Referral Flood Blog

Be Easy To Refer

People do like to make referrals. The problem often though is like everything in life, the squeakly wheel is using up all of their grease. So, instead of just squeaking louder yourself, give them some more grease.

Create a whole series of referral tools and put them in the hands of those you know can best refer you to others.

Here are some of my favorite examples

• Mail a personal letter and enclosed a "proposed letter of referral" that simply needs to be copied onto their letterhead.
• Send four referral type postcards, already stamped and ready for them to send
• Send them a supply of business cards
• A supply of pens with your company logo
• A list of names or target prospects

You get the idea - be easy to refer and you will be the provider of choice when the referral moment arises.

A CPA and reader of mine, MaryAnn Soukup, developed a little mini brochure with a tear off business card for this purpose - What a great little inexpensive marketing piece!

This is the type of tactic you will find throughout Referral Flood

How Will You Know When To Refer Me

Quite often your referral sources don't get asked the perfect referral question.

In other words, people don't always come right out and say, "I don't think I am getting the performance on my investments that I should, do you know a good financial advisor."

If they did that, and you were a great financial advisor, referring you would be a piece of cake.

A cry for help is usually more cryptic than that, so you've got to train your referral sources to look for the clues you've grown to hear.

A prospect says, "Oh, I don't need to worry about estate taxes, all I have is retirement assets and insurance." Now, you know that this is a great selling clue because insurance proceeds go into the estate and maybe the estate taxes.

So create a sheet you call - "Think of us when a friend or associate says:" - Then make up a list of the big triggers you know about. Things like events, lifestyle changes, money matters - whatever makes sense for you business. You know you've heard them a million times.

In my business, if I find a prospective business that is doing well, but admits that they "want to take it to the next level" I am pretty certain they are ready to listen to what I can do for them.

Just play back some of the conversations you've had with clients or think back to the networking events where you've been on the lookout for selling conversations and put those clues down on paper for your referral sources.

Hey, by the way, I just released a digital version of Referral Flood that is available for immediate download and comes with a little smaller price tag than the printed version

See Compliments For What They Are

If you are like most, when you receive a compliment, you look down at your shoes, shuffle your feet, get a little blushy and stammer something like, shucks, it was nothing. That's the way most of us are wired, taught by our parents to accept compliments begrudgingly. As a marketer, I'd like to suggest that you start looking at compliments as marketing moments of opportunity.

I believe that when a client reaches out and tells you that you did a good job for them, they are asking you to take the relationship up a notch. Don't let the opportunity slip on by. You've got to get straight in your head that this is the perfect time to ask for and receive a testimonial, a lead, new business or a referral. You don't have to fall all over yourself acknowledging how smart you are. You can seize the day tastefully by simply being prepared to suggest that your client might know someone else who would like these kinds of results.

The best time to enter the house is when the door is open