Referral Marketing: Bat Boxes Work!

For several months now, I've been dealing with a little brown bat that is determined to live inside the patio umbrella on my deck. That's right ... INSIDE my umbrella!! Can you imagine my surprise the first time I opened the umbrella and falling onto the table top (just missing my hand) was a little brown bat! It was as shocked to see me as I was to see it ... to say the least.

Then we started to tie the umbrella closed at night so it couldn't get up inside. The persistent bat would tuck itself snug as a bug in the folds on the outside of the umbrella! Finally, I decided to post a bat box on the outside of the deck rails closest to the umbrella. My hope was to encourage it to live in a more suitable enclosure.

This weekend ... SUCCESS!! The little brown bat now lives in its very own box, keeping my back yard free of pesky mosquitos. It must have decided that a comfy bat box that wouldn't be disturbed was much more desirable than an unpredictable umbrella. We're all so much happier now.

Fortunately for the bat, I love nature and was patient enough to give the bat what I knew it really needed. Do you know what your referral partners need to be really happy? You're probably saying, DUH ... they need referrals to make them happy. It's more complex than that. Do they need a face to face introduction? Do they need to meet the COO instead of the CEO? Do they need two referrals per month to help them meet their goals? Do they need to meet with you once a month to keep you top of mind?

Lucky for you ... your referrals partners can talk ... unlike the little bat. So, ask them ... What do you need from me? Effective communication can make any relationship operate more smoothly.

Referral Marketing: Catalytic Connectors

How many times have you attended networking events alone? Alot? You're not alone. I would venture to guess that most people attend alone. And, if they're not alone, they're with other co-workers ... attached at the hip.

Talk about a missed networking opportunity!!

Imagine if every time you attended a networking event, you took a close business contact with you. Maybe a referral partner, a strategic partner, a current client, a past client, a close colleague, etc. (you get the idea). Now imagine if you're sole purpose that evening is to help that person make some new contacts. WOW! Look at the value you're bringing to the relationship. Imagine how this contact is going to feel.

Tonight, I did just that. I invited a client to attend a networking event with me. My sole purpose was to help him make some new connections. I knew a small handful of people at the event, but most importantly, I knew the organizer (a past client). I brought the two of them together and asked the organizer if she could help to introduce my client around to some key people in the room. Because she knew everyone there, she was able to help my client meet some specific people.

In my opinion, a networking event becomes more powerful when the focus is NOT on you and instead viewed as an opportunity to help someone else.

Referral Marketing: Hummingbirds Networkers

The other day I was sitting on my deck enjoying lunch with a colleague when I noticed some unusual behavior from a hummingbird. Being a fairly avid bird watcher, I became curious when a hummingbird continued to frequent a particular spot on a tree branch and rested there for a short time. I suspected a nest sight and my binoculars confirmed it! It's so rare to ever see a hummingbird's nest. My summer has been blessed.

When I watch hummingbirds flitter about so quickly and randomly, it makes me think of those people at networking events that are only there to pass out a ton of business cards and try to shake hands with everyone in the room. I'm sure you've met them along the way and if you're like me, you try to avoid them. It's a shame that they can't see the impact they're having on their own referability. Being fast and furious at a networking event is not going to help you build long lasting relationships. It's actually not going to accomplish much for you at all ... except cause you to call your printer for more business cards! Good for the printer, I suppose.

Slow down. Get to know people. Find a connection. Act like a human being who's genuinely interested in others ... not like a hummingbird. A networking event is no place for hummingbirds.

Referral Marketing: TOADS

For the past few evenings, I've observed an American Toad sitting along the edge of my small pond calling out to any passing female toads that found his message appealing. The sound, a long high pitched shrill, is quite distinctive, especially in spring. I've had this happen to me once before at a different location and that led to me relocating hundreds of tadpoles (since female toads lay 4000-8000 eggs)!!

Last night, he wasn't around any longer. So that means one of two things ... he was successful at attracting his target (which I'll know soon enough) or he wasn't and has decided to move on.

His efforts to attract a mate made me think of our word of mouth messages that we use to attract our target market. I wonder if our message is appealing enough to our target market to encourage them to seek us out? Is anyone listening? More importantly, are the right people listening?

Believe it or not, some people don't even know who their target market is! If that's the case, I can be fairly certain that their word of mouth marketing message is not going to pack a punch.

In reality, it really doesn't matter if YOU like the sound of your message. What really matters is if your TARGET MARKET likes the sound of your message. You need to be saying what they need to hear. When you've accomplished that, your target market will seek you out from the crowd. And ... when you've trained others how to share that same message on your behalf, you then have a chorus singing your song!

Imagine if my little toad had a chorus helping him to attract his mate. Do you think his odds of success would improve?

Referral Marketing: Value of Your Brand

What's the value that you place on your brand? How important is it to you? At what cost would you place it at risk?

Establishing your reputation and your brand is a crucial component to your referability. Without it, people won't refer you. In fact, without it, people are likely to speak poorly about you and that's the kiss of death with word of mouth marketing.

