Monday, May 30, 2011

Small Business Marketing Strategies: Triple Your Referrals | ATM ...

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

One of the most important small business marketing strategies for improving your practice is to consistently get recommendations from other individuals. At the start of my career, I found it annoying when I?d refer clients to other advisors and never obtain referrals in return. I understood there had to be something I could do to routinely receive qualified referrals from other referral sources. So, I designed a small business marketing procedure which enabled me to develop effective referral sources and improve relationships based on the benefits of reciprocal marketing. Here?s the way to achieve it:

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

The majority of us think of common experts in a similar business as an excellent referral source. Although these are definitely obvious choices, you?ll find there are so many other options you can take advantage of and the good news is that nobody else is. For example, business clients often consider CPAs and attorneys, but why not consider psychiatrists and trainers. The referrals we?ve obtained in our business via psychologists and coaches have been nothing shy of incredible. No matter the goods and services your small business markets or offers, think outside of the box and detect other referral sources you can add to your small business marketing strategies.

Have your mind wander and make a note of a number of professionals your ideal prospect may have a relationship with. The secret is to think away from the norm-and don?t discount any industry. If you get blocked or simply can?t discover a method to get the creativity flowing, find a spot to sit comfortably where you won?t be interrupted. Using your dominant hand, write down the question: ?Who are the most effective referral sources that can help me improve my business??Then, using your non-dominant hand, write a list of all the occupations you can imagine. You?ll be amazed with everything you come up with. The moment you?ve listed fifty occupations, place a star beside the ones that have previously been referral sources.

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

Go through the list you created and choose at least five professions you believe will be the most successful and enjoyable to work with. Start out with 10 occupations in your small business marketing strategy, then reduce it to the top five.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #3: Uncover 100 ?pros? in your selected professions.

Research the contact information for 20 experts in each of the five professions you picked as part of your small business marketing strategy. Start out with people you know; question friends for names or search online. You can even pay for names from a list broker. Don?t forget to create a spreadsheet to track how well you?re progressing while you reach out to each professional.

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

Every small business marketing strategy must have an automated referral and relationship marketing campaign. This strategy can be a letter or simply a postcard that clarifies who you are, what you do, and the reason why sharing referrals can benefit your customers. Be brief as well as upbeat and mail out the announcements from month to month until you have three active referral partners, in each of your five professions, who want 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 as a team via phone once a month as well as in person once a quarter. Including a referral mastermind group with your small business marketing strategy and plan enables you to create full successful connections.

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

When you deliver referrals to your small business referral partners and receive referrals from them, it?s important to have a very good process that recognizes the significance of those referrals. When I deliver someone a referral, I contact my referral partner and supply them with the client?s name as well as a breakdown of their situation. I then send out a ?This referral is for you? card. I accompany this with a three-way introductory meeting with the client being referred as well as the referral partner.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #7: Produce a follow-up method.

One of the most significant parts of your small business marketing strategy is follow-up and yet a lot of small businesses, consultants and advisors fail miserably at doing this! Every quarter, get in touch with your referral partners separately to examine referrals provided and received, as well as to talk about how to assist one another better.

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

One of the easiest steps in your small business marketing strategy is to automate your approach, equally for both online and offline. The great news is that with today?s technology, it is inexpensive!

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.

Adopt these measures and don?t be surprised if you multiply the referrals coming from other 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.

Annette Bau, CFP(r), is the founder of Advisor Marketing Practices and the author of numerous books and products. She can be reached at Questions@MillionaireSeries.com.

Source: http://www.atmmachineprices.com/2011/05/27/small-business-marketing-strategies-triple-your-referrals/

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