Lessons

Lesson Info

Producing Referrals

Let's, dive into last module here design your business blueprint producing referrals for a full practice and we have an ander tune a cartoon here we have a man on a stage in front of a large audience and he's saying, is there a primary care physician who can refer a specialist in the house? Ok, um, referrals are the life blood of every business it's essentially when I asked somebody with their marketing plan is and they say, well, I work with word of mouth, ok? That's terrific! We also need to incorporate promotion online and offline and those which we have discussed so far. But pre internet referrals and advertising and marketing were the things that worked on it was primarily referrals for many of us, especially in service based professions. Social media took word of mouth and turn it into a world of mouth. Hey, but referrals can be very easy to get are hard to get in. A lot of people are like, oh, I don't know how to ask for a referral I'm uncomfortable with this process, I don't ev...

en have a process. What if I forgot to ask them? Can I go back to them later? So there's a lot of questions surrounding this, and I'm gonna address all of those questions today and show you how to put a simple marketing engine of effective referral, asking and giving into your business this is a two way street it's, not a one way street. In order to get great referrals, you've also got to get really good at giving great referrals, so it really does come down to word of mouth. What somebody's going to say about you? There are now whole industries that have sprung up to defend your reputation. There are online software tools and more um, depending on the kind of business you're in, if you're on yelp, you might want to check your yelp rating and claim your yelp profile doesn't happen to a lot of what we help does is there sneak key there? Very sneaky they put everybody's alleged business up on yelp and then it's up to you to go claim it. Ah, they work obviously the best for brick and mortar very heavily used for that, but there are a lot of online review sites that has to do with your reputation that will impact your referral ability. So if you have not googled yourself in the last three to six months, I would encourage you to do so because you never know when something untoward has gotten attached to your reputation often accidentally, and you need to take steps to correct that, so if anybody has had a reputation incident, I'd love to hear about it. In the chat room from the online audience. Is anybody here in live time with the ever had a reputation issue online? The trickiest part about having multiple businesses is that it's managing the testimonials for the right business, landing on the right profiles that can get really, really tricky, so you do have to pay close attention if you've got more than one business, particularly that the right materials landing on the right profiles and landing where the right people can see it. So there are several types of referrals. Personal introductions are among my favorites. Now personal introduction is not an email introduction of personal introduction is a hey, you're in person and you are saying I'd like you to meet and here's. Why? Okay, you're being very specific, here's why I think you should do to would be great working together conference call introduction kind of the next best thing works very effectively. All three of you are on the phone together, or if you're working with a team, you may have the whole team on the line with you, okay? That's a great way to do it also friendlier than an email introduction that's kind of one of the the least ways to do it is via an email because the reality is you've copied. Two people that you sent the email to or more and it's up to them to get in touch with the challenges one or both of them could be extraordinarily busy doesn't either see the email biggest guess what it fell into filters because it was an email address unfamiliar to their system and the ball gets dropped and nothing ever happens some really not a huge fan of these kind of introductions and I've had several of them made to me and they tend to fall away for those various reasons a linked in an introduction it shocks me that more people don't ask for these absolutely blows my mind and I don't understand why the whole reason lincoln was started was so that you would have a network of people who knew you and the people that you wanted to know they were connected to them and you could easily say to them hey john, I'd love it if you'd introduce me to mary smith um I'd like to connect with her because of and tell him why and preferably you're not saying I want to sell or this product you're saying instead I found mary's work on such and such really interesting I'd like to have a conversation with her and I think that there might be some good synergies between us you don't want to be solicitous in those requests but I am stunned because every single lengthen invite I get that I say yes to I respond to each person and I say in a personal note, I loved a servant support the success of my network. Please let me know of any network introductions I can make on your behalf or let me know of any resource is you're in need of crickets, crickets. I'm inviting you to look at my network. I'm not inviting you to go and make another twenty thousand invites out there, which is fairly fruitless because the people you really want to talk to having that warmed up linked in intro endorsement from me endorsement