How to Get Your Dream Referral
An effective way to grow your business is with referral marketing. A referral is the opportunity to do business with someone who is in the market to buy your product or service and has been told about you by a mutual friend or associate. Business referrals made with a warm introduction are much more effective than an unsolicited cold call to a prospect.
Referrals in business are good; Dream Referrals are great! What IS a Dream Referral? A Dream Referral is one of those clients who will make a significant impact on your revenues for the year. It’s that wonderful customer that makes your smile, AND your company’s profits, bigger. However, before you can get your Dream Referral, you have to know who or what it is.
First – Identify Your Dream Referral
Have you ever said, “I want to meet anyone who needs my services.”? If you answered yes, has your generic request for a new contact ever resulted in a referral? Probably not. That type of ‘anyone’ request is much too vague.
One of the skills of networking is to remember that Specific is Terrific.
Describe your Dream Referral in detail:
- Are they a person or a company?
- What is their name or their title?
- Where are they located?
- What do they look like?
- What is the exact type of business or profession that they are in?
- How can you help them, what problem do they have?
- Which of your products or services do they need?
- What benefit will they receive from each of your products or services?
Next – Tell Others About Your Dream Referral
Now that you have identified exactly who and what you are looking for, teach your network what your Dream Referral looks like.
When referral marketing, if you use a catch phrase that is too broad and generic it will limit the effectiveness of the results that you get. Instead, be very descriptive as you talk to your networking partners, so descriptive that it is like that person is in the room with you. The more details you provide, the greater the likelihood that your referral partners will recognize that person when they come across them outside of the business networking meeting!
To increase and grow business through referrals, it is important that YOU know your own personal Dream Referral. Then you can educate your network on how to help you find it. If you do not know precisely who that ideal client is, your networking partners are unable to go out looking for them and connect you to them.
I would love to hear about YOUR Dream Referral in the comments below.
Great Dr Ivan to have a specific referral, but how do I ask for one in my business of Insurance? My Target market is ‘Small and Medium Enterprises” having about 30 employees’ .
Prakash, check out this podcast to answer your question: https://www.bnipodcast.com/2015/04/29/episode-404-standing-in-the-middle-of-referrals/
Everyone can do a search here on BNI Podcast relating to any topic – you can find almost anything with the SEARCH button here.
I sold insurance too. Here is how I did it, it takes work on your part: “Who do you know who………..Lives in Hamilton County, $300,000 Home, have children in private schools, own recreational toys like boats, campers, motorcycles, or second homes. These are great referrals from and an email introduction is my chosen way of being referred. ” IN ESSENCE you are drawing a picture in my mind of what your ideal client looks like.
Being a Corporate Advisors and Company Secretary, my dream referral is getting connected to BSE / NSE listed Corporates in India so that I can make more revenue, Credibility and will improve my profile as well.