|
The
Number One Way to Generate
More Referrals
A
Report by Robert
Middleton
Where
Does Most Business Come From?
When
I ask Independent Professionals where they find
most of their new clients, most answer "by
word-of-mouth." But ironically, very few have
any strategy for increasing word-of-mouth business.
They just do the best job they can and "pray" for
referrals. Well, that's not enough.
In
my InfoGuru
Marketing
Manual
I've outlined many ways to generate
word-of-mouth business, but in this special
report I'll be focusing on just one
method, the approach that works the very
best at generating more referrals.
Even
though most people know about this method, it
always surprises me how few people use it
consistently. It's a bit like a magic ring that
we forget to rub. In this report I'll explain what
this method is, how it works, and give several
specific examples of how you can implement it in
your own business. I'll end with a 4-step Action
Plan.
I've
met Independent Professionals who use this method
almost exclusively to generate word-of-mouth
business and several have shared with me that
this one technique has been responsible for
completely filling their practices. Later on I'll
be sharing an interview with consultant Andrea
Nierenberg, perhaps one of the foremost
practitioners of this art.
There
seems to be no limit to how many ways and
variations there are to market your business.
The key however is not to search out the "ultimate
technique" but to start to implement the most
simple techniques immediately and then expand to
more sophisticated ones. You may find however, that
some of the simplest techniques are also the
best.
So
what is this method that will generate so much word
of mouth business? What is this strategy that I
consider so important that I've put it into a
private report? What is this technique that is so
simple, so easy and so inexpensive that anyone can
use it from the very first day they go into
business? What is this approach that is so
powerful, once you see the results you'll want to
keep doing it until the day you retire?
The
number one way to generate referrals is this:
Hand-Written
Thank-You Notes or Cards.
Now
before you dismiss this as a bunch of fluff, stick
with me. I'm going to prove it to you and show
you so many ways to use this referral generation
method that you'll be able to use it every single
day.
Why
do people refer business in the first
place?
Several
reasons. One, people like to refer business.
It makes them feel good. People are making a
contribution when they refer business. They are
doing a "good deed" and that makes them feel
good about themselves. Given the opportunity,
people would refer business to others all day
long.
Another
reason is the law of reciprocity. If people
feel they owe you something, they are more
likely to give you something in return. One of
the things they will give is
referrals.
One
more reason is the law of affinity. If
people feel that you like them they will often
go out of the way to help you. People get so
little appreciation these days that when someone
appreciates them they are likely to talk about
it.
Because
of these three factors, thank-you notes are the
ideal marketing tool and generator of referrals.
But there's also some things to consider when
talking about word-of-mouth business.
How
exactly does word-of-mouth business happen in the
first place?
You
provide a service. The client talks about it.
The level of enthusiasm, conviction, delight
and other factors increase the chances that the
person hearing about your business will check out
your service. It might take that client talking
about you five times, ten times or twenty times
before someone picks up the phone and calls
you.
What
you are trying to do in increasing word-of-mouth
business is very simple. You are attempting to
increase the level of enthusiasm, conviction and
delight in your client.
Think
about how you decide to go to a movie. It doesn't
work like this:
You:
"I went to a movie yesterday, the name of the
movie was XYZ."
Them:
"Great I think I'll go to that movie
too."
In
the same way, when someone is talking about your
business it doesn't go like this:
You:
"I worked with xyz management consultant on a
project this month."
Them:
"Great, I need a management consultant, please
give me their name so that I can use them as
well."
If
this were the case there would be no need of
marketing at all. Word-of-mouth would be
instant and frequent. You'd just need a project or
two and before you knew it, you'd have all the
business you could handle.
What
really happens in the course of the conversation
above is that the person speaking with you asks
several questions: "What did they do for you,
what was it like working with them, did they
produce the result you were looking for. etc."
If
you respond with enthusiasm, conviction and
delight, the chances are much higher that you'll
get that call. So our job is to intentionally
do whatever we can to increase those kinds of
responses from our clients.
Little
Things Make All the Difference
Our
clients expect us to get the job done. They
expect results. They expect good service. They
expect us to keep our word. So if you give all of
these things to a client you'll be giving them
exactly what they expect. You can't offer less than
this and expect to get word-of-mouth business.
But
if you give them more than they expect, you'll
start getting the enthusiasm, conviction and
delight that results in much more-word-of mouth
business.
And
what I'm saying is that hand-written thank you
notes and cards are the very foundation of that
"More-Than-You-Expect" strategy.
Think
back to the few times you've received a
hand-written thank-you card or note. Didn't it
make you feel good? Didn't it make you feel that
this person really cared? Didn't it make you feel
good about the person who sent the note? Wasn't it
something special, a bright spot in your
day?
That's
exactly why they work so well. And the more you use
them, the better they work.
