Promote Your Personal Brand To Generate More & Better Referrals

1. Introduction: Hi there. I'm Larry Esto. Welcome to my class. Promote your personal brand to generate mawr and better referrals. For my experience, referrals represent the absolute best source of new clients for most, if not all, service businesses, regardless of source referrals, offer rich benefits. People have been referred to us their pre qualified leads, in effect, referrals, air third party recommendations and, as such, are believable endorsements. Potential clients tend to accept him as more objective and trustworthy than they do paid advertising and promotional material. By the end of this class, you will know the main sources of referrals. How to ask for referrals without looking like you're baking or desperate. How to make and receive referrals, how to start and maintain referral system and the important connection between your personal brand and generating referrals before getting into the class itself. There is one other important thing to keep in mind. Generating referrals is not a quick fix solution to be playing when the flow of new business starts to slow. It's an ongoing process, like eating and breathing. Eventually, it would become an automatic process that you don't even have to think about anymore. The class project will get you started. Assuming that the process unfolds the way it's intended, you'll be well on your way to landing your first new referral and how great will that feel ? So let's get started. What are the two easiest sources of referrals to pursue? 2. Sources of Referrals: in April 2019 there were an estimated 7.7 billion people in the world. Many of these people represent ideal clients for you and your services in running our businesses. Our biggest marketing challenge is how to identify and connect with these ideal clients. Generating referrals represents the easiest and most effective strategy to connect with potentially ideal clients. And the most logical place to start implementing the strategy is close to home family and friends. They're the right people. Generate referrals because they know you and like to you and want to help you succeed. Presumably understand what you do and how you help clients. From your perspective, there are two things you can do that will help them make the best referrals. First, educate them in terms of what you do and don't do how you help clients, the benefit that benefits that clients receive and who your ideal clients are. These of the people you love to serve and are good at satisfying and secondly, provide them with contact information. In terms of how referred clients can contact, you remember that their role lead a handoff. Referrals not act as sales reps or any other intermediaries. Their primary focus is to connect you with people you don't know, but whom it would be good to know. Family and friends can confirm your personal traits and characteristics, such as your trustworthiness. Your likability had, how hard working you are. They can also offer reassurance that you really are a good person because they know you better than anyone else. They can tell personal stories and anecdotes that confirm your likability and trustworthiness. Finally, they're connected to people you don't know. Regardless of how close, how close our connection with family and friends. They know people we don't. These people that are family and friends know, represent potentially ideal clients who can be referred to us as attractive. Family and friends are as potential referral sources for us. There are also drawbacks. They may lack the objectivity to offer credible recommendations. They may not totally understand your services, target market and ordeal ideal clients, and they may over sell or otherwise misrepresent your services. During my legal training, my mother like to talk about her son, the lawyer on her regular visits to Lila's beauty salon. Her friends told her about their legal problems and in turn. She told me about these people's problems, including their desire to talk to me about their issues. For the most part, he's were domestic and family issues with a sprinkling of criminal offenses. My problem was that I had no interest, desire or know how to work in these areas. On reflection, I now realize that my mother was really trying to be helpful. In effect, you're generating referrals for me. But I hadn't told my mother of the area long, which I wish to work, which is corporate commercial, because I didn't think she'd understand it. The moral of the story. Don't assume that family and friends know you well enough to know that kind of work that you do from a business perspective, your business contacts and connections are the ideal people to make referrals to you like family and friends. They know you and also know you're working how you help clients. Presumably, they also want to help you succeed and understand the rule that referrals playing business success network contacts as referral sources offer three major benefits. First, they offer objective, believable third party endorsements. Secondly, they confirm that your professionally and technically competent and Thirdly, they offer reassurance that you are a good person with whom to do business. Let's close this lesson with one of my favorite stories. Story of Sutton's law. So how is this story relevant? Generating referrals? Well, there is a connection. Willie Sutton robbed banks because that's where the money is. A variation on the theme is to fish where the fish are and from a referrals perspective. The point is to look for referrals where you're most likely to find them up next. How to generate referrals. 3. Generating Referrals: generating referrals by asking for them is not and may not be difficult or stressful. Knowing how to ask is the key. Instead of dumping more information, let's do an interactive role play. We'll keep it simple. I ask you answer. Make your answer, riel, and answer out loud. If you're not alone, if others air with you, invite them to join you. It will help with learning. And here's the scenario. We made it a training event in your community. Maybe you're doing the presentation and I'm a guest. Or maybe I'm the presenter in your guest. It doesn't really matter. In conversation, I ask you, could you recommend a really good restaurant? And you answer after hearing a restaurant recommendation? I say, Can you recommend a menu choice? And you tell me about some of your favorite food at the restaurant thing? Then I say there's another issue I need some help with. This is being an unexpected, unexpectedly expensive trip for me. I'm broke. Can you give me about $100 so we could have a really good meal? Okay, that's enough with the begging. Let's debrief what just happened. How did you feel about my asking for a restaurant recommendation. How many of the words on the right of the screen apply? Normally, people like to