Follow these tips below and don’t be surprised if you receive a business referral everyday.
1. Tangible Goals : Set tangible sales goals over an exact period of time. Anyone can say that they are going to do more of something yet, fortune often rewards those who set real goals and then follow through. Referral marketing can become very diluted, it’s easy to call it referral marketing when we’re merely just socializing with other professionals. While socializing and referral marketing compliment each other, they are not the same thing. A referral marketer should not consider “water cooler talk” a substitute for referral marketing.
2. Rhythm: Create consistency in the manner and timing of your referral marketing. Depending on the nature of your particular industry, you may find a certain place or time to follow-up with clients, contact associates, and exchange sales leads. Business referrals come to those who stay consistent; not those who are everyone’s friend one week and disappear the next.
3. Resourcefulness: Take a look outside your office window. Every single one of those people most likely needs some type of professional service and you probably know someone who could help them. The most successful referral marketers seek out business referrals and leverage every professional interaction to generate qualified sales leads not only for themselves but for other professionals whom they trust.
4. Win, Win, Win: A business referral isn’t about making a quick buck. More importantly it’s about creating a situation whereby the referrer, the recipient, and the potential client all feel very good about doing business. People like referring, being referred, and of course, receiving referrals.
5. Organization: Develop a system for managing your referral marketing activities. You wouldn’t give it a second thought to manage the money in your wallet, transactions in your bank account, and your other assets; why would you leave an important source of income like referrals, up to chance? “Thank yous”, relationships, communication, and the business referral itself, should all be documented and organized. If you can remember every follow-up, phone number, and referral you send/receive; then you’re not doing enough referral marketing.
