Are You Referral Ready?

Archive for the ‘Referral Ready Program’ Category

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.

When it comes to buying a car, 30.4% of consumers are influenced by word of mouth, compared to 24.1% by TV, 21.3% by reading an article, 20.2% by newspapers, and 17.5% by magazines.

When it comes to making electronics purchases, 42.6% of consumers are influenced by word of mouth, compared to 34.1% by reading an article, 32.3% by TV, 32.0% by newspaper inserts, and 27.2% by in-store promotions.

When it comes to influencing consumers, word of mouth trumps TV, print, and the web, according to the most recent edition of BIGresearch’s Simultaneous Media Usage Study (SIMM). Consumers are asserting control over their media environments in ways that were never possible before, and it’s changing the media model. The report shows that 67.9% of consumers use other forms of media while watching TV, 56.4% while listening to the radio, 68.9% while reading newspapers, and 70.7% while online. What this means for marketers is that consumers’ attention is being shared, which dilutes the potency of traditional media messages.

For more details about study, click here.

A BULL MAY HAVE GOOD QUALITIES, BUT YOU WILL NEVER BRING THEM OUT BY WAVING A RED FLAG IN HIS FACE.

Arousing others is easy-if you don’t care what kind of action you inspire. If you wish to create a positive response in others, you do so by example and through the art of gentle persuasion, not by daring them to attack. When you work with others, concentrate on their positive attributes, not on the things they dislike or fear. When you take the time to get to know your associates, to learn about their hopes, dreams, and aspirations, you can determine what motivates them. You can then show them how they can align their goals with yours to work together for your mutual advantage. When you do, everybody wins.

This positive message is brought to you by the Napoleon Hill Foundation.

Has anyone ever said to you, “If there’s anything I can do to help you with your business, let me know”?

Did you respond, “Thank you. Now that you mention it, there are a few things I need”? Or did you say, “Well, thanks, I’ll let you know”?.

If you’re like most of us, you aren’t prepared to accept help at the moment it’s offered. You let opportunity slip by because you haven’t given enough thought to the kinds of help you need.

You haven’t made the connection between specific items or services you need and the people who can supply them. But when help is offered, it’s to your advantage to be prepared and to respond by stating a specific need.

Here are a few ideas to get you started. Each of these are behaviors that you can request of others when they offer to help you or your business:

1. Invite you to attend events. Workshops and seminars are opportunities to increase your skills, knowledge, visibility and contacts. Members of personal or business groups that you don’t belong to can invite you to their events and programs. This gives you an opportunity to meet prospective sources and clients.

2. Endorse your products and services. By telling others what they’ve gained from using your products or services or by endorsing you in presentations or informal conversations, your network sources can encourage others to use your products or services. If they sing your praises on audiotape or videotape, so much the better.

3. Provide you with leads or referral. A source can help you by passing along information she hears about someone who needs the kind of product or service you provide or by introducing you to a person who could use your services or vice versa. Your source can also contact prospects they referred to you to see how things went after your first meeting, answer their questions or concerns, and reassure them that you can be trusted. They can also give you valuable feedback about yourself and your products or service, information that you might not have been able to get on your own.

4. Arrange a meeting on your behalf. When one of your sources tells you about a person you should meet, someone you consider a key contact, she can help you immensely by coordinating a meeting. Ideally, she will not only call the contact and set a specific date, time and location for the meeting, but she will also attend the meeting with you.

5. Serve as a sponsor. Some of your sources may be willing to fund or sponsor a program or event you are hosting. They might let you use a meeting room, lend you equipment, authorize you to use their organization’s name, or donate money or other resources.

Joe H. has a unique approach to generating referrals. He sends the following letter to selected customers:

Dear __________:

Have you ever needed a service but did not know who to call? Well, as part of my service to you, I retain a network of professional’s in their respective fields that I can recommend to you. These individuals take great pride in providing excellent service and products to their current clients. I know them and have used many personally and trust they will provide fair and competent service to you as well.

I can refer you to one or several contacts in the following fields…..

Plumbing
Heating and Air Conditioning
Electrician
Realtor (residential or commercial)
Florist
Attorney (wills, estates, trusts)
Security System
Accountant, CPA
Eye Care
Cleaning service
(residential, commercial, or restoration)
Mortgage lender (residential, home
equity, consolidation, or commercial)
Home remodeling (painting, wallpaper, woodwork)
Window coverings
Flooring
Estate Planning/money management
Chiropractic
Title insurance service

If you are in need of any of these services, please feel free to give me a call. I can provide the name, and contact information for the above professions, and possibly others not shown.

I’d like to thank you for your continued trust and confidence in the Joe H. Insurance Agency for your insurance needs. If I can ever be of service to you, please do not hesitate to call.

Sincerely,

Joseph H.

“Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force.”