Referral Marketing Tip: Results Driven Networking

“If you’re not helping someone when you’re networking, you’re just not networking!” – Zig Ziglar

The most effective networkers are people who never sell themselves. Instead, they are masters at promoting and helping other people. They prefer this strategy because it’s more comfortable talking about someone else, it’s more rewarding to help others and they truly understand the real meaning of networking. Effective networkers are typically very skilled at asking good questions and listening for opportunities for other people. Their well placed questions open up the conversation to easily enable the other person to do most of the talking. The questions are also meaningful enough to allow the effective networker to assess the newly forming relationship and explore ways to offer support and help. Focusing on the person at hand, actively listening, and following the conversation are actions that a skilled networker manages with ease.

In business, when you want results, you set a goal, create a plan to meet that goal, implement the plan, and measure the results. Business networking is no different. Results driven networking starts with a goal. For every networking event that you attend, you must have a goal in mind. Here are some sample goals:

• Introduce John (my referral partner) to two potential prospects
• Get two people to visit my networking group
• Find one referral opportunity for Becky (my referral partner)

One thing to notice is that all of these goals focus on someone else. Your main purpose needs to always be looking out for others while you’re networking.

Once you have the goal in mind, create the plan on how you will meet that goal. For example, if you want to get two people to visit your networking group, what specific things will you mention about your networking group to make someone want to visit? What professions will you look to invite? How many people will you need to ask in order to get two to visit?

I observe that most people never approach networking with such a specific agenda. Most people approach networking in a haphazard manner and totally focus on what they want to get out of it. If you create a goal centered on other people, create a plan to meet that goal and implement the plan, there is no doubt that you will reap the benefits in the long run. Results driven networking is not left to chance. Results driven networking is purposeful, meaningful, and filled with activities of giving to other people. The most effective networkers are secure in their knowledge that what they give to others is a direct reflection of what they will reap as results in the future.

Referral Marketing Tip: Treat your clients like referral partners

Small business owners expect to get referrals from their clients, right? Don't you have the same expectation? Well, if you want referrals from your cients, perhaps it's time for a shift in your thinking. Right now, I can guarantee that you're focused on treating your clients well so they stay with you and hopefully refer you too. The shift in thinking involves realizing you've also got to begin treating your clients like genunine referral partners in order for them to refer you regularly.

What does it mean to treat them like referral partners? In a nutshell, you've got to take the time to teach them how to refer you. Experiencing your product or service is not the same as knowing how to find you a business opportunity. You need to lead this relationship to produce the results you want.

Referral Marketing Tip:
It's no secret that if you ask someone to do something for you and they think it's hard ... they most likely won't do it or will procrastinate a very long time. On the contrary, if you make it easy for them to do something, they will.

Apply this concept to your referral marketing efforts. One thing you can do is to create a template email for your clients to use to introduce you to people they know who would make great clients for you. This way, you're leading the interaction, you're teaching them what kind of verbiage you desire them to use AND you're doing the hard part for them. If they save this email in a file folder with your name on it ... any time they have someone to connect to you, they can easily pull out that email and make it happen.

Referral Marketing Tip: Become a Catalyst

There are three kinds of people in the world. Those that watch things happen, those that make things happen, and those that wonder what the heck just happened!

Catalytic people make things happen. Think of all the catalytic people you know. Who's the catalyst in your home? Who's the catalyst in your office? Who's the catalyst on your favorite sports team? Catalytic people have four traits in common: initiative, intention, confidence, and motivation.

They tend to be the ones that think of an idea and spring into action. They don't wait for things to happen. They operate with a "get it done now" mentality. They also operate with intention. Catalytic people define their purpose and goals and carry that into their referral efforts. They have confidence in themselves and in the team of people that surround them. From these folks, you'll see a positive attitude and the ability to motivate and bring out the best in others. They know how to motivate themselves and their contacts when needed.

Referral Marketing Tip: Become a Catalytic Referral Marketer

Tap the first domino! Put something into action this week. Ask 5 clients to write you a testimonial and use those words in your opportunities to promote yourself. Initiate a meeting with someone who you've given lots of referrals to but have received very little from in return. Express your intention and motivate them to want to reciprocate on your behalf.

Lead your referral relationships by tapping into these four qualities and become the catalytic person you need to be to get the referral results you deserve!

