Saturday, May 28, 2011

Small Business Marketing Strategies: Triple Your Referrals ...

Small Business Marketing Strategies: Triple Your Referrals through alternative Referral Resources

One of the more vital small business marketing strategies for growing your own practice is to regularly receive referrals from other referral sources. Early in my career, I found it irritating whenever I?d refer clients to other advisors but not receive referrals in return. It became painfully obvious there had to be something I could do to routinely get qualified referrals from other referral sources. So through trial and error, I designed a small business marketing procedure that allows a businessman to produce effective referral sources and generate relationships based on the benefits of mutual marketing. Here?s the way to do it:

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #1: Identify possible referral partner industries.

Many people consider professionals in a similar business as an ideal referral source. Although they?re obvious options, there are many additional professions you can make use of even more effectively because no one else is. For example, business clients always consider CPAs and attorneys, but why not consider psychologists and trainers? The referrals we have obtained in our business via psychologists and coaches have been nothing shy of amazing. Regardless of the service or product your small business markets or sells, think outside the box and detect alternative referral sources you can add to your small business marketing strategies.

Now let your mind wander and make a note of a number of professions your ideal prospect may have an association with. The key is to think outside the box ? and don?t discount any industry. If you get blocked or maybe can?t find a way to get the creativity flowing, find a location to sit down comfortably in which you won?t be interrupted. With your dominant hand, write down the question: ?Who are the best referral sources that will help me to improve my business?? Then, with your non-dominant hand, write a list of all the occupations you can imagine. You?ll be blown away at what you come up with. Once you?ve listed fifty professions, place a star beside those which have been referral sources in the past.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #2: Select referral partner professions.

Examine your list and choose at least five professions you think could be the most profitable and enjoyable to work with. Start with 10 professions within your small business marketing strategy and after that reduce it to the top five.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #3: Obtain 100 ?pros? within your determined professions.

Research the contact material for twenty individuals in each of the five professions you picked as part of your small business marketing strategy. Start out with people you know; check with friends for names or search online. You can also purchase names from a list broker. Don?t forget to create a spreadsheet to track your progress while you get in touch with each professional.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #4: Send out a ?Let?s share referrals? mailer.

Every small business marketing technique needs to have an automated referral and relationship marketing campaign. This strategy can be a letter or even a postcard that describes who you are, what you do and the reason why sharing referrals can benefit the recipient and their clients. Send out the announcements on a monthly basis until three productive referral associates, in each of your five professions, agree to share referrals with you.

If you happen to already have a flourishing practice, finish off each small business marketing mailer with a message asking your possible referral partners to call you. But if your referral goals are more pressing, be more energetic by following up your mailings with a call.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #5: Establish a reciprocal referral mastermind group.

After finding your 15 referral partners, bring them together via phone once a month and in person every three months. Including a referral mastermind group in your small business marketing strategy and plan allows you to produce serious, highly effective relationships.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #6: Take care of every referral.

When you supply referrals to all your small business referral partners and are given referrals from them, it?s critical to have a very good procedure that recognizes the value of those referrals. Whenever I give somebody a referral, I contact my referral partner and provide them with the client?s name as well as a summary of their circumstance. Then I send out a ?This referral is for you? card. I compliment this with a three-way introductory meeting with the referral and the referral partner.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #7: Develop a follow-up system.

One of the most significant parts of your small business marketing strategy is follow-up! And most small businesses, consultants and advisors fail miserably when it comes to follow-up. Every quarter, get in touch with your referral partners individually to examine referrals supplied and received and to go over ways to better assist one another.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #8: Speed up the process.

One of the least difficult steps in your small business marketing strategy is to speed up your approach, both offline and online. The good news is the fact that with today?s technology, it?s cheap!

For more than ten years, our office mailed my ?Let?s share referrals? mailers, ?This referral is perfect for you? cards, thank-you notes and also other written communications manually. It was high-priced and also time-consuming-costing myself an average of around $50,000-$70,000 per year for staff as well as the price of the mailers-but now I utilize a system that takes most of the time, effort and expense away from the picture. This opens me up to finish the HVFDAs, high-value fixed daily activities, that are important to the continuing progress and achievement regarding my company.

Follow these steps and then don?t be surprised if your referrals triple because of your new referral partners.

To attend a call and learn how to create a small business marketing strategy so that you can obtain more referrals, sign-up at http://milliondollarfollowupsystem.com.

To attend a free marketing webinar go to MillionDollarMarketingSystem. Small business owners and consultants go to, http://MillionDollarMarketingPractices.com. She can be reached at Questions@MillionaireSeries.com.

Source: http://diarist.com/166957/small-business-marketing-strategies-triple-your-referrals

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