Global Marketing Plus

Testimonials or thank you letters offer written proof that what you say in your proposals or brochures is true. 

When clients are willing to provide an endorsement, make it easy for them.  Don’t expect them to take the time to compose it and mail it to you themselves.  People tend to get instant writer’s block or to delay writing.  Instead, ask whether they would be willing to dictate a few comments to you on the phone about what your product or service has done for them.  Jot down what they say, edit it for grammar and style, and read it back to them for their approval.

Once the brochure is printed, send all the people you have quoted a copy along with a note of appreciation. 

If you need a written copy of the endorsement, simply mail or email them a copy and as them to return it on their own stationary.

1. Never focus on your need for business.  Focus on how you benefit others.  Present yourself as successful and competent.  Build mutually satisfying business relationships in which everyone wins.
2. Never dump a lot of promotional materials on referral sources.  Do not drop off a pile of your brochures, business cards or newsletters unless a person requests them.  This is a waste of your money and time and is aggravating to those who must do something with the materials, which usually end up being thrown a way.
3. Never speak poorly of a competitor or client.  Whoever is listening will wonder if they will be next.

Want more referrals from friends, associates and clients?  Here are a few things you should do!

• Build your own mailing list of all past and present clients and other referral sources.  Be sure to include anyone who have showed interest in the past.
• Send a mailing to everyone on your list monthly or at least quarterly.  (Some suggest 2 times a month).  Include a newsletter, copies of news clippings or articles, announcements of speeches or other appearances you will be making, information on new products or services, and special offers.
• Keep your list up to date!  Be sure to purge outdated names regularly.  This is especially true if you send emails to your list.  Some feel that it doesn’t cost anything to email a list so why remove old names.  The reason is you do not want to get in trouble from people complaining about spam!
• Be positive and enthusiastic about your business.  It is contagious and will generate business.  People like to do business with others who make them feel confident, positive, and optimistic.
• Build a glowing reputation.  Be prompt, reliable, ethical, polite, and competent.  Never accept work you are not qualified to do.  If you are the least unsure if you can do the job perfectly, refer it to someone else.
• Always send a thank-you note immediately to everyone who provides you with a referral. 

If you follow these tips, your referrals will increase!

If you help others succeed, you will enjoy even greater success!  Take every opportunity you can to promote and refer to those who can be of help to you.  Also help people who are just starting out in fields related to yours.

You might even help your competitors!  It’s estimated that between 11% and 21% of new business comes from the competition.  They refer business out when they are too busy, need to subcontract, or get calls for areas of business outside their own!

The more you build yourself as a leader in your field, the easier it will be for people to refer to you. 

To do this, you will have to do more than just read trade journals.  You could conduct informal surveys or polls or write articles or books on your work.  Send copies of relevant news clippings and summaries of survey results to your referral sources.  With such a reputation, you will be the one people call when they need any resource in your area of expertise.  Hopefully, business is just around the corner.

Also, by joining network and civic organizations, you can become a center of influence.

The more generally you describe your business, the more difficult it is for others to know how to refer people to you. 

Recently I attending a networking meeting and there were two dentists there.  One said that she worked with anyone with teeth.  The other dentist said that he specialized in seeing patients who have dental anxieties.  Which dentist will you more likely refer friends to?

Or suppose you meet two chiropractors.  One says he is a holistic practitioner and can treat anyone from 10 months to 100 years old.  The other says she specializes in treating women with PMS-related problems.

Or suppose you meet two professional speakers.  One who says he speaks on any motivational topic and the other says that he talks on how to save money on business travel.

A bookkeeper who specializes in serving doctors’ offices and is recognized for having designed special systems for medical/patient tracking will find it much easier to get referrals that someone who does general bookkeeping.

In order to make a referral, most people need some “hook” that sticks in their minds.  Once they get that hook, you will be someone who comes to mind when there is a need for what you do. 

What niche can you fill to develop a hook in peoples’ minds?

If you have been seen or heard in the local media, people will have more confidence in referring you, knowing that others have recognized your talents and abilities.  This kind of exposure is one of the benefits of a good public relations effort.  Also any materials you send out should convey an image that builds confidence in your ability.

No matter what you offer, if people don’t have confidence in your product or service, they will not recommend you.  So it is your responsibility to make sure that your product or service not only accomplishes the purpose it is designed for, but that it does it better than your competitors.  If you cannot do it better, do it cheaper.  If you cannot do it better or cheaper, you had better be the only one providing it and it had better be something essential.

Not only does this help you track the results of your marketing efforts, it also allows you to thank those who are sending you business and gives you the opportunity to meet and network with them.

And not just new clients.  When anyone even contacts you, ask them how they heard about you!  If you are not tracking the results of your marketing efforts, how can you tell which of your efforts are working and which ones are you wasting you money on.

Later will will talk about how to chart the results and decide which marketing efforts should be increased and which ones should be cut back or eliminated.

I just got back from 3 days of SCORE Leadership Conference.  (SCORE stands for Service Corps of Retired Executives and is a resource of the Small Business Administration).  SCORE is a nationwide volunteer organization of 12,000 mostly retired executives who want to give back to the business community by providing FREE coaching to small businesses or new start-ups.

Some of the comments at the conference:

• “Many businesses are started on a hope and a prayer.  Smart businesses use the resources available”.  SCORE is one of those resources and is FREE!
• “We are never going back to normal as far as the business environment.  However, change is opportunity, and the opportunities are tremendous at this time. ”
• “SCORE is in the business to help clients (small business owners) get what they want out of life.”
• “Trust is earned by consistent action.  Trust cuts the sales cycle in half or by a fourth!”
• “What are you providing to make me move from my current supplier to come to you”?
• “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else.”

From our new Small Business Administration Administrator appointed by President Obama, Karen Mills:

• “Small business needs to improve their information technology to be successful.”  (Wow! I have been telling you that!  Let me get you up-to-date and update your website!)
• The SBA has helped stimulate the economy because they are again lending to small businesses.
• The SBA has 2,000 employees nationwide.  But when you add the 12,000 SCORE volunteers, there is a small army in the SBA of 14,000!
• We need to help small businesses prepare for disaster by making sure that critical records are backup up or copies made off site.  This is in case of flood, earthquake, fire or other natural disaster.

If you would like to take care of the free coaching available from SCORE, email me or go to www.score.org.  there you can find your local SCORE office and get free coaching.

Find out who your clients use for other services that could make a good strategic alliance with you.  For example, since I do website design, I ask my clients who they use for computer repair.  Computer repair people find that their clients ask who can build websites.  They could refer those people to me. 

When I get the name of their computer repair person, I call that person.  I do not ask for business.  This would appear presumptuous or imply that I am desperate for business.  Anyone appearing too hungry raises the question as to why they don’t have more business.

Instead, I call to find out two things:  More information about what the business is and when and how I can refer clients to them.  If they are interested in networking with me, they will ask about my services as well. 

Unless the person can open big doors for you, don’t waste your time with a contact who isn’t responsive to your offer.  Spend your time looking for others who are eager to network.