Referral Marketing: Year End Assessment

As another year comes to a close, many people will be proclaiming their new year resolutions. My question is ... why?! I can't think of too many people who actually keep their resolutions for more than 3 months anyway! And, most often, our new year resolutions are focused on things that will make us better people. If that's the case ... why are we doing these things all the time? Why not simply be the person we truly want to be all the time?

Enough said on resolutions.

I would like to propose that at this time of year, instead of taking time to proclaim a resolution, take the time to perform an assessment on yourself and your business. Ask yourself these questions and honestly assess your performance:

1. How well did I perform for my networking group in 2008?

2. Did I get out of my "cave" and into the networking world as I needed to?

3. How well did I give of myself to my referral partners in 2008?

4. How well did I focus on my goals in 2008?

5. What did I do this year to enhance my professional development?

The end of the year is a GREAT time to assess your overall performance. If you want to improve, there's no need to proclaim a resolution that you'll break in 3 months ... as NIKE says ... just do it ... all day ... every day!

Happy New Year!

Referral Marketing: Be prepared!

Are you ready? Ready for anything? My dog (pictured here) is ready for anything that could possibly be thrown at her ... literally! (She's sporting her new "doggles" that a friend gave her for Christmas!)

"Be prepared" is more than just the "scout" mantra ... it's a business necessity ... especially when the economy is uncertain. Now is the time to prepare your referral marketing plan for 2009! Actually, you should have already started a few weeks ago!!

Most likely, you're among the many other businesses looking to streamline their efforts in 2009. Work a little tighter ... a little leaner ... hold your purse strings a little closer. When it comes to word of mouth marketing ... you can't afford to be tighter and leaner. You need to be expanding your referral marketing plan and re-commit yourself to the networking process. Your business will survive this market if you leverage your relationships to help you through it.

Take a minute to analyze how much $$ you spend on advertising ... then compare that to the business you got from that money invested. My guess is that it's probably rather small.

Perhaps now is the time to re-allocate some of that money into your word of mouth efforts. Take more people out to lunch in 2009! Go to more networking functions in 2009! Join another association or a chamber for the first time! Apply for membership in a BNI chapter!

A slow economy means that you've got to work smarter. If you focus your efforts on leveraging your relationships for referrals ... you can't get much smarter than that!

Happy Holidays & Cheers to a Profitable Year!

Referral Marketing: Christmas Trees!

This is one of my favorite times of year ... Christmas! I love everything about it ... family, friends, traditions, snow, lights, giving, decorating, HO trains, cookies, parties, gifts, and the smell of a freshly cut Christmas tree!

Every year, the first Saturday of December is booked for "tree day!" We typically make a day of it and drive about an hour to a massive tree farm. This year, it was a perfect day ... cold with some light snow in the air. Our new dog went along for the first time (what a trip!) If you've ever searched a "wild" tree farm for your perfect tree ... you can envision the challenge. We don't like to hop from farm to farm so knowing what we want before we leave the house is important.

For me, the "right tree" is about 9 ft. tall (to allow some trimming), spruce of some kind (stiff branches allow for heavy ornaments), lots of air space (for LOTS of ornaments), straight trunk, and nice top to hold the star. Knowing what we're looking for makes it alot easier to find the tree. This one? No. This one? No. This one? YES! (Yes ... that's the one we brought home!)

Imagine how much easier it could be for your referral partners to find the RIGHT referrals for you if you knew exactly what you wanted? I talk to too many people who can't really describe their preferred client. If YOU can't describe your preferred client ... how can anyone find it for you?! It has to be frustrating to your referral partners when they work so hard to bring you a referral only to find out that it's not what you wanted. Help them to help you ... know exactly what you want and teach them how to find it for you!

Referral Marketing: Holiday Referrals!

In the next few weeks, I'm going to be attending 8 holiday gatherings ... and that includes 3 with family! Imagine how many people I'll be around in such a short amount of time! There will be referral opportunities upon every turn.

My job as a great networker is to keep my eyes and especially my ears open for referrals for the people I know. You can bet that during these gatherings, people will be talking about lots of things going on in their lives. For example, here are some of the things I'm likely to hear:

"My water heater broke last night!" (a referral for a plumber)
"House training our new puppy is really hard!" (a referral for a carpet cleaner or pet trainer)
"I wish I didn't have so much static in our house at this time of year!" (a referral for HVAC guy)
"Now that the kids are gone, our house is so big!" (a referral for my real estate agent)
"I'm so frustrated with my financial advisor!" (a referral for my financial advisor)

When I hear these opportunities, I have one phrase that works nearly every time to create a referral. I ask, "If I knew someone that could help you with that (or solve that problem) would you like to meet him (or her)?" See what I mean! Referrals ... referrals ... referrals!

How happy will you make the people in your network when you can present them with a holiday referral? Keep you eyes and ears open!! Good luck!