Referral Trigger for the week of August 5
What to DO to GIVE Referrals
Grow: Share | What I Learned
Conversation lead by the Midtown Team
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and | Whether you’ve been a PowerCore Member for two weeks or two decades, you’ve learned something that has made a difference for your referral results.
Share what you learned, and how you have put that knowledge into action. Then tell us where it’s made a difference in your business. Share the value you learned. |
I have found over the years to stop what I am doing directly after I pass a referral, and fill out a referral slip on the spot. First, I have all of the referrals contact information in front of me, and this makes it easy to fill out the slip correctly, and completely. Secondly, it make walking into the weekly meeting stress free because you have at least one referral all ready to pass.
For my business, it’s important to be able to tell stories to relate financial concepts to clients that don’t live in my world. In Powercore, the red card In the InfoMinute has been the most helpful for my business to help me hone my stories for all types of situations. My most impactful story came from a conversation I had with Jim, a 32 year old father of two who works for Coca-Cola: he was driving home on a Tuesday at 7:30 from work and had a financial question. He called me and I was able to answer it right then and there on the phone, providing advice specific to his situation. He was so impressed that I was able to remember his situation, he referred 4 of his friends to me over the next year. I would highly recommend others use the power of the red card in their business to help stories to their clients.
I have found that using the gold card during my Infominute has helped me earn referrals by describing what value my best clients are looking for. By clarifying that my best clients don’t just want help planning another trip, rather, they want to experience something memorable, something that may change their perspective on life, my team understands which prospects will get the most value from my travel agency.
I’ve learned the value of honing in on specific services and competencies that our company has, and how to explain them in a way that anyone who wants to hear can understand. I started out throwing as much info out as I could, and I found myself, over time, focusing on the 6 week series format of InfoMinutes.
I’ve learned the value of sharing an actual experience that I’ve encountered and clearly identifying a potential referral. I’ve also learned the value of focusing on an info minute series of 6-8 minutes. I was able to implement this beginning the week I gave my 7 minute presentation when I used my infominute to share details about the 7 minute presentation I would be delivering later in the meeting.
Finding common ground in listening to the other person speak about their work. In relating to my industry I find it much easier to connect referrals
I have learned the power of referrals and how I can be a resource to my friends, family and clients. Being able to give a referral shows that I am active in my community and know people who can be of service to other people. When I give a referral to a client, it says that I am interested in their needs and listening to their life concerns outside of just wanting to listen about their business.
The crucial distinction between what is a lead and what is a referral.
The difference is that you are working in a warm market and the contact is not a surprise.
You also get more referrals from the referral than from a lead a multiplier effect
A little goes a long way! I’ve learned to be specific and present information in a simple and digestible way. Which is not only useful in my InfoMins at PowerCore, but also as I meet other potential clients in any setting.
After all, it’s what we do to get referrals!
Some referrals are best warmed up. When referring over to a gatekeeper I try to make sure there is strong interest on both sides and a good chance for a connection.
Some referrals can be ice cold. If I have an acquaintance on Facebook looking for a service sometimes just posting a link to one of my team mates is all it takes for a great referral.
I have learned about the power of following up. Whether it is on a referral or scheduling coffee, a follow-up email or call goes a long way to achieving the end goal.
PowerCore has taught me how to identify my best client and how to speak confidently about my business with anyone that I meet. This has allowed me to gain speaking opportunities for events with my gate openers and ideal clients.
The best practice is to follow up on a referral or a lead as quickly as possible. As time goes by, people forget about how you met, business cards get misplaced, and their need for your services may dissipate. If you follow up while everything is “fresh”, not only does it make you look like you are interested in doing business but you may capture a client right when they need your services.
Before I pass a referral I try to make sure it is a good lead for my team members. This takes listening carefully to what the prospect is in need of and having a clear understanding of my team members’ business
to make sure it’s a match. When I pass a referral I do my best to make a connection right away. This practice has worked well for me so far.
I’ve learned that – contrary to instinct – the more specifically and narrowly you can describe your ideal client, the greater chance you have of a team mate referring you to them.
I’ve used this same idea in my marketing campaigns. Specifically describing and speaking to your ideal client brings MORE of them.
http://alocalbuzz.com
I’ve learned that providing pricing information during coffees, info minutes, and 7 minutes is valuable information for my teammates. I learned the pricing doesn’t have to be exact, but it helps a team member to know if the cleaning cost is $5, $500, or $5000 so they can use this information to pass a referral.
I have learned the importance of keeping my Team Roster in my backpack so that it is always with me. That makes it very easy and natural to hand someone a business card and then to follow-up with a three-way email introduction.
I think it’s important to tell a quick story that helps a teammate relate to a solution my services provide that differentiates me from competitors. Stories are remembered better than just throwing out various solutions available through my services because they clearly connect a common problem with a specific solution.