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DuctTapeMarketing.com
Aug 17, 2004
In this issue:
Featured Resource - Refer A Friend
and get a Fr~ee Report
Featured Tip - The Unwritten Rules of
Referral - John Jantsch
Featured Reading - The E-Myth Revisited - Michael Gerber
Featured Listening - Car Wheels On A
Gravel Road - Lucinda Williams
Stop
Wishing For
Referral Business and Start Generating a Flood of New Business With Over
50 Proven
Referral Marketing Systems?
If you want to generate more referral business, then you need to
seriously consider this ultimate guide to referral marketing.
Referral Flood is a 118-page manual and workbook, over 4 hours of audio
CD training, and a toolbox of referral marketing tools including
letters, postcards, referral cards, and other referral marketing tools.
Thanks
for subscribing - John
Featured Resource - Recommend this
newsletter!
Fr~ee Report
reveals - How To Create a Killer Small Business Marketing System in 7
Simple Steps
Share Your Duct Tape Marketing Newsletter - Refer a friend to this
newsletter and I will give you a copy of the jam packed marketing report listed
above - just for suggesting this newsletter to your friends. My
refer-a-friend page does all the work for you. I really love writing
this newsletter and, if you find it useful, why not share it with others.
Pick-up your fr~ee report
Featured Tip
The Unwritten Rules of Referral
How to use other people's contacts,
clients, and clout to generate a flood of new business
By John Jantsch
Nobody likes to cold call. Okay, very few
people that I know like to cold call looking for clients. For those of
you that fit that description, I have some good news. Stop it. Don’t
cold call ever again. Instead, let other people do it for you by
systematically generating all the referrals you can handle.
That’s right, many business owners have built their entire business
using this one simple, but powerful strategy. People want to do business
with other people they know, like and trust and by creating referrals
you automatically borrow upon some one else’s trust. For the small
business owner this is a crucial point.
You see referred clients, if properly qualified, will turn into your
best customers and will likely put a higher value on what you do and be
less likely to leave for price.
So you get that you should generate referrals and maybe you even do so
occasionally, but you want to generate a flood of referrals, right?
Here’s how:
Deserve referrals.
If your business or service doesn’t wow someone then who is going to
refer you? Consistently generating referrals is a bit of a mindset.
Tackle every customer you generate as though your sole purpose in
serving them is to generate a referral. Now, would that change your
approach to service? Now you’re not a sales person, you’re a service
person.
Target referral sources
Just as you must target your clients you must also target those clients,
vendors, influences peddlers, or contacts most suited to generate the
kinds of referrals you are after. Then you must educate them on just
exactly who and what makes a good referral for your business.
Ask
People love to give referrals. Think about the last time you got a great
deal on something or someone went over and above to help you—what was
the first thing you did? You told everybody, right? Don’t be shy about
asking for referrals
Tell them how you intend to follow-up
The single greatest reason your friends, neighbors and clients may
resist handing over referrals is because they had a bad experience in
the past. They gave an eager sales person the names of their family and
he still hasn’t stopped hounding them. Let them know exactly what you
plan to do and how you plan to do. Ease their past concerns and don’t
hound your referrals.
Make it easy for them
Don’t just ask if they know anyone who might need what you do. Give
specifics. I know a financial advisor who wants to work in certain high
income neighborhoods. When he meets with his clients he puts a list of
50-75 names in front of them and asks if they know any one on the list.
He always comes away with several highly qualified leads.
Let them participate
Don’t just jot down names and head out into the night, ask them to call,
email or write on your behalf. Hand them a suggested letter of
introduction that explains what you do and why you will be contacting
them. Get your client to mail a letter on your behalf. Placing a call on
your client’s recommendation can open some doors but nothing beats a
heart felt letter of endorsement
Ask for testimonials
One very passive way for people to refer business to you is to ask them
to write a letter that details some of the very specific benefits that
they have gained working with your firm. The more the merrier.
Follow-up
When you acquire a lead, make sure that you act upon it quickly and make
sure that keep the communication open with your referral source. Let
them know how much you appreciate there help and always let them know if
you turn the lead into a client. Cigars and single malt scotch are my
preference.
Reward them
There are many, many ways to encourage your clients and contacts to send
you referrals. You can give them free or discounted rates on their own
needs as a reward. You can send them a thank you in the form of a
discount to pass on to a friend. You can give them cash. You can create
a contest among your clients and give away a special prize to the client
who refers the most business. You can create your own currency and give
it away as an incentive. You can partner with a non-profit agency and
give a portion of all referred business to that agency. You can send a
gift to someone’s office, such as balloon bouquet, and generate so much
buzz they are forced to talk about how great you are.
Finally don’t forget to make generating referrals an expectation
of every client relationship. Let your clients know going in that you
fully expect them to be so thrilled with the service you provide that
they are expected to give you ten qualified referral within the next six
months.
Just saying that to every new client you land will make them realize
that they made a great decision to choose to do business with your firm.
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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
The E-Myth
Revisited by Michael Gerber
Every small business owner needs to read and reread this important book.
The book does not really offer the answers to all of life's most
persistent problems, as some might suggest, but it is still the best
book at framing the problem with small business. It is definitely on my
top 10 list of books that formed the way I look at business.
Featured Listening and Such
Car Wheels On A Gravel Road - Lucinda
Williams
It wasn't until sometime in her late 30s that people starting to take
note of the songwriting talent of Lucinda Williams. Then, every
Nashville artist around wanted to record her songs and every other movie
included her songs on their soundtracks. This is the album that really
sent her career mainstream. |