Imagine that every time you refer someone, a piece of your brand goes with them. Will they take care of it? Will they protect it? Will they enhance it? For this reason, some people actually shy away from giving referrals because they aren't willing to risk any blemish to their brand. I believe that we can control who represents our brand by choosing referable referral partners. We can educate people how to enhance our brand by teaching them how to refer us appropriately. We can enhance our brand and reputation by ensuring that all those who represent us adhere to our standards of excellence.

As a Steeler fan, I can only imagine the turmoil that the Rooney family is facing with such a blow to their brand through the recent actions of Big Ben. How much of their brand and reputation are they willing to risk on one reckless player? Will they take control of who represents their brand? It will be interesting to observe from the grandstand.

What would you do if this were your brand?

Referral Marketing: The Grass is Greener

Outside my office window right now, I swear that I can see the grass growing. It's getting greener by the hour and with every rain drop. In Pittsburgh, tis the season for the grass getting greener. It's exactly what one might expect around here.

But what about the fields of your referral marketing plan? Is your grass getting greener? Or, is the grass always greener on the other side (at your competition's pastures)? What are you doing to nurture your referral marketing efforts? Are you giving enough to your referral partners? Are you focused on helping others? Are you feeding your network with your time, energy, referrals, contacts, and connections? Are you a ray of sunshine in the lives of others or are you a grey cloud that dampens their spirits?

Alot of people give up on their referral relationships too soon because they think the grass could be greener elsewhere. They fail to realize that THEY are their own gardener. They control what seeds are planted and how well they are cared for. They control the productivity of their own lawn and garden (their referral relationships ... in case you lost the analogy!).

The grass isn't always greener elsewhere. The odds are that you just haven't been paying enough attention to your own lawn or garden to make it as green and productive as you would like it to be.

What ONE thing could you change today to make your grass greener and ensure that your referral marketing plan is working?

Referral Marketing: Facebook Friend or Foe?

The number of people who use Facebook is staggering! The content on Facebook can be jaw-dropping. Teenagers can become reckless on Facebook. They seem to forget who might be "listening" in to their posts. Case in point ... when my oldest nephew was boasting about smoking to his friends during snow days when they were home from school. My brother didn't like that very much when I told him about it. I'm not sure which made him more angry ... not knowing about it or that his son was smoking.

Facebook is like a never ending reality tv show. That's why people like it so much. It has a way of bringing people back to a high school mentality. But when it comes to how Facebook can impact your referral marketing efforts, it can be your friend or foe ... just ask my nephew.

Your success with word of mouth marketing can rest on your reputation. I believe that a large number of people damage their reputations on Facebook every day. If one of your referral partners referred you one of their clients and that client chose to research you and found you on Facebook, what would they see? Would they see your photos of when you were tanked at your best friend's wedding? Would they read your posts that contain foul language? I surely hope not!! Would they see photos that portray someone they want to do business with?

Think about the deeper impact. How would this reflect on your referral partner who referred you in the first place?

If you're on Facebook (yes, I am too), always remember that anyone, anywhere, at anytime is checking you out. What will they see? And how will it impact your referability? Let's face it ... you're not in high school any longer.

Referral Marketing: Sticky Business

Tree sap! Yuck! Have you ever sat down on a park bench on a beautiful spring day only to find out later that you sat on a drop of tree sap! That's really sticky stuff. It sticks to just about everything that it comes into contact with ... clothing, hair, cars, windows, skin, etc.

The other day, my dog stepped in tree sap. As he proceeded to romp around the yard, he apparently picked up all sorts of pebbles along the way. Pretty soon, he was holding his foot up as if to say, "What the heck is wrong with my foot?" Peanut butter did the trick! Yep ... peanut butter. And, he enjoyed the treat afterwards of cleaning all the peanut butter from between his toes.

So back to the tree sap and its inherant stickiness.

How sticky is your word of mouth message? How sticky are YOU? How sticky is your brand?Do you make an impression when you meet someone so that they remember you long after the event? Can people remember what you do? Can other people repeat your message accurately?

The best word of mouth marketers are indeed sticky ... very sticky in fact. They work to create a sticky message so that other people can remember it, repeat it, and repeat it again. After all, isn't that what referral marketing is all about? How else do you expect people to be able to refer you if they can't remember your message?

Referral Marketing: Keep Track of Your Mileage

Keeping track of things is an ongoing effort! Stop and think of how many things in your business life you have to keep track of ... such as:

Your schedule
Your profits and losses
Your expenses
Your budget
Your goals
Your results
Your mileage

This is just the tip of the iceberg for most business owners! Keeping track is important in order to know how things are going and if you're on track.

Are you keeping track of your referral mileage? Are you keeping track of what you GIVE to your network and what you RECEIVE? Are you keeping track of the return on your networking investment? Are you keeping track of your referrals and who they come from and when?

Keeping track of your referral mileage is one of those things that only the most successful referral marketers do. If you want to be among the best, begin to include this process in your business. Seek out a new book by my friend, Dr. Ivan Misner, called Networking Like a Pro. In there you'll find a scorecard tool to help you keep track of your referral mileage.

