Thursday, July 23, 2009

Referral Marketing: Meaning vs Pleasure

Have you ever stopped to consider how much negativity there is surrounding you on a daily basis? It's absolutely everywhere! People don't need a recession to have something to complain about. Listen to your daily conversations ... really listen and I believe you'll be shocked.

I'm not a fan of negativity. To help me stay focused on the positivity in the world, I subscribe to a publication called "Success". This is a monthly magazine with a tagline ... "what achievers read". This magazine is absolutely outstanding. I wait anxiously for it to arrive and usually read it cover to cover (which is BIG for me). One really cool and unique feature is that every issue contains a DualDisc (CD/DVD in one) that features compelling and inspiring words of wisdom from extraordinary people. To check it out ... go to http://www.successmagazine.com/.

On one of the recordings, Ron White discussed the difference between "meaning" and "pleasure". Pleasure comes from what you GET out of life. Meaning comes from what you GIVE or CONTRIBUTE to your life. This is the truest foundation of referral marketing. Ironically, GIVING is a very positive activity ... it has positive effects on your health and the overall quality of your life.

Are you creating a meaningful life? How much do you actually GIVE to your referral network?

Monday, July 13, 2009

Referral Marketing: What's the Point?

Many people know that I'm a huge fan of BNI. I'm a six year member of BNI in my region and can't even imagine my business plan without it.

Part of what makes BNI work is the built in opportunity to be in the same company of people each week. Seeing everyone in the group once a week really helps you to build relationships at a faster pace. However, building the relationship is ONE thing ... generating REFERRALS is another!

Generating referrals can happen more quickly when you TEACH people how to do it for you. That's the point of meeting with people one to one. Many networkers fail to appreciate the value in time spent one to one. And ... many networkers fail to understand how to leverage their one to one meetings to generate referral opportunities. Furthermore ... many BNI networkers fail to take advantage of the full BNI network and limit their one to one activity to members of their own chapter. Big mistake if you ask me.

Last week, I had lunch with Larry Schwartz, owner of Midnight Blue Technologies. Larry and I have known each other for some time and continue to connect together even though we are in different BNI chapters because we can appreciate the value we bring to each other. [By the way ... if the possibility of your computer network crashing causes you to lose sleep at night, you might want to look into Midnight Blue].

So ... if you're in BNI ... take off your BNI blinders and connect with people in other chapters. You'll be amazed at the opportunities you're missing!

Monday, July 06, 2009

Referral Marketing: Opportunities

Referral opportunities are everywhere! You simply just need to know how to recognize them and how to respond to them.

Case in point ...

A week ago, I travelled to San Francisco for a Referral Institute franchise conference. One day of the conference was dedicated to the local Referrals for Life community. (If you want to know more about this community, click on the Referral Institute link above). Anyway ... we were encouraged to practice what we teach and help to make connections for people throughout the day. I was able to make meaningful connections for 3 people that day. On top of that ... I was also able to bring home a referral for a colleague in Pittsburgh!

How did I find a referral in San Francisco for someone in Pittsburgh? Easy! I heard a referral opportunity and I knew how to respond to it. A colleague of mine, Jeff Tobe, owns a speaker's bureau (Infinite Speakers) that features speakers from around the country. He looks to connect with meeting planners who often turn to a speaker's bureau to find the speaker they need for an event. At the conference, I heard a woman introduce herself as a meeting planner ... immediately Jeff came to mind. I approached her later in the day and asked if she would find value in connecting to a speaker's bureau. Guess what she said? Absolutely YES! Wa-La ... a referral opportunity!

Look ... Listen ... Respond. If I can do it ... you can do it. Set a goal for the second half of the year to find at least one referral each week for your network.