Referral Fire (July 10th ed.)

Clearly, getting the right referrals is fun.

We are off on our journey to build our business by referral. We all agree that having fun is important. We have decided to make ourselves easy to refer. Before we can launch on this journey full throttle, it is so vitally important that we take care of one small piece of business.

What referrals do you want?

If you don't know what referrals you want, neither will your referral partners. While I was a consultant, one of my clients, a computer company struggled to find me referrals. (This shows that I wasn't applying the lessons that I later learned.) We got to know each other pretty well, and she learned that I had done some programming in MS Access. This was something she understood, and something that she came in contact with. You can probably figure out the referrals that she started passing my way. They weren't the referrals that I wanted.

This seems easier than it is many times!

Figure out who your best clients are. Then clone them. Ask for referrals that will get you more "best clients". Be specific and clear. Communicate your desired clients in terminology and language that your referral partner understands. Give them audible or visual clues that they can use to recognize potential clients.

A great story about clarity of communications is told by Frank De Raffele. Going home late one night from work, Frank's wife asked him to pick up a gallon of milk. In line, in the grocery store, tired, cranky and just wanting to get home, Frank sees the guy in front of him rubbing his neck and groaning in discomfort. Frank's referral partner the chiropractor had told him clearly that this is the sign of a potential client. Frank easily was able to offer this gentleman a recommendation for relief; A referral to his chiropractor. By the way, if you have ever had this happen to you, you can share the experience. Then all of a sudden your day gets brighter. It is fun to give the referral.

This may seem simple.

How many of you have been this clear with your referral partners?

Good Luck and Good Networking