Referral Marketing Tip: Write Down Your Stories

Before television there was radio. Before radio there was books. And before books there were storytellers. The power of a well-told tale, passed down from generation to generation is the power that brought people together. Stories helped to form the beginning of cultures that have lasted to present day.

A good story stays with people and compels them to share it with others. This is especially true of success stories. Everyone loves to hear them and everyone wants to have one! And doesn't this align nicely with word-of-mouth marketing where referrals are based on thousands of individual success stories.

Referral Marketing Tip: Write down your own success stories

Think of your best success stories with your clients. What made her a perfect client? What were her needs? How did you help her? How is she better off after working with you? Why did she choose you?

Why write these stories down on paper? Most importantly ... so you don't forget them! Beyond that, taking time to capture these stories on paper will enable you to share them with your network. By sharing these true success stories, you are empowering your network to refer you more effectively. You're giving them a compelling way to capture the attention of a future prospect for you. The more stories you share with other people, the more high quality referrals you will get that are similar to these stories.

So ... get busy!

Referral Marketing Tip: Send a Card

In my opinion, one of our basic human needs is to feel appreciated. We want to know that our hard work is appreciated. We want to know that our time has made a difference. We need to hear our loved ones express how much they appreciate us being in their lives. We need to appreciate our customers in order to keep them as customers. And, we need to appreciate our referral sources for the energy they give to helping us grow our businesses.

Appreciation is critical to our success as human beings. One company, Send Out Cards, has made it easy to extend our appreciation to the people in our lives. In a nutshell, it's a real card system that is accessed through the computer. The options, features, and possibilities are endless but the point is that it makes appreciation easy.

Referral Marketing Tip:
Find a Send Out Cards representative and join the system. (If you need a rep, contact me and I'll connect you). Begin making appreciation a part of your every day. Show people how much you appreciate their efforts to help your business. If you want to see more referrals coming in your direction, make a plan to send more cards in the opposite direction ... away from you and back to your network.

Referral Marketing Tip: Track Your Referrals

Do you have a system for tracking your referrals? If not, you're in the norm.

Most people don't track their referrals at all. Why? Why wouldn't you want to keep track of where your business is coming from? Are you tracking the business that comes in from your phone book ad or your billboard or your website? So, then why not track your referral business too. How can you duplicate a good thing if you don't have a record of what made that good thing happen?

Referral Marketing Tip:

Begin today to track not only what referrals you RECEIVE but also what referrals you GIVE to other people. It doesn't need to be complicated. Use a basic Excel spreadsheet for referrals IN and referrals OUT ... making sure to list the names of the people responsible for sending you the referrals and the names of the people you give referrals to.

Over time, you will begin to see who your primary referral sources are and you can make a consious effort to ensure that you are giving back to them in some way as well. You can also begin to see who you tend to give more referrals to. Perhaps these people need to be guided on how they can give back to you as well.

Keeping track of your referrals will ultimately lead you to a more stratgic and thoughtful approach to your relationships. If you want more structure on this, seek out the book, "Networking Like a Pro" by Dr. Ivan Misner.

Referral Marketing Tip: Ask the RIGHT clients for referrals

Why can't I get more referrals from my clients?

Some experts believe that the real trick to getting more referrals from your clients is to ask every client once you've finished working with them to refer you to all the people they know that could use your services. Another school of thought is to bombard your client database with direct mail requests. Still another is to offer great referral incentives to "motivate" a client to refer you to someone they know.

Referral Marketing Tip:

In my opinion, getting more referrals from clients is all about asking the RIGHT clients when the relationship is ready to hear and respond to your request. Referrals come from relationships ... not clients. A relationship needs to grow to the point of solid trust before it will generously risk referring you. If you honestly evaluate your client list, it should be easy for you to write down the names the top 25 best relationships on that list. Who are the clients you've become friends with? Who are the clients you can't wait to help and see again? Who are the clients that have already referred you? Who are the clients that bring a smile to your face? Who are the clients that you look out for and have gone beyond the call of duty simply because you like them so much?

When it comes to getting more referrals from your clients, this list will generate more for you than your whole list combined. They deserves your 100% attention. Make them a priority and set up lunch meetings with the first three. I bet you'll be surprised how much they will be willing to help you grow your business.