Chapter 10 Growing a referral system step by step
A
referral system is a network of relations that are built through various
methods. While there are many supporting methods to help develop a solid
network as well as creating an online presence. The actual referral system is
about creating that elusive list of referrers that can be reached efficiently
and managed easily.
A
referral system is like any other organizational construct, it has a head,
yourself to manage it, a database of connections organized into categories and
stored on your mobile device, business and social networks that contain
different connections you are in contact with, a web presence for a dropping
zone to market your services or products, and a message that is targeted to
increase your income through direct sales or professional collaboration.
To
build a referral system is to plan ahead and then work according to the plan.
In other words, project management. Do not approach referral networking a
laissez-faire manner; you will only end up confusing yourself as well as
creating an extremely inefficient system that will tax your time and produce
bad results.
Project management
When
it comes to project management, there is a lot of hesitation by people thinking
that this is some kind of management science, where Prince2 and PMBOK reign,
demanding you become adept in their nomenclature. This is far from true.
Project management is all about organizing yourself, creating a budget and
setting milestones.
Metrics
If
you want to complicate matters, you can add key performance indicators (KPI’s)
which are metrics to evaluate the performance of a specific task. These KPI’s
can come in useful if you want to evaluate a specific task you have set
yourself, such as setting a date and deciding what result should be reached by
that date. The KPI will be a % performance based on this. Writing has great
KPI’s where you can set a 1,000-word article to be written in 60 minutes as a
KPI, if you reach that target in 30 minutes you are successful producing a 200%
performance rating, if you only complete it after 2 hours, you are
underperforming by 50%.
Organization
The
organization is the core of project management; it is keeping organized control
over all activities. It does not matter how many tools you use to manage the
project, whether you create critical paths or decide in Gantt’s. At the end of
the day, it is all about organizing and managing your time and performance.
The Referral System
A
good referral system has four attributes:
1. A
list of reliable contacts
2. A
comprehensive e-presence
3. A
powerful and meaningful Message
4. Constant
Maintenance and Evolution
The step by step process
The
four attributes of a good referral system have to be created, and working on
them in parallel is to advisable. There are some stages that come first, and
others second, etc.
The First Step
Create
your message. We have an article on this subject, here is the link, any good
referral system will start out by defining who you are, what you can offer and
how you will deliver it. Before you start to build any network, you have to
know what you are doing it for. While you are building up your message, you
should perform initial population of contacts.
Step 2: Creating the Initial List
An
initial list is the first one you create when starting your referral system. It
is populated with your closest and most reliable contacts and will grow over
time. Your contact list is constantly changing, but it has to start somewhere.
As you create your message you start to build the initial contact list, this
leads you to start building a web presence.
Step 3. Developing a Web Presence
Once
you have created your message, it will include your color scheme, logo, and
actual worded message. It is time to open up social media sites, business
networks, referral sites, HR sites, web pages, blogs and vlogs and define your
target audience so that you do not waste your time “selling” yourself to
someone that does not want or need you. In other words, if you are a UK based
plumber, you don’t need to sell your services to an Amazon bush tribe. Or if
you are a cryptocurrency trading consultant you do not need to sell your services
to the IRS.
Step 4. Marketing
Now
that you have a web presence, you have a message and an initial referral
network it is time to start marketing yourself. This does not mean you have to
immediately create a major Google campaign or buy space at the next super bowl.
It means you have to start contacting your referral network and get them
working for you. Start moving your fingers, and heat up the keyboard. Start to
develop online relationships, develop new contacts and partnerships. Plan to
attend conferences and trade shows. Schedule daily meetings and discussion
groups.
Step 5. Maintenance
Once
you have set the ball rolling it is time to maintain your hard work. This means
updating your online presence through blogs, vlogs and answering emails, forum
messages and discussion groups. Maintenance is when you maintain your
connections, strengthening your referral network through continuous and active
participation.
Step 6. Sealing the Deal
Bottom
Line: a referral network is a means to an end, it is the path and tool to
increase your income through the sale of services or products. Don’t fall into
the trap of turning the referral system into your private universe. It is not
home nor a life; it is a set of tools delivering you a way to reach
clients. Which means that the final step is sealing the deal and getting
the contact to become a client. Buying your services or products.
Step 7. CRM
As
with any business model, initial sales are great, but returning customers are
greater. Maintain a customer relations system to back up your referral network,
is the final step in the process. It is important since over time the CRM will
become a major part of your referral network system. Sort of like a perpetual
motion machine that will slowly take over the inertia of your business and
drive clients to you without you having to expand your referral network
actively.
No comments:
Post a Comment