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What impact has this recession had on the success of your business? Or a more significant question might be … what impact will you allow it to have on your business? Now, more than ever, you must adopt an attitude of intent. From a personal perspective, this recession was compounded by my relocation from Pittsburgh, where I had established an extremely stong professional networking prescence, and also included a transition in industry. However I have found that the following suggestions remained constant throughout all of those life changes.
An attitude of intent enables you to stay focused on what needs to happen to ensure that your business thrives … yes, thrives, during this recession. An attitude of intent will separate you from your competition. An attitude of intent will drive your creativity like it’s never been driven before. Where there are problems to be solved, there must be people and businesses to solve them. And now, more than ever, people are taking less risk. Especially when it comes to whom they choose to solve their problems. People today are really staying true to working only with those they know, like and trust!
"Clients still need to know that you care about them."
Keeping this in mind, here are two key areas to focus on right now to help you bring in more business by referral.
1. Bring added value to your clients!
Often times, during a recession, a business might become so focused on getting new clients in order to stay afloat that the customer service to current clients begins to suffer. If you allow this to happen, it will negatively impact the potential referrals you can get from current clients. Clients always need to know that you still care about them … even more so, when times get tough. This is the perfect time to bring some added value to your clients … such as looking for ways to help them meet their goals, increase their visibility, especially if you are able to introduce them to new clients and opportunities. A client would never think of leaving you if they truly feel that they are getting far more value from knowing and working with you than they could ever get anywhere else. You must become an important element to their success.
2. Reconnect with your network!
If people are really looking to those closest to them to solve their problems right now, you need to be the one that stays top of mind. It’s critical now to massage the current relationships that you already have by spending more time with them. Help your network to see you for more than your product or service. Actively teach them how to refer you to someone else. Reconnect with those closest to you (even your family) to educate them on the types of problems you solve and how to refer you. It’s amazing how many referrals are locked behind your family members simply because they don’t know how to find you business!
It’s time to adopt an attitude of intent by intending to get more business by referral. Word of mouth marketing is the least expensive form of business development … and yet it produces the highest quality of client! Elevate your networking activities to demonstrate the value you bring to the market place. Now more than ever, position yourself to be the center of your network. Position yourself to receive more referrals than ever before by bringing even more value to your clients and actively teaching other people how to refer you new business.
I take no credit for originality of these suggestions. These two tips were just a small part of an education I received, a few years ago, and can now be found in a book titled The 29% Solution.
My mentor and trainer was Michelle Donovan, the co-author of that book and for more on the topic of referral marketing, visit Michelle’s website at www.referralinstitutepittsburgh.com You can purchase a copy of The 29% Solution or simply sign up for her newsletter, The Referral Insider. Michelle can also be reached at 724-816-1760 or
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In this book are 52 “weekly” networking strategies and it has received accolades from extremely influential sources. It also includes a Preface announced as “One you should REALLY read!” I do have a favorite one-line excerpt from the book: "It is not net-SIT or net-EAT, it is net-WORK." Personally, I have been in sales for more than 20 years and this is the highest recommendation I can offer to anyone who is a “hunter” by profession: Read the rest of the book!
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