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Member You - Getting Referrals
Too often in my many years toiling in the Corporate world I had to sit through poorly facilitated meetings that started late, ended late and had no clear stated purpose. Starting my career in the early 1980's, as a Professional Purchasing Agent, I was fortunate to have been trained in Kepnor-Tregoe methodologies at a time when the organization I was working for was investigating 'Consensus Decision Making'. I won't spend any time in this blog post speaking about consensus decision making except to say it does not work. Someone ultimately needs to make a decision or you will create an over budget camel when a cost efficient horse was the true objective. However, I was trained in problem solving and decision making systems as well as on being a meeting facilitator.A meeting facilitator works on the sidelines listening and aiding the p
Cabling Companies
Management consultants
Phone Companies
Software Companies
VARs
Hardware Companies
Make it worth their while and put the offer in writing. It could be a major source of new leads for you.
Seminar Participants
If you provide great value at your seminars, this could lead to a lucrative referral pipeline. But like anything else, you must consciously cultivate the referrals. Include extra business cards or coupons in the seminar package and on your evaluation questionnaire
One of the biggest challenges any business owner or manager has is hiring the right people. I've recently discovered a simple, inexpensive yet very effective way which will help you get it right. This week I've asked Nathan Chanesman, Managing Director of Myprofile Pty Ltd. to please explain…"Without quality employees who share your vision and work ethic your business is not going anywhere.So how do you find the "right" employee?We've all experienced hiring the "wrong" person. It's a nightmare. Hiring mistakes costs money, time and worse can easily ruin your business and your health! A recent survey in Forbes Business Magazine revealed, "Hiring the wrong person is the prime cause of business failure in the USA". For most employers it's a lottery, hire someone and hope it works out.People problems take the most toll on
A substantial part of your business can come from referrals. The key is to provide extraordinary customer service and educate your clients and influencers to this fact. You must actively cultivate referrals; otherwise you’re just leaving it to chance.
Referrals Start with Great Service
The foundation of great referrals is great customer service. A large part of your business can be generated through referrals. Make an investment in your business and your client’s satisfaction by doing excellent work.
Characteristics of a Referral Source
Understanding the characteristics of a strong referral source, allows you to spend your time with the most qualified prospects. Below are the conditions of the optimum referral source:
Must have a relationship with your target client
Must understand your target client profile
Must be educated on what you do
Must respect you and your company
Must be respected by your target client
Must be motivated to refer clients to you
Existing Clients
You should regularly ask for referrals and you should have a formal referral program with your existing client base. We simply send a letter out regularly to our clients explaining that we would rather spend our money enhancing our services then marketing for business. We ask for referrals. We send coupons that can be distributed, business cards, and newsletters that can be forwarded. We’re not pushy; we just are up front that if they are satisfied with our services they should recommend us.
Complimentary Vendors
With other vendors you need to be more formal about your referral arrangement. The promise of mutual reciprocation rarely works. Immediate gratification does. If you’re clear about the value of the client calculated earlier in this section, then be generous with your fellow vendors when they bring in a client. If you’re going to make a profit of $10,000 over the life of the client, writing a check for $1000 to the referral source shouldn’t be painful.
You may have friendships with some of these vendors but they’re also business people and should be concerned that they spend time improving their bottom line. When you propose a solid cause and effect financial arrangement, you’ll get significantly better results.
Evaluate all the businesses that are non-competitive but end up doing business with your target client. Examples of this are:
Cabling Companies
Management consultants
Phone Companies
Software Companies
VARs
Hardware Companies
Make it worth their while and put the offer in writing. It could be a major source of new leads for you.
Seminar Participants
If you provide great value at your seminars, this could lead to a lucrative referral pipeline. But like anything else, you must consciously cultivate the referrals. Include extra business cards or coupons in the seminar package and on your evaluation questionnaire,
You've had successful interviews and you are ready to start work. Stop. Before you accept any position, establish an acceptable salary range. You will want to establish yourself toward the upper end of the range with an agreement to add pay for outstanding work at your first review and on annual reviews.1. Do your research. Check the company's web site for similar jobs and ask about their pay ranges. Research salary tables and articles in the Wall Street Journal; , , and .2. Calculate your personal salary range. Your market value is a combination of the present going rate for similar jobs plus past experience, training and your projected future contributions.3. Postpone salary discussions until you have been offered the job.<
Must have a relationship with your target client
Must understand your target client profile
Must be educated on what you do
Must respect you and your company
Must be respected by your target client
Must be motivated to refer clients to you
Existing Clients
You should regularly ask for referrals and you should have a formal referral program with your existing client base. We simply send a letter out regularly to our clients explaining that we would rather spend our money enhancing our services then marketing for business. We ask for referrals. We send coupons that can be distributed, business cards, and newsletters that can be forwarded. We’re not pushy; we just are up front that if they are satisfied with our services they should recommend us.
Complimentary Vendors
With other vendors you need to be more formal about your referral arrangement. The promise of mutual reciprocation rarely works. Immediate gratification does. If you’re clear about the value of the client calculated earlier in this section, then be generous with your fellow vendors when they bring in a client. If you’re going to make a profit of $10,000 over the life of the client, writing a check for $1000 to the referral source shouldn’t be painful.
You may have friendships with some of these vendors but they’re also business people and should be concerned that they spend time improving their bottom line. When you propose a solid cause and effect financial arrangement, you’ll get significantly better results.
Evaluate all the businesses that are non-competitive but end up doing business with your target client. Examples of this are:
Cabling Companies
Management consultants
Phone Companies
Software Companies
VARs
Hardware Companies
Make it worth their while and put the offer in writing. It could be a major source of new leads for you.
