is your being “local” an important consideration for your customers? Or is having a nation-wide presence more so? Is it important to your customers that you’re open on Sundays? Do you need to offer “live” operators, or do your customers prefer voicemail?

Remember: Tiny changes often make the difference between ordinary and extraordinary in your market. Once you’ve uncovered a better mousetrap that will add value from your customers’ point of view — create a system to deliver it. Don’t let it occur by accident. Make sure your customers are getting exactly what they want, every time they ask, and watch them beat a path to your door.

We build our business relationships on a foundation of trust, or we don’t survive very long.

1. We trust people who understand who we are and what we are about.

2. We trust people who help us discover the truth, even if it is uncomfortable.

3. We show our trustworthiness by asking good questions and listening. Ask tough, though-provoking questions – the kind nobody else ever asks.

4. We trust people who respect our values.

5. We trust people who make us think.

6. We trust people who are accurate.

7. We trust people with whom we have an emotional bond.

8. We trust people who believe in their recommendations enough to express themselves with conviction.

9. We trust people who “speak our language.”

10. We trust people who do what they say they are going to do.

11. We trust people who care.

Sponsored by the good people at justsell.com:

A challenge for you… a simple challenge where everyone wins (you and those around you). No real risk exists and it requires no additional time.

Within the next three weeks, set a two-day period as your days (or your team’s days) to inspire others – two days where you’ll put on blinders to anything negative and be the one in the office whom everyone else can count on for words and actions that inspire and encourage.

Two days where you’re the light for other people – your colleagues, your prospects, your customers.

Allow nothing negative and focus only on how to serve your prospects and customers.

Once you set your two days, fully commit to the effort regardless of the inevitable challenges, regardless of the weather (please… never the weather).

Fall off the inspirational horse at 2:11 on the first day? Get back on at 2:12 – no excuses. Two days. Be tough.

Remember, you wake with an option for your daily attitude. Challenges will come up regardless. Choose the positive attitude and formally commit to spreading it for two days. Not only will it be contagious, it might become a personal habit – a personal habit that motivates you.

TIP #1
When you ask for referrals, sometimes you get the objection “he’s already working with someone.” If you have a strong relationship with your client – a bit tongue in cheek – you can come back to your client with “Perhaps he’s ready for an upgrade?”

TIP #2
If you’d like to start asking for referrals a bit more than you are right now, here’s who to ask:
1. Clients who love you.
2. Clients who came to you through a referral (they are 2.5 times more likely to give you referrals than your clients who came through other means.)

When seeking advice, consumers are more likely to turn to other consumers who love the same things they love, not those who hate the same things they hate, according to an article in the March 2007 Journal of Consumer Research.

While there are relatively few ways that products are loved, there are many ways that they are hated. For instance, when a person loves a product, they generally love all aspects of the product. On the other hand, when a person hates a product, they can hate everything about it, hate certain aspects of it and like others, or like all of the individual aspects of the product but hate the way they go together. This “attribute ambiguity,” the researchers contend, influences trust and makes people more likely to seek the opinions of those who have product “likes” similar to their own.

We talk a lot about revealing personal information over time to add depth to your relationships. Just be careful that you are not spending a lot of time bonding over a common dislike…if the research is true, while it might feel like building rapport or sharing common interests, you might also be destroying the trust you seek to gain.

Try using your five senses to help create longer lasting images in people’s minds:

“I’m a website creation professional. This week I am looking for professionals who do not have their own website. You can tell because they have e-mail addresses on their business cards that end in “aol” “yahoo” “hotmail” .

“I’m an office supply professional. When you walk into an office, look for note pads which say “Staples” (a US office supply company). Ask who is in charge of ordering supplies.”

“I’m a Mary Kay professional. I’m looking for 10-13 year old girls who wear sports uniforms. I want to sponsor a girls sport team.”

“I’m a wholesale baker. When you are at a coffee shop and you think their cookies are terrible, do not tell the owner…tell me, and I will bring them my awesome cookies to try.”

“I am an air purification professional. If you go to a condominium to visit a friend and the hallways reek of the neighbors cooking odors, ask your friend if they are offended by the smell.”

“I’m a sign making professional. I am looking for people with maroon or gold hardhats because they are the head engineers on building projects. They are the ones I need to speak to about safety signs and ADA signage.”

You get the idea. If you can help people LOOK FOR, TASTE, and SMELL referrals, you will be making a lasting impression.

Email is a key point of influence for consumer purchase decisions, according to the Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions research released in January 2007. The findings suggest that many of consumers’ major decisions are influenced by email conversations with friends and family and point to the medium as a place where marketers can insert messages that might impact consumers during the decision-making process.

Other findings:
* 45% of frequent online users say email is their primary form of communication.
* 66% of male and 81% of female respondents discuss social arrangements (what films, concerts, or events to see or where to eat) via email.
* 41% of men discuss financial services purchases via email.
* 77% of women discuss travel plans via email.

For more information, click here.

We talk a lot about teaching our sales force how to promote our products and services in face-to-face situations. But when was the last time you gave someone an e-mail script about how to approach potential referrals? Something to think about.

The energy put out by a normal light bulb is equal to the energy put out by a laser beam. A laser light has a very tight beam and is very strong and concentrated, while a light bulb releases light in many directions, and the light is comparably weak and diffused. The difference between the two allows the laser, with focused energy, to have the power to do very fine and delicate surgery, artistic etching and play the broad, full sounds of an orchestral overture.

Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of Business Networking International (BNI), says there are three ways to bring your networking efforts into laser-sharp focus in order to make it a powerful way to build your business:

1. When talking about what you do at networking groups, focus on one aspect of your business at each meeting. Your goal in the networking process should be to “train a sales force” not close a sale. Therefore, each time you have an opportunity, focus on a specific product or service you offer and then train people how to refer you in this area. People are much more likely to be able to refer you when you teach them something specific to remember. On the other hand, if all you tell them is that you are a full- service business, you’ll join the rest of the multitudes of businesses that are easily forgotten.

2. When asking for referrals from your networking partners, be very specific about what you want. Identify specific people to whom you wish to be introduced. These introductions can be just as powerful and generate just as much business for you as one referral for a pre-sold individual. These types of introductions can open doors for you that would have otherwise remained closed. If you don’t know the name of the manager of another business you wish to meet, find out and then ask specifically for a referral to him or her!

3. Meet with each person in your networking circle one on one, away from the general networking session, to deepen the relationship and dial up the focus of your networking efforts. To really maximize the energy of the partnership you are forging with your referral sources, it is critical to spend time with them. Just going to a social function, or sitting side-by-side at some type of conference or networking event isn’t enough. You have to be face to face, talking and exploring commonalities and complementary aspects of each of your businesses in order to be as powerful of a referral source for each other as you can be.

By focusing your efforts like a laser beam rather than blasting your message out like a shotgun you will be fine-tuning your networking message and increasing your results. The first, most definitely leads to the second.