Hand-written
thank-you cards and notes work to generate more
word-of-mouth business because:
It's
unexpected and it makes people feel good
It
really shows you care and are thinking about
them
Shows
that you're organized and on top of
details
Increases
both your trust and affinity with
people
Demonstrates
that you went out of your way to do something
for them
Gives
them something tangible and physical that
reminds them of you
Is
easy to show to co-workers and
associates
Is
easy and inexpensive for you to do
Can
be done virtually every day
Can
be done no matter what your budget is
Doesn't
take any real "marketing smarts"
Makes
you feel good as well as bonded to the
client
So
when do you send hand-written thank-you notes and
cards?
Frequently,
regularly and systematically. This isn't
something you do once in awhile. This can become
your core, central marketing activity. Andrea
Nierenberg, who I'll talk about in a minute, has
something she calls "The Power of Three." She makes
a habit of sending at least 3 thank-you cards every
single day. If you can't imagine doing that, Andrea
suggests doing it like you take vitamins -
one-a-day at minimum!
When
should you send thanks-yous and what should you
say?
When
you've set an appointment
Set the tone of your meeting by letting them
know you're looking forward to getting together
with them.
"I
really look forward to meeting with you next
Tuesday about the possibility of helping you in
your distribution efforts. I've enclosed some
additional information on our services. I'll see
you at 1:00 p.m."
When
you get new business
As soon as you close a deal, your hand-written
note will make them feel confident that they've
engaged you.
"Thank
you so much for having confidence in me for this
upcoming project. I'm really looking forward to
working with you and your staff. I'll see you
bright and early on Monday."
When
you complete a project
When you're all done with a project, a hand-written
note gives closure and increases the chances
they'll hire you again.
"It's
been great working with you on the XYZ Project.
Working with you has been very rewarding and I'm
excited that we were able to accomplish the
objectives we set. Looking forward to the next
time we can work together."
When
you get a referral
Don't just send a note when you get the business
from the referral. Send a note right after you've
spoken or met with the referral, even if you didn't
get the project, thanking them for referring you.
When you get the project, send another
note.
"I
truly appreciate the lead to ABC company. They
called me today and we had a very productive
conversation. I'll be meeting with them next
Thursday. I'll keep you posted on how it goes."
"I
recently got a new assignment in the XYZ
division. Again, I'm thankful to you for
bringing me into to ABC Company. I've done 5
successful projects so far and it wouldn't have
happened without you!"
When
someone helps you
It could be anything. Someone gives you a resource,
an idea, a compliment, an encouragement. They get a
note as well.
"Thanks
for saving me the other day! That information
was just what I needed for that project. I'm
glad I can always count on you in a pinch. If
you need anything, do let me know."
When
you meet a new contact
Through a networking event, through a business
associate or any other business situation. Write a
note on the back of their card so you don't forget
them and send a thank-you note the following
day.
"Great
meeting you at the association gathering last
night. Here's a copy of that article I
mentioned. If there's any way I can help you
make contacts in the association, please don't
hesitate to give me a call."
Wow,
that's a lot of notes, you say. Yes it is, but
you want to make it such a habit that you do it
almost instinctually. You do it as a way of doing
business, as a way of life. And after all, it's not
such a big deal; you can do a complete note,
including address and stamp in about 2 minutes
flat.
Does
this work? Let me introduce Andrea
Nierenberg.
I
recently wrote the lead article in a publication
called Consulting
Today.
So when reading the issue I came upon an
article Andrea had written, Non-Stop
Networking. It was excellent. I looked up her
web site and then gave her a call. I was impressed
with her ideas on what she calls "Self Marketing."
Her web site is selfmarketing.com.
Make sure you check it out because she has all
kinds of useful
articles,
plus some great tapes
for sale,
plus her excellent book on Nonstop
Networking
I
asked Andrea if I could interview her about her use
of thank-you notes, her main marketing
activity. Andrea has built a non-stop
word-of-mouth business, almost entirely through
hand-written thank-you notes and cards. Yes, she
also sends email thank-yous when appropriate and
even sends out a quarterly newsletter (and somehow
manages to personalize all 3,500 with a short note!
- "Hi Robert, hope you're doing well -
Andrea").
The
"Thank-You Chain"
Andrea
sends out notes for all the occasions listed above
- and more. She calls this the "Thank-You
Chain." She gets a lead. She sends the person
who gave her the lead a thank-you note. She calls
the lead. If it turns into a meeting, she sends a
thank-you note. If she doesn't get the meeting, she
sends a thank-you note. Everyone in the
organization who helps her in any way gets a
thank-you note. Especially when she gets a new
project within the company, she sends a note to the
person who got her into the company in the first
place.
Guess
what? Nobody forgets Andrea! She's the
"thank-you note" lady. One of her clients has a
drawer full of Andrea's thank-you notes! He said
he'd be depressed if he stopped getting
them!
Not
only does Andrea get a lot of business because of
thank-you notes, she KEEPS a lot of her business.
