RT @EzineArticles Expert Authors: “Eith
RT @EzineArticles Expert Authors: “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” – Benjamin Franklin. 
Creating a Pipeline of Business Referrals – Tip 33/52
Leverage Your Smallest Billboard
Tip
Your business card! Sure, it’s a lot smaller than a roadside but it’s a billboard nonetheless. Take one of your cards out right now and look at it. Does it accurately reflect your business’s personality-and your own? The best way to use your business card is not to give it out if people don’t ask for it. Practice this rule while networking and you’ll be amazed at the impact you’ll have on others.
Week 33 Action
Your first task this week is to look closely at your business card and ensure that it truly and positively represents you and your business. Though the following advice may seem obvious, failure to heed it may cost you another trip to the printer: Check for the essentials. This means your name, title, company name, address, phone number (or numbers, if you want to include your cell phone), email address, and website. If someone wants to contact you after receiving your card, you sure as heck want him to be able to reach you immediately.
Your second task: Think about how and when to deliver your business card. How many times have you been to a networking function and had people come up to you and literally push their cards into your hand or pocket? Such behaviour is business card abuse, and it warrants a phone call to the business card police. We call these people “card pushers”. They come directly from the school of power networking, where they’ve been taught to “Sell! Sell! Sell!” – and to do so at networking events by forcing their cards on every person they meet. Their goal for each networking event is to get rid of as many cards as they can, under the illusion that simply having a card automatically makes you part of their network. They make no real effort to develop relationships. Being on the receiving end of such aggressive card mongering feels awkward; you are being directly sold to, with no consideration of your interests or needs. Does this sound like a cold call to you? It is – except for one thing. The seller is not safely out of reach at the other end of the line – he’s breathing in your face and grabbing your hand.
It’s a situation you’d like to avoid, right? Then make every effort not to impose it on anyone else. Don’t hand out your business card unless someone asks for it.
That’s right. You read correctly. We’ll say it again to make the point. The best way to use your business card is not to give it out if people don’t ask for it. If you practice this rule while networking, you’ll be amazed at the impact you’ll have on others. You’ll find it refreshing, liberating, and, most important, controlled. You are now assured that people who ask for your card actually want your card. As a bonus, you save money and trees!
So, you may be asking yourself, what happens if I want to give someone my card, but she doesn’t ask me? It’s simple. Do you remember the law of reciprocity mentioned in the Week 29 Strategy (“Ask Your Own Questions”)? First, ask her for her card. As she hands you her card, she will probably ask you for yours as well.
With this tip comes a series of questions on That Referral Guy’s Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/thatreferralguy) - take the time to post your response and watch your business grow. Your knowledge and experience will help others grow too! Remember, Givers Gain.
Quote of the week is by Steve Ballmer.
I like to tell people that all of our products and business will go through three phases. There’s vision, patience, and execution.
Creating a Pipeline of Business Referrals – Tip 32/52
Become a Motivational Speaker for your Business
Tip
How you deliver your message is sometimes more important than the message itself. The hidden element behind a motivational speaker is passion. Passion is what separates you from your competition. Passionate people can infect others with their passion, further enhancing their success at finding your business & helping you with your goals. If you’re not excited about what you do, no one else is either.
Week 32 Action
Your task this week is to touch the inner spirit of your business and draw it to the surface. Reveal it to yourself and to your marketing team. Capitalise on the passion within your heart. Spotlight your uniqueness. Specifically, answer the following few questions, and be sure to respond to them from your heart and not your head.
- That can you say about yourself or your business that your competition cannot say?
- How does your work fulfil you?
- What element of your work do you most enjoy, and why?
With this tip comes a series of questions on That Referral Guy’s Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/thatreferralguy) - take the time to post your response and watch your business grow. Your knowledge and experience will help others grow too! Remember, Givers Gain.
Quote of the week is by George Clason.
Opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared.
Creating a Pipeline of Business Referrals – Tip 31/52
Become a Profiler for Your Business
Tip
Success in marketing your business by word of mouth rests on your skills as a communicator. The clearer and more concise your message, the more easily it is passed on by your marketing team. To network your business effectively, think of yourself as a profiler. Be specific. The more accurately you profile your preferred client and the more specific your message, the better your referrals will be.