Referral Marketing: Too Much of a Good Thing!

"All things in moderation" or "Too much of a good thing" or "The more the merrier"

How many times have you heard these before? All you have to do is listen to the news to experience the reality of "too much of a good thing". For some reason, our society has implanted in our brains that more is better. Well, I believe that in many, many cases ... more is NOT better. Here's what I mean:

1. In Pittsburgh, we had record snowfalls this winter. More snow than we've ever seen!! Fun? Yes, for some (me). A pain? Yes, for many. But what will happen when all that snow melts into our three rivers and it creates record flooding? More is not always better.

2. This weekend, a young man died on the Carnegie Mellon University campus. Most likely from drinking too much. A beer once in a while tastes great. Too much of a good thing is deadly.

3. Food. Food is a good thing. We need it to survive. But do we need SUPER SIZED food to survive? I don't think so. All things in moderation.

How about referrals? Can you have too many referrals? Can referrals be a bad thing?

From my perspective, yes you can have too many referrals! Imagine that! Too many referrals being a bad thing?! Consider that if you're getting too many of the wrong kind of referrals, you're going to be spinning your wheels alot and chasing down potential prospects who shouldn't be working with you. This is going to waste your time and give you headaches along the way. Not to mention those people will be taking up space that could be occupied by the RIGHT referred prospect!

Too many referrals can also be a bad thing if you're not equipped to handle them all. If business is coming into you faster than you can manage, on the surface it's great, but something is going to give. Perhaps your customer service starts to slack off, your follow-up system gets clogged, or your referral thank you system gets left behind.

Just like so many other things, too much of a good thing can hurt you and your reputation if you're not careful! More is not always better. I'd rather have just enough of the right kind of referrals than too many of the wrong kind.

Referral Marketing: Power of the Keys

If you were going to have brain surgery, would you prefer to have it done by a specialist in the field or a generalist? I believe the votes are heavily in favor of the specialist!! I know MY vote is for the specialist!

Are you a specialist? Let's face it. People usually look for the most competent person to handle their problems. Many people prefer to work with an expert. From what I can tell, people will choose to refer an expert far more often than just a somebody.

If that's the case, what are you doing to position yourself as the expert?

The power is in the keys of the keyboard. Writing is an awesome venue for positioning yourself as an expert. In general, people perceive authors as experts. If you don't know where to begin, start a blog. Blogger.com makes it easy. Blogs are short and don't take much time to create. (this entry took me about 10 minutes)

Write articles ... lots of articles. Publish articles as often as possible. Get friends to publish them in their newsletters or on their websites. Over time, begin to consolidate those articles into a book! Yes, a BOOK! Yikes ... a four letter word. Well ... a book might lead to FAME (and that's a four letter word too).

If you want to be referred more often than your competition, start writing and get on your way to becoming an expert. If you need help with this, let me know ... I know an expert that can help you!

Referral Marketing: A Yoga Connection

Recently, I've been exposed to quite a bit to yoga. My partner is beginning to practice it regularly (that's a great thing!) and I've met two yoga instructors in the past month. The signs are out there, so what are they saying.

I did a little research (and I mean, just a little) to determine the key benefits of yoga. Lo and behold, there's a direct connection to referral marketing! I didn't know that either until now.

By practicing yoga, the body slowly increases its overall flexibility. Flexibility is a good thing because it allows your muscles and tendons to be lubricated properly. Since all of your body parts are connected, they begin to work in harmony more easily and can create a situation where maintaining that flexibility becomes quite easy.

I've noticed that in referral marketing, you've got to remain flexible in order to be successful. This flexibility allows you to work in better harmony with your referral partners. And, since you and your referral partners are connected by reciprocity it becomes easier to create a situation were the flow of referrals becomes quite easy.

Another huge benefit of yoga is detoxification. It helps the body to rid itself of toxins and enhances blood flow. Overall, this aids in keeping us healthy. Sometimes we need to detoxify our networks too. We spend too much time with people who suck up our time and energy leaving us feeling drained and overwhelmed. Getting rid of "risky relationships" and becoming more protective of our time empowers us to be more selective of who gets our face time. Overall, this will aid in our own health and the health of our business.

There you have it ... yoga for the mind, body and your referral marketing plan!

Referral Marketing: Snow Storm Strategies

I got this idea from Beth Caldwell, author of "I Wish I'd Known That! Secrets to Success in Business". She wrote an article about what you can do for your business during a snow storm. So to jump on that band wagon ... here are five things you can do for your referral marketing efforts when the weather turns nasty!

1. Catch up on your Thank You cards to those who have referred you recently.

2. Read your local business paper and add two networking events in your calendar that you can attend.

3. Call your referral partners and see who can attend those events with you.

4. Schedule your referral partner meetings for the next three months.

5. Read a book on referral marketing such as: The 29% Solution or Get More Referrals Now!

And here's a BONUS one ...

6. Send your referral partner's information to ten prospects for them and schedule time in your calendar to follow up.

So ... even if the snow plows don't make it to your street for several days ... or the storms have knocked out your power ... stay focused on your referral marketing plan and how you can continue to help others!