Can you imagine another vendor (Andrea does
sales and marketing workshops and other training)
getting the business? It doesn't happen because
Andrea has the client in "Golden Handcuffs."
They LOVE her. After all, she's always
thanking people!
Recently
Andrea had a meeting with a client who didn't show
up. The client's PR person and salesperson were
there. What did Andrea do? After she got home she
sent the media person and salesperson thank-you
cards acknowledging them for their professionalism.
Soon after she got a call to do work for the
chairman of the company! From disaster to triumph.
Andrea has had this kind of thing happen time and
time again.
When
Andrea does a training session she not only sends a
note to the client, she sends a note to everyone
who attended the seminar! That's right.
Everyone. She usually writes them on the plane on
the way home. Do you think this is overdoing it?
Not at all, because it usually ends up generating
even more business. Once when writing thank-you
notes on a plane the person beside her asked, "are
you a professional note-writer?" Andrea explained
what she was doing. That person ended up hiring her
for a project -- several projects, in fact.
Some
Tips for Making Thank-You Notes Work
Buy
lots of thank-you cards and postcards and note
paper.
Bring
these with you, especially when you
travel.
Bring
stamps with you as well.
Write
the note immediately or as soon as you can -
don't wait until tomorrow.
Make
each note personal and sincere. It doesn't need
to be long. Two to four lines is
fine.
How
About Email Thank-Yous?
Email
thank-yous, by their very nature are less personal,
however a few months ago I realized the
importance of email when an associate sent me an
email praising my eZine and web site. I neglected
to respond. I just appreciated the appreciation and
went on to something else. A couple weeks later I
got a flame (nasty email) saying that it sucks that
I hadn't responded to his compliment.
I
didn't like hearing this but I knew he was
right. From that point on I've made it a habit
to respond to every single email (other than spam)
as quickly and as courteously as possible. Who
knows, that person may be my next biggest client.
Email,
of course has many benefits and that's its
instantaneous nature. One thing that has really
worked for me is to provide a gift whenever someone
finds a typo in my InfoGuru Manual. I put up a
Typo Alert on the first page of the manual
telling I'll reward anyone with a free report if
they find any typos. Now I get one or two messages
a day from people who just got the manual. I
respond immediately with a link to a free report.
As a result these people are so grateful that they
go over the manual with a fine-tooth comb, finding
even more. (Someday I hope this won't be
necessary!)
So
my rule of thumb is that if someone contacts me
through email, that's the medium I use for
response. For everything else I now use written
cards and send them by snail mail.
Little
Extras
Sometimes
the occasion calls for more than a thank you card
or note. Something that always works is sending
newspaper or magazine clippings - articles,
cartoons or other items relevant to your recipient.
How about advertising specialties? Andrea has a
great one - a little plastic case. When you open
it, it's a mirror, about 3" X 2" and says opposite
the mirror: CAN
YOUR SMILE BE HEARD?
It
made me smile and it no doubt refers to a point
made in one of Andrea's seminars.
The
point is, thank-you notes and cards are just a
starting point. From there on be as creative as
you like. But ultimately you're doing the same
thing no matter what you send; you're acknowledging
someone for helping you in some way. I promise that
it will come back to you tenfold.
You
now know the Number One Strategy to Generate
More Referrals and Word-of-Mouth
Business.
This
is it. This is the one. It works. It works like
magic. Andrea calls it the "37¢ Marketing
Strategy." Three notes a day will cost you about
$1.11 per day or about $22 per month. That you can
afford. The time - maybe half hour a day. Perhaps
less. That you can fit in. Now it's time to take
action.
A
Word About Guilt
Many
of us were urged to write thank-you notes when we
got a present. If you're at all like me, you
really didn't know what to say. I was intimidated
by a thank-you note sent by a cousin for a
Christmas present from my mother. The note was so
well written, so upbeat, so sincere, that my mother
read it aloud to everyone in my family. I always
felt I should be able to do as well. I never did.
So I'm someone with "thank-you note guilt."
If
you're in the same boat, I suggest forgiving
yourself!
You
really don't need to write a literary
masterpiece. It's the thought that counts. Make
them short and sweet and simple like my examples
above. I promise that if you get into the thank-you
note habit you'll feel better about your business
than you ever have before. A good time to write
them is at the end of the day because it ends your
day on a positive note - pun intended!
Your
Thank-You Note Action Plan
1.
Get some thank you notes. Cardstore.com
enables you to do customized cards. Your local
office supply store also will have these at a
reasonable price.
2.
Buy several dozen nice postcards as
well.
3.
Later on you can get personalized cards
designed, but don't wait for that.
4.
Send out your first cards today. Yes, today! And
then make it a habit to do it every day from now
on.
Don't
procrastinate. Do it now!
Wishing
you all the best for your business,
Robert Middleton
P.S.
Please tell me if you liked this special report and
what other topics you'd like to see.
contact
by email
|