Week 31 Action – Part I
A sure-fire way to avoid talking too much is to practice delivering your
message. Here’s the most-asked question in networking: “So, what do you do for a living?” Practice your response to this question, and time yourself until you can answer it concisely and clearly in one minute. Keep in mind that the question is what you do for a living, not how you do it. Remember the questions from the Week 29 Strategy (“Ask Your Own Questions”)? Your first task this week is to time a one-minute response to each of those questions.
Week 31 Action – Part II
Your second assignment will be to identify ten jargon words that you’ve been using in your networking. Write them down on the following worksheet, and brainstorm how you can communicate those words in layperson’s terms. It might be helpful to get insight from a colleague outside your profession, since, as we mentioned, sometimes we’re not aware of our own jargon, because we’re too close to the subject.
Week 31 Action – Part III
Your third and final task for this week is to write out a referral request before presenting it to the people in your network. Make the request specific by using the name, company, and profile of the person you want to be referred to. Create a clear image of what the people in your network should be looking for and what you want them to do on your behalf. As an experiment, show your written request to someone close to you and ask him if it is clear, concise, specific, and devoid of assumptions. Becoming an effective profiler for your business not only helps you clarify your messages, but it also helps ensure the success of your word-of-mouth marketing efforts.
With this tip comes a series of questions on That Referral Guy’s Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/thatreferralguy) - take the time to post your response and watch your business grow. Your knowledge and experience will help others grow too! Remember, Givers Gain.
Quote of the week is by Jeff Bezos.
If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.
Creating a Pipeline of Business Referrals – Tip 30/52
Talk About Benefits, Not Features
Tip
The more perceived value a benefit offers, the higher it gets ranked in your decision to purchase. What does all this have to do with your word-of-mouth? Simply this: Most business people, without thinking about it, talk in terms of features. In formulating the message you want your network partners to convey, put yourself in the customer’s place. What are the benefits of your product or service?
Week 30 Action
To zero in on the benefits of your business, your first task is to focus on your best customers. What problems were they experiencing before they came to you? What problems did you solve for them? How did you make their lives easier? The answers to these questions will begin to connect you with their motives for buying your products or services. You provided some value to them that was significant enough to cause them to spend their money. What was it?
An additional task this week is to complete the worksheet that follows, on the features and benefits of just one product or service you offer. Once you’ve done so, begin to include the language of your benefits in your messages to your marketing team, to prospects, and while networking. It would be a good idea to complete this worksheet eventually for each of your products or services. The Week 31 Strategy (“Become a Profiler for your Business”) will help you simplify your message and make it more specific.
(Do not limit yourself to this sheet!).
Product or service: ______________________________________________________
With this tip comes a series of questions on That Referral Guy’s Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/thatreferralguy) - take the time to post your response and watch your business grow. Your knowledge and experience will help others grow too! Remember, Givers Gain.
Quote of the week is by John McCain.
We are taught to understand, correctly, that courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity for action despite our fears.
Creating a Pipeline of Business Referrals – Tip 29/52
Ask Your Own Questions
Tip
Most of us have been taught as children that if someone does something nice for you, you should someday return the favour. The law of reciprocity guides our obligations and commitments to each other, because most of us don’t like to feel obligated to others. This even has an impact on our conversations when we’re networking. If you want someone to ask you specific questions, ask them the same question first.
Week 29 Action
Before attending your next networking function, think about what you want other people to ask you. To get the most out of the law of reciprocity, take the initiative and ask those questions of each person you meet. If you do, you will accomplish several things: (1) you will find out whether this person is someone you want to know better, based on his preferred client and his personality; (2) you will offer support to him instead of selling to him, which will open more doors for the conversation; and (3) you will give yourself opportunities to network your business more effectively.
This is also a good week to remember, from Week 7’s Strategy, that one of the top ten traits of a master networker is good listening skills. So, though you are asking questions with the hope of having them asked to you in return, don’t neglect this fabulous opportunity to gather invaluable information that you can use – both now and in the future – about the person you chose to query!
With this tip comes a series of questions on That Referral Guy’s Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/thatreferralguy) - take the time to post your response and watch your business grow. Your knowledge and experience will help others grow too! Remember, Givers Gain.
Quote of the week is by Eli Broad.
I learned to embrace risk, as long as it was well thought out and, in a worst-case scenario, I’d still land on my feet.