Seminar Participants
If you provide great value at your seminars, this could lead to a lucrative referral pipeline. But like anything else, you must consciously cultivate the referrals. Include extra business cards or coupons in the seminar package and on your evaluation questionnaire
I am doing what you do, sitting at my computer, trying to get my thoughts out of my head and into a written form that will help you make a decision. In this particular case, I am trying to write a few intelligent remarks about sounding conversational on paper. You know, how to write a sales letter that sounds like it came from the mind of a person and not an institution. I suppose the first thing I can tell you is that you should write the way you talk, unless, of course, you talk in halting sentences punctuated with “ya knows” and “like, you know what I mean?” And if you usually write sales letters that are signed by someone else, your marketing manager, for example, then you need to write the way that person speaks. The secret to sounding personal and conversational on paper is to imagine that you are act
Complimentary Vendors
With other vendors you need to be more formal about your referral arrangement. The promise of mutual reciprocation rarely works. Immediate gratification does. If you’re clear about the value of the client calculated earlier in this section, then be generous with your fellow vendors when they bring in a client. If you’re going to make a profit of $10,000 over the life of the client, writing a check for $1000 to the referral source shouldn’t be painful.
You may have friendships with some of these vendors but they’re also business people and should be concerned that they spend time improving their bottom line. When you propose a solid cause and effect financial arrangement, you’ll get significantly better results.
Evaluate all the businesses that are non-competitive but end up doing business with your target client. Examples of this are:
Cabling Companies
Management consultants
Phone Companies
Software Companies
VARs
Hardware Companies
Make it worth their while and put the offer in writing. It could be a major source of new leads for you.
Seminar Participants
If you provide great value at your seminars, this could lead to a lucrative referral pipeline. But like anything else, you must consciously cultivate the referrals. Include extra business cards or coupons in the seminar package and on your evaluation questionnaire
One of the most important components of buying and smoothly running a business -- big or small -- is something most people (for some reason) tend to shy away from, get cheap about, and thus practically invite trouble and chaos into their lives.And that is hiring good, solid professionals.The amount of money that you spend for the professionals in the business whether you’re buying it or putting up a business transaction is worth it.Every cent is worth it.Why?Because a business transaction is complex.I don’t care how smart you are or how bright you are, you’re going to find that you are not going to be able to keep up and you’re not going to be able to be that brilliant in all the areas.So, bring in other people. It’s worth it. You’re not wasting money. Believe me.You will make m
You may have friendships with some of these vendors but they’re also business people and should be concerned that they spend time improving their bottom line. When you propose a solid cause and effect financial arrangement, you’ll get significantly better results.
Evaluate all the businesses that are non-competitive but end up doing business with your target client. Examples of this are:
Cabling Companies
Management consultants
Phone Companies
Software Companies
VARs
Hardware Companies
Make it worth their while and put the offer in writing. It could be a major source of new leads for you.
Seminar Participants
If you provide great value at your seminars, this could lead to a lucrative referral pipeline. But like anything else, you must consciously cultivate the referrals. Include extra business cards or coupons in the seminar package and on your evaluation questionnaire
Are you a business owner who feels as if you have gotten in over your head? When it comes to business owners getting in over their heads, we often associate it with failure, but that isn’t always the case. If you are a business owner, you may be in over your head due to quick, unexpected success. If you recently started your own business, whether it be a few months ago or five years ago, you may need to seek assistance. Of course, you can always make the decision to hire other onsite employees, but did you know that isn’t your only option? You may want to examine Inbound Answering Services and what they can do for you.Before examining the benefits of Inbound Answering Services, it is best to quickly examine Inbound Answering Services, namely what they are. Inbound Answering Services are like most traditional Answering Services.
Cabling Companies
Management consultants
Phone Companies
Software Companies
VARs
Hardware Companies
Make it worth their while and put the offer in writing. It could be a major source of new leads for you.
Seminar Participants
If you provide great value at your seminars, this could lead to a lucrative referral pipeline. But like anything else, you must consciously cultivate the referrals. Include extra business cards or coupons in the seminar package and on your evaluation questionnaire, specifically ask if there is somebody the participant knows that could use your services or should receive a discount coupon for the next seminar. Ask and you shall receive.
Professional Services
Some of the best referral sources you have available are from those that provide your company professional services. You’re their client, so they’re naturally inclined to provide extra value. They also have a great deal of insight into the work you do and your success. Examples are:
Bankers
Leasing agents
Commercial real estate broker
Accountants
Attorneys
Secondary sources that could surprise you are:
Regular delivery people
Vendor contacts; office supplies, hardware, etc.
Cleaning services; contact the managers or owners
Cultivate and groom these sources of referrals. Behave professionally in all of your interactions. Keep them informed on new clients, products and services, press and so on. Supply them with business cards and actively ask for referrals.
Other Referral Sources
There are other referrals sources that may have already generated business for you without having a formal referral system in place:
Friends
Members of your church
Neighbors
Employees
Prospects – If they don’t buy, ask for a referral
Members of other organizations you’re associated with – school, political, etc.
When to Ask for Referrals
You should always be asking for referrals if you deliver a quality product or service. There are times when you’ll get better results than others. Here are some guidelines for when to ask for referrals:
After signing a contract.
Periodically with a letter, say once a quarter
When successfully completing a project and your client signs the final approval.
When a prospect turns you down. Guilt is a beautiful thing.
When you’re doing a client satisfaction survey.
When you’re calling an inactive client.
When you’re calling an active client.
If you’re unclear on how to ask for a referral, here are some variations to try:
“It was a real pleasure working with you and I look forward to our next project together. In the meantime, if you know somebody that needs quality software development services, I hope that you pass on what a good experience you had with our company and have them give
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