People often ask me where I get my business. And, usually I rattle off a bunch of different methods like: articles, speeches, webinar samplers, live event sample sessions, referrals, telemarketing, website, etc. After that litany of methods the conversation usually ends and I'm left wondering why they asked the question in the first place. And, so it got me thinking. Is there a simpler way? Where do I get my business? And, why do some consultants get 70-80% of their business from referral when mine only account for 22% of my income over the past 4 years? It's my #1 marketing method. But how do I double or triple its effectiveness? With spendable marketing dollars a scarce resource in these days, focusing on how to acquire more clients through referrals makes a lot of sense.
Since my goal is to reduce my cost to acquire a client, systematic lead generation through a referral marketing campaign makes sense. And, while I had read books on how to generate business from referrals, it wasn't until I got focused on a methodology for referrals that I started seeing the benefit.
Since practicing this method, I've been generating new leads everyday.
So think about your referral program. What is it? How does it work? I have found one key difference in my referral marketing campaign that so far has paid off. Instead of making it a casual part of my coaching meeting, I take the time to make it a separate meeting and discussion. This way our time is focused just on asking for referrals and helping the referrer to identify candidates. Maybe you will find out that this one simple change in your referral-building program will help you too. Let me know what you find is working.