Creating a Pipeline of Business Referrals – Tip 28/52
Host a Purposeful Event
Tip
I’m not talking about hosting a simple dinner party or backyard BBQ. To truly earn its networking stripes, your event needs to be purposeful. It needs a goal – beyond simply getting people together. Hosting a monthly wine tasting, for example, can bring people together around a common interest. Hosting a networking event or luncheon so your clients can meet each other, positions you as one who adds value for everybody.
Week 28 Action
Your task this week is to begin the brainstorming process to determine what kind of event you could host. It might be a grand opening, a sneak preview, a holiday gathering, or maybe an elite mixer for key people in your network. Here are some questions to ask yourself: How would a given event develop and nurture relationships with specific individuals in your network? How might you collaborate, with them or others, for joint success? What value could your event bring to the members in your network? What goals would you like it to accomplish?
You can help the members of your network showcase their businesses, and network your own business in the process. The lights in your business always shine brighter when you share the spotlight with others in your network!
With this tip comes a series of questions on That Referral Guy’s Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/thatreferralguy) - take the time to post your response and watch your business grow. Your knowledge and experience will help others grow too! Remember, Givers Gain.
Quote of the week is by Robert G. Allen.
Fear melts when you take action towards a goal you really want.
Creating a Pipeline of Business Referrals – Tip 27/52
Sponsor Select Events
Tip
Imagine one day being in charge of putting on a huge event. Suddenly, someone from your network steps forward to offer you a substantial sponsorship because she heard through the grapevine that your event needed money. How would you feel about that person? You can create that same feeling toward yourself in someone else by offering that exact gift. In effect, you’re making a tidy “deposit” in your relationship bank account.
Week 27 Action
This week, think of the people in your network. Who is planning an event – a conference, an open house, a 10K fund-raiser – that could use your financial support? To strengthen your relationship with this individual, offer as much help from your business as you can provide.
With this tip comes a series of questions on That Referral Guy’s Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/thatreferralguy) - take the time to post your response and watch your business grow. Your knowledge and experience will help others grow too! Remember, Givers Gain.
Quote of the week is by Wayne Dyer.
What we think determines what happens to us, so if we want to change our lives, we need to stretch our minds.
Creating a Pipeline of Business Referrals – Tip 26/52
Join a Chamber of Commerce
Tip
Network in the right places! Professional associations exist whose sole purpose is to support the members of a particular profession with opportunities for continuing education, networking, recognition, research, credentialing, publications, and other services. Your local chamber of commerce is another venue to consider. It provides opportunities to give back to the community and capitalise on significant member benefits.
Week 26 Action
We started off this week’s strategy by advising you (with apologies to Andrew Carnegie) to diversify your eggs into more than one type of networking basket. Your task this week is to investigate your local chamber of commerce. Find out where the office is and request membership information. Ask for the names of members you can contact. Attend an event or two to see whether the membership is a good fit for you; for a small fee, you can probably visit a chamber mixer. Take your time, do your homework, and locate a chamber that will adequately meet your needs – and the needs of your business. Pick an active chamber that knows how to hold networking events and has strong membership. Membership is not free, but it’s far less expensive than traditional advertising.
With this tip comes a series of questions on That Referral Guy’s Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/thatreferralguy) - take the time to post your response and watch your business grow. Your knowledge and experience will help others grow too! Remember, Givers Gain.
Quote of the week is by Bono.
The world is more malleable than you think and it’s waiting for you to hammer it into shape.
Creating a Pipeline of Business Referrals – Tip 25/52
Seek Out a Referral Networking Group
Tip
Joining a referral networking group is like getting a free sales force. Business Network International’s purpose is to enable professionals to develop lasting relationships that lead to future business. The motto for this organisation is “Givers Gain” – which tells you that in order to succeed at networking, you have to help others succeed.
Week 25 Action
Your task this week is to visit www.BNI.com to explore the opportunities provided by BNI groups near you. Search for your city, and make an appointment to visit a chapter close by. Experience a networking forum that has purpose and is results oriented. Why settle for anything less than the best, most productive business networking organisation in the world?
With this tip comes a series of questions on That Referral Guy’s Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/thatreferralguy) - take the time to post your response and watch your business grow. Your knowledge and experience will help others grow too! Remember, Givers Gain.
Quote of the week is by Orison Swett Marden.
The golden rule for every business man is this: “Put yourself in your customer’s place.