from you if you're the one doing it is priceless. So, really, if if your clients are on lincoln, if your ideal target markets on linked in place, check your existing network for people that can introduce you with a warm introduction. There's no reason to make this a cold call situation. They're really and truly isn't social network introduction get some of those occasionally through facebook somebody says, hey, I want you to meet, so and so they sent me their link. That's cool! What I'm not as crazy about and this has happened a lot lately, so if I start getting a whole raft of these coming through my facebook email now, having been in here knowing that it's, you fabulous creatives after that air, the one sending me the personal in fights if I start getting notes from you saying, melissa like my facebook page, click on this link who that does not sit well with may okay, really, really doesn't it's not personal. And if you had any idea how many of those requests I get and an equal number that I ignore shouting at me to go, look at your page is not going to get me there any faster. You've got to be about me first what's in it for me, ok, because that's, what your clients thinking that's, what's your perspective client is thinking what's in it for me. Why should I go look? Okay, stop trying to get us to go like your page and drive your numbers come up with better ways to do that engagement that we talked about already used some of those techniques and testimonials, which are a phenomenal type of referral that is the gift that keeps on giving in a positive sense, so what I love to know is which type of referrals have you given to someone else and how recently have you done? Is anybody here given a referral or testimonial in the last week and I mean both you my fabulous live folks as well as you my online audience folks have you give did a referral or a resource or a testimonial in the last seven days? I just had a phenomenal, exquisite, amazing, unbelievable, astounding bottle of chateau montelena in nineteen ninety seven chateau hq calistoga, cuba I tweeted I blasted it everywhere and chateau montelena favorited it and they tweeted back to me, we are so delighted that you had set a new unbelievable experience! Thank you thank you! Thank you! Hey, the world is listening! It truly is so we tend to be negative first we tend to shout about our problems first when you have a great experience with somebody tweet it, block it facebook it linked in it and craft a recommendation or testimonial, especially for the lincoln that they can really use. I actually with my clients when the first habits we start is that they deliver if not a recommendation a day for people in their network at least three per week to get into the habit now you don't have to have done business with somebody to recommend them it could be a character recommendation, another form of a referral or testimonial you're speaking up for the character of this person, the qualities that they bring to their business and what they're like is a person to work with that's very, very valuable. So don't underestimate the power of that. Yes link thinking it a little tricky you have to figure out, you know, where were they working when you did that and it but don't get hung up on that because nobody's paying any attention to that they're reading what you wrote here, reading what you wrote, ok, so asking for referrals might make you uncomfortable. There is a formula, I want you to conquer your fear of referrals, and we're going to go into the simple formula we're going to actually try it live here in the room, as I promised before this is is easy, as when you make a recommendation to somebody about a movie or a restaurant think about it, I know about you, but I make those all the time and I don't get paid for, um okay, so how cool would be to get paid for? Because essentially that's what you're doing when you give somebody a testimonial, they stand a chance of making more money because of what you said about them, and you want to make it real and true and relevant. Relevancy is incredibly important and it's really interesting to me I do not ever recommend that you create a testimonial referral for people you have no clue about at least go look him up on line and know something about him because I had one come to recently it was so odd he was making a recommendation of like my teaching that I done ten years ago and I thought who is this person that he take my class? This is just kind of weird and it wasn't relevant it wasn't spot on and it sounded really vague and wandering and I asked him and I said were you one of my students? And he said, no, I was just helping you out and I thought, ok, well, that wasn't very helpful and it wasn't something I needed. I have plenty of recommendations up there that are meaningful and relevant, so rather than help somebody out make it meaningful and relevant, my guess is he wanted something from me in the business side and he thought that that would warm me up normally it would, but it came out of left field and it wasn't well done, so you do want to be careful about that, all right? But it can be a simple as you saw a great movie, you're recommending it to a friend referrals testimonials aren't any more difficult than that we've all made those recommendations before you're recommending a bottle of wine that you actually had a fabulous experience with one top ten in my life I recommended creative live to colleagues of mine before I ever got here because I thought it was the coolest