|
DuctTapeMarketing.com
June 15, 2004
In this issue:
Featured Resource - The InfoGuru
Marketing Manuel - Robert Middleton
Featured Tip - Educate Your Referral
Sources
Featured Reading - Money Ball-
Michael Lewis
Featured Listening - Jolie Holland
- Escondida
Need Referrals?
Later this month I am releasing an ebook
and CD audio program titled: "Referral Flood
- How to generate a flood of new business without spending one dime on
advertising."
Don't miss out on this spe~cial prom~otion!
Go to
ReferralFlood.com and
sign-up for special pre-release promo~tional pri~cing that I will be
offering only to Duct Tape Marketing readers. There's no cat~ch just
reserve a review copy at a deeply disco~unted price (good until
6/25/04)
Thanks
for subscribing - John
Featured Resource
The
InfoGuru Marketing Manual - Robert Middleton
This comprehensive marketing manual contains everything you need to
attract more clients to your professional service business. Manual
includes complete 23 chapter text with hands-on action plans, audio
tutorials, articles, marketing discussion group, and many additional
bonuses.
Featured Tip
Educate Your
Referral Sources and They Will Reward You Handsomely For It
By John Jantsch
Do you know the number one reason that
business owners don't get enough high quality referrals?
Fear - That's it.
Now, on one hand you might think that I mean that some business owners
are just flat afraid to ask for referrals. There is no question that
there is a great amount of truth to that but...
The biggest stumbling block of all is that your clients and your
referral network are afraid to refer your business because they don't
really know how to do it.
You must train them, educate them, and take them by the hand and show
them how to provide you with killer referrals.
Here's what you must do to create an effective referral marketing
system.
1. Narrow your target referral - tell the world you are after a
very specific type of prospect. This is a good thing for any of your
marketing efforts because asking the vague "know anyone who needs what I
do" will severely limit the number and quality of leads you receive. Be
specific.
2. Be able to tell your referral resource - what you do that is
extremely valuable - not, I'm a marketing consultant - that much I hope
they know. Something more like - "I help financial planners triple what
they charge." Consider uncovering a statement like the one above for
your business and then print it on the back of business card in the form
of a question. “Know and financial planners who would like to triple
what they charge?” Then leave some space for someone to write a name and
phone number. This type of tool will put your referral program on
autopilot.
Now you've got their attention. Now you've given them nice tidy way to
refer you.
3. Tell your referral source exactly what you intend to do with the
referred lead. "I will call them and offer them a free evaluation as
a gift from you and then add them to my quarterly tips newsletter." See,
most people figure that you might stalk them and hound them until they
give. So outline your referral marketing plan for your source and put
them at ease.
4. Tell them why they want to refer you - you must help them
understand how they will benefit by providing referrals. In some cases,
the motivation might simply be that they will be seen as helping their
friends and clients. Don’t overlook the power of this motivation. Many
business owner can themselves benefit by introducing you to their
clients. On the other hand, in other cases the motivation may need to be
a bit more tangible - something like a trip, finder’s fee or free
product.
5. Follow-up - thank them and let them know how successful you
have been because they referred business to you. Communicate with your
referral sources every step of the way. Send them movie tickets when
they introduce you to a lead and then a nice gift basket when that lead
turns into a client. This type of follow-up will encourage continued
participation from your sources. The more involved you can get your
sources, setting up meeting on your behalf and verbally endorsing your
product or service, the better.
Take the time to create this educational component of your referral
system. Document each step and then go out there and boldly present your
case to your clients, referral sources, and referral network. This is
the missing piece of the puzzle for most business owners who attempt to
grow their business by way of referral.
~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
John Jantsch is a marketing coach and the author of Referral Flood - How
to create a flood of new business without spending one dime on
advertising. You can get more information at
www.ReferralFlood.com or by
sending a blank email to
subscribe@ducttapemarketing.com
Featured
Reading
Money Ball- The Art of Winning An Unfair Game - Michael Lewis
 Okay,
I guess some would say that this is not really a business book, it's a
baseball book. First, what a great baseball book. If you are fan of the
sport (really get the game going on inside the game) then you should get
this book.
But, as a business book. Let's see. Billy Beane, GM of the Oakland A's
continues to put a winning product on the field every year for the last
decade, despite being given one of the lowest payrolls to work with. And
he does it by throwing conventional wisdom out the window and turning a
deaf ear on those that initially claimed he was crazy. Now, everybody
wants to figure out how to do it like Billy Beane.
Featured Listening and Such
 Jolie
Holland - Escondida - This is Holland's second album but I must
admit I only discovered her after listening to a bit on NPR. She has a
compelling sound that I can only describe as a mix between Norah Jones
and Billie Holiday. This album covers jazz, blues, and country. This
album won't get much airplay so you just many need to pick it up to hear
lyrics like "I just need a couple a more food stamps and a caffeine
buzz." There is a definite nod to the roots of jazz and blues but
this is not a retro effort. She has a sound all her own. |
