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Getting
Referrals Into Sales
60% of all small business owners, sales and solo-professionals
claim that more than half of their new business comes from
referrals. Yet when asked about the process they so successfully
use to get those referrals and turn them into paying clients,
most will have a puzzled, dear-in-the-headlights, stupefied look
on their face, and keep quiet. Only a handful of professionals
can clearly articulate where their referrals consistently come
from and how they turn them into a new business.
Those
that do – understand the power of a system and frequency of exposure. To
best illustrate this, let’s look at how two consultants handle
referrals.
At
first glance John and Steve have virtually identical practices. They are
both management consultants, both have introduced executive coaching to
their “product” mix. They are excellent at what they do, provide great
value to their clients, and have stellar reputation among their
customers and peers. But there is a difference…
John
gets almost five times as many referrals as Steve, and he turns 95% of
them into new clients. How, you ask? See if you can spot a difference.
Steve’s name occasionally pops up in conversations his clients have with
their business associates. Since he does a good job, people are often
intrigued by the results he creates, ask for his contact information and
call him to inquire about his services. Those calls typically lead to an
appointment.
In
terms of frequency of exposure, Steve’s potential new clients hear his
marketing message only twice before the meeting: when they first get his
information from a business colleague, and during the initial phone
conversation.
At
first glance, John’s case isn’t much different. His name comes up in
conversations where he’s praised for his great work. His contact
information is passed on, and he too gets an inquiring phone call
leading to an appointment with a prospective client. But that’s pretty
much where the similarity ends.
Immediately after the call, John sends out a hand-written card saying
“thank you for interest in my services, I’m looking forward to our
meeting.”
He
also sends a handwritten thank-you card and a small gift (like a $5
Starbucks gift card) to the person who gave him the referral. (I guess
John understands that the best way to develop a habit is to reward it in
the first place – so he tries to make his referral sources feel good
about mentioning his name. And it works!)
The
following day, John sends out a small package with positioning materials
– a welcome letter, an article relevant to prospect’s situation, and an
audio CD. This will allow the potential client to “sample” John’s
expertise on the subject, build trust, increase the appetite for his
services, and position him as a valuable authority.
Incidentally, John knows that many of his best prospects won’t have time
to fully review those materials. He also knows it really doesn’t matter.
All he wants is to see his “stuff” sitting on prospect’s desk when he
walks into their office.
But
he’s still not done. A couple of days before the scheduled meeting he
calls his potential client to briefly confirm the meeting objectives,
time and place.
After
the meeting, John immediately sends out another handwritten “pleasure
meeting you/thank you” card.
So
let’s review how many times John’s prospects are exposed to his
marketing message:
1.
When they first are referred to him in a conversation with a business
colleague.
2.
When they call him to inquire about his services.
3.
When they get his handwritten “looking forward to meeting you” card.
4.
When they get his Positioning Packet. (And again when they make time to
look through the materials he sends out)
5.
When he makes the reminder call two days before the meeting.
6.
During the first meeting. (Notice that at this point prospect has been
exposed to John’s marketing message five times – comparing to only two
times in Steve’s process.)
7.
When they get the handwritten “thank you” card after the meeting
Plus,
sending a thank-you card and a small gift to the referral source might
prove helpful as well. Sometimes, motivated by the gesture, the referral
source might choose to take a more active part in the process, inquire
about how things are going, and offer additional help.
There
is one other thing that separates John from Steve. John understands that
his clients want to give him referrals but often don’t know how to do
this. So he takes time to educate them and makes it easy for them to
pass his information on.
He
hands each new client a sample of a great Attraction Tool (most likely
an audio program or a book), and informs them that he’ll gladly send
this Attraction Tool to any of this new client’s business associates at
absolutely no cost and no obligation – all they have to do is ask for
it.
He
might even hand the new client a few postcards promoting the Attraction
Tool and encourage him to send it out to their associates. Why bother?
Because by sharing this information John’s new clients are actually
helping their colleagues. And it’s easier and less awkward to send out a
postcard and to share a resource, than to hand over names of business
friends. All this increases the chances of John’s name coming up in
casual conversations.
I can
already hear you whining: “but that’s too much work, I can’t do that in
my business”, etc., etc. And you are right – it does take extra work to
set this SYSTEM up.
Do you
have to do this? Hey, it’s your business – you don’t have to do anything
you don’t want! But the fact is – frequency builds familiarity.
Familiarity builds trust. And we all do business with people we know,
like and trust. So you decide if adding a few extra steps in the process
could help you get more referrals and, eventually, paying clients.
Want
to learn how to create irresistible positioning and attraction tools
quickly, easily and affordably? Keep an eye out for next week’s message
to find out how to participate in a one-day, hands-on Info Product
Intensive…
© 2006
Marketing Mentors. All Rights Reserved.
The author, Adam Urbanski, teaches service professionals and business
owners how to develop marketing strategies that increase sales and
profits. His website offers more how-to articles and free tips to create
a winning marketing action plan at
http://www.themarketingmentors.com
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