concept ever experience and now I can share more of those details with um and specifically who to work with so it's also about being an expert step into your expert status if you're an expert in your field which each one of you is in each one of you is then what you want to do is be helpful claim your expert status people need help they want to be able to ask you for that help and here's the reality I've said this before and now you have an image of it birds of a feather flock together it's likely that when you get a testimonial from one client that client knows of her potential clients because the birds of a feather ok now the challenge becomes in some cases um and I discovered this in design if you work at the top of your market uh it's a little harder because a lot of effects there hanging with aren't necessarily at the top of their market there below that and they may not be able to invest in your services so you've got to be aware of that one but by the same token they refer to colleagues on the same level so leverage that idea and I'm gonna walk you through the referral formula, which is much simpler than that blackboard know the right time to ask okay? Now the tricky part to this is you can always ask always but there's some specific times that we're going to go through in just a moment that will really seal the deal for you so know the right time to ask to know what to say we're going to walk through that you'll have the actual language nowhere to share or just like we're shall shared everywhere make him really happy create your system for these there's a system for these okay when you build your business foundation on systems calendars in an engine that runs all the time, you never have to worry about being on that roller coaster feast or famine because your marketing all the time it's an integral part of who you are and it's your magnetism being brought forward and that gold mine in your points of connection showing up for you in each interaction right? Build it in and never forget so best time to ask I love this photo during the honeymoon period we all have a honeymoon period when we start working with somebody don't wait ok? One of the reasons I like ninety day increments the best I've done longer I have a couple of longer onboard right now that's totally great ninety days is the honeymoon it truly is the first thirty days are the rial honeymoon of the ninety days, but ninety days is kind of the max for that honeymoon period, and you want to listen carefully to everything your customer and client says, and if you have very short term arrangement with them, if you're selling a product and it's a one off transaction while they're excited infront of you making that purchase, whip out in the next card right down their comments, get him to put their name down and give you permission to use that. Don't be shy about doing that, especially if you're at an arts festival at a gallery opening. People will say some awesome things to you about your work same thing applies if you're at a networking event, you run into somebody did previous work with they start to rave about you say, you know what? I'd like to capture your thoughts on a video testimonial, okay, be prepared always to capture the thoughts that come in the moment because they are often the most luscious, wonderful testimonials that you'll get way better than the ones you get if they have to sit down at their desk and craft it ok, so the first three weeks to ninety days of any client relationship are typically the best just pay attention to the timing whenever possible when they have a big win. When they have a big win, those that text I mentioned you in that klein of mine texted me and said, well, I met my people there at this event, it was like her fourth networking event. She was so tired, I was like, I don't want to go forget it has to come on one more you can do what you can do it. She had that win, I captured that in text you can capture in text, you captured an email that they send you saying woo, you know, keep track of those moments when they do that. Keep a snip file of those moments from facebook and twitter. Yeah, you khun favored him, but unless you're snipping it, or unless you're copying it down and stashing it someplace secure, the network goes down. Any reason all those air lost, you don't have many more hang on to them, they are evergreen, they are evergreen, ok? And one more is when they graduate, when they graduate from doing work with you, whether they graduate finally or they graduate to the next level or they graduate, they're going to take a break and come back to you. Those are kind of the three options you've got, and you want tio capture their own words, their actual terminology, because it's got to be personal it can't be something that comes out of your mouth that they're saying, unless you can speak their language now I have the ability to speak my client's language so I can craft their testimonials for them. Um, I only do that with strict permission. The truth about working with you is always more powerful than any fiction you will ever create. Morgana saying that I was responsible for the advice that had provided to her was responsible for her gaining one hundred thousand dollars in the course in ninety days. I was stunned by that she put that in writing, okay, always more amazing then what you would fabricate so don't fabricate get busy asking as we go through this, I want you to write down the names of five to ten individuals that you do not currently have a testimonial