Maverick and Company

Most people I talk with think that MOST of their referral sources KNOW:

• What they do
• How to talk about it
• Who to talk to (your CHOIR)

Most people are wrong.

Ask yourself, how good are your friends, colleagues and clients and understanding and communicating your value?  This one little question can tell you a lot about why you get the referrals you get now and how to get more.

If I asked 10 of your people what you do and WHO you do it for (your CHOIR), would I get 10 different answers?  Would I even get the right answers?  Would they know what you do but not who to talk to?  Would they know WHO but say the wrong thing?

Selling services can be a complex thing, ESPECIALLY when it can be hard to answer these questions for ourselves.  It’s critical to answer these questions well and specifically and even more so to educate your fan club.

If your “fan club” of potential referral sources

can’t talk about what you do or isn’t talking to the right people,

you’re MISSING OUT ON GOOD REFERRALS

AND GREAT CLIENTS.

Make sure you take the time to figure out who you really work with, create simple ways of explaining your WHO to other people and make SURE that you take the time to TRAIN YOUR FAN CLUB so they can spot your future clients and connect you to them.

SPECIFICALLY:

• Don’t Assume…they know what you do.  You’d be surprised how wrong they often get it.  Don’t take it for granted that even clients who have done work with you, even multiple times, are really clear about who you work with and why, often, they are NOT.

• Ask…go out of your way to find out how they describe you, who they think you work with and why.  The best way is to simply ASK the people you hope would send you referrals.  Amazingly, many people are willing to ask for referrals but shy about asking how people describe them, who they think they work with and so on.

• Go Basic…keep it super simple for everyone involved.  Don’t try to teach everyone about every single thing you do.  Make sure you focus on one or two key things with each potential referral source.  Trust me, they’ll often have a hard enough time remembering one basic service and client.  Overwhelming them with ALL the stuff you do is a great way to get NOTHING.

Remember, it’s YOUR JOB to educate your fan club.  If you don’t do your job, don’t assume they know who to connect you to and don’t assume you’ll get the referrals.  The one little question is:

Do you potential referral sources REALLY know

what specifically you do,

how to talk about that service

and who to talk to?

If they don’t, your job it to give them the answers to that question, remind them when they forget and repeatedly supply them with stories that reinforce the message.  Do THAT and you’ll find yourself happily receiving more great referrals.

If you could use some extra help training your fan club, make sure to check out Referrals 101 live in Denver on April 15^th or via webinar on April 21^st.  Click here for more details and to get registered.