or referral from that you are willing in the next week to ask them based on what we're going to complete learning here, right down those names don't wait until we're done with class right down those names put him in your notebook flagged that page has hot number one action to take you can't have too many testimonials, there's actually theories on that will go into those in a little bit you share in far and wide there's no shortage of places you want to share him your email community you could mail the saddest part of your newsletter you could just mail it out is hey, look what happened to me today it's your subject line right there building no wonder what happened to her wonder what happened to him and there's a testimonial okay your email signature you can put a short testimonial inside your email signature you can change that up periodically to keep it fresh and keep it interesting social networks obvious one your website obvious also although I have people who for some strange reason don't include them on their website they all you know I have a whole file of him why're down your website okay business card on the back of your business card you can put a single testimonial try not to pack five of money or they're probably too far small nobody liable to raid it all right in a presentation when I do my signature talks I include testimonials on my slides because it seems the audience to what it's like to work with me and gives credibility builders to me and it shows them what we're able to accomplish together and so I will use that in my signature talks captured on audio and capture them on video you can use either one there are some people who are too reluctant to be on video so you can capture them on audio instead in fact there is a service you can use that captures audio testimonials that you can have attached to your website and it would kind of do it for you. Um what I really encourage you to do is ask the right questions and we're going to dive into that too. So this is part of the language what to say? What you're not sure it's not rocket science here okay, this is my words I want you to take this and put it into your words because this is how I speak this may not be how you speakers may sound stilted to you I so enjoyed working with you and wanted to provide the same quality service to your friends and family or colleagues and co workers as the case may be all right, pick whichever one fits the best is this to be to be or b two c business to business colleagues and co workers or business to consumer friends and family? What do you think they'll say that no wow, that would be chocolate in it. Ok, now if you don't have a good relationship no, you can't ask for this, but you should be able to come up with a list of five to ten past clients, current clients and active clients that you can ask for this yes, you can include family if they have actually beta tested at least your service or product all right, another one is I'm delighted to follow it personally on referrals you provide to make it easy and convene. I've included a special offer just for your connections. They're all of this can be done online with links way more personal if you pick up a phone or if you do it in person or he skype it far more personal. I know I have a chunk of millennials in my audience who really prefer to stick with email or text on this it's more powerful, and it depends on who they're doing this with if they're doing with other millennials that's totally fine, but if they're doing this to baby boomers and gen xers, they're really going to want to go the phone route and the in person route that does make a big difference. No, your generations and the kind of care and feeding they require. I know, for example, that millennials do not necessarily want to be contacted by phone or in person, and they would prefer to deal by taxed or via email, and you go a lot farther with him. You don't have to there's no judgment on any of this is just a reality of what works, ok, let them know how you're gonna handle the referrals makes a big big difference, they'll feel much more confident when you let that happen. You've had such great results in my program do you have any friends or family colleagues or co workers that would benefit from this program too? Sounds a lot like the first one you're focusing on their results and if you want to send something by a male I'd like to celebrate your accomplishments wow, who doesn't want to hear that it's really awesome so based on these small pieces I know you're all writing furiously I see some name is on some list so I'm really thrilled to hear that we got everybody in the chat room making those names of lists we do we have the war just sharing, sharing some examples of testimonials that they have and different pages that they've set up. A graphic design guru says I've been using video referrals on my web site this year and I'm loving it yeah, yeah, that makes a really big difference how are they capturing those love to hear that love to hear that you're capturing the video testimonials because unless it's at a live event or your clients or super video savvy or you're in front of your clients and you're able to do that, that could be tricky to dio I'm not aware of an online service doing that although there may be one that captures you on your laptop camera and if there is I love to hear about that I think that could be really valuable um people can get shy around videos. Just what I found. But it's really, really effective when you can get him.