help when they can. It feels good to help other people. Okay, so how did you feel about my asking for menu recommendation? How many of the words on the right side of the screen apply? Normally, people like to help where they can. We like it when we're asked for our opinion. And how did you feel about my asking for money? How many of the words on the right of the screen apply? Normally, people are uncomfortable when asked for something they can't or don't want to give you. If we make people uncomfortable, they probably won't help us. In March of 2017 I had the opportunity of attending the quick a international Raiders conference. This was held in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador, which is an absolutely beautiful 600 year old city. One of its iconic landmarks is the new cathedral has shown on this slide. And speaking of the new cathedral, if you're looking for a restaurant and male record recommendations, check out cappuccino, which is a great little restaurant behind the new cathedral as the folks down there State lost weight was red chairs esto as depend us. At the conference, I met Rick, a writer who has an amazing portfolio of work to his credit. And like many truly creative people, Rick has a problem with cash flow. About a year after the conference, I received an email from Rick, and here is an excerpt from the email. I'm using this email because it's a good example of how to ask for referrals. In the underlined portion of the first paragraph, Rick explains why he's writing to me. He's looking for a referral. The next two paragraphs outlined the nature of the situation and the kind of referral he's looking for. And the final paragraph is the specific Ask. This is where Rick asked for leads your ideas and this slide is an excerpt from my response to Rick. The first underlined indicates they would be happy to help him. The second underlying indicates my willingness to reconnect with Rick and reestablish the relationship, and the third Underline opens the door for my doing something to help Rick. Why would I want to help Rick? Well, I was inspired by his looking for help for his friend and wanted to recognize and support his support of his friend. I also saw the opportunity to help Rick by referring him to skill share. He would have been able to monetize his archive material, which interred would have helped ease his cash flow problem. This short exchange of emails illustrates the magic element of referrals. Once you start asking for and giving them, there's no telling what the ultimate outcome will be that you have a sense of how referrals work. Let's take a look at some of the best practices of making and receiving referrals. 4. Making & Receiving Referrals: There is no one size fits all formula for making it receiving referrals. Each of us has our own way of interacting with others, including a referral sources. Having said that, there are some best practices that certainly apply to most people in most referral scenarios, the best practices start with identifying other service providers whom he can ask for referrals. If you provide business to business services. This is a fairly straightforward process. Look for other businesses whose idea clients air the same as, or at least similar to yours. Suitable businesses would include other service providers and suppliers such as accountants , banks, consultants, insurance agents, real estate agents, lawyers and so forth for business and consumer services. It's not so easy to identify suitable businesses The'keeper's to look for other businesses that help your clients with services that supplement or complement those that you provide. Health or fitness coaches, for example, could connect with massage therapists, nutritionists, personal trainers, all of whom provide some form of health or fitness service. If you don't know what other businesses might be suitable sources of referrals do some research. Ask clients who else provides them with supplementary or complementary services and ask for a referral to these service providers. The's potentially for a sources also represent the opportunity for you to expand the services you can offer to clients. These sources are also businesses to whom you can refer clients. Making referrals to other qualified service providers is, ah, high value, no cost addition to your menu of services. When making cross referrals to other compatible service providers, we are, in effect, referral partners with these individuals. Very often, referral partner relationships evolve into equally valuable strategic partner relationships . In these relationships, we do more than just make referrals to each other. We also share information to help each other whenever and however appropriate and Ernie or less. It outlined how important it is to help attention referral sources, understand who your ideal clients are and how you can help them. This is a form of pre qualifying referrals. By the same token, it's equally important to pre qualified potential referral partners. Obviously, the more common your respect of ideal clients, the better will be for each of you. Similarly, the more common your values and approach to client service, the more mutual being a mutually beneficial relationship will be my best refer partner ever was, Ah, hockey player, an accountant and the landlord thes are these roles are listed in order of his passions, not necessarily revenue producing capability. When I was sitting at my practice, I rented space from Kent, who was an account with an office located in an old elegant house. Can't serve the same kinds of clients as I did. Sometimes even the same clients is me. His office was on the first floor, and I used to spare office for seeing clients with mobility issues. My office weather is on the second floor and can't use my conference room for larger meetings. We were certainly consulting Lee with each other on one matter and or another. There was also a constant flow of referrals between us. On reflection, Kent and I were personally and professionally, a perfect match. The moral of the story, the closer the match with your referral partners, more cross referrals. You can expect the best practices of receiving referrals are a combination of common courtesy and good business practices. This includes saying thank you, recognizing the referral source, re qualifying referral to make sure there's a good fit and taking appropriate action. The theme key to recognizing referral sources is to think of referrals as the gift they are , and at that point, common courtesy takes over. Recognize the gift of referral as you would recognize any special occasion gift. Some of my most memorable refer recognitions have bean, low cost and personal notes, cards and other personal acts of gratitude. In my case, sincere, genuine recognition is better than excessive gratitude or gifts. Find out, works for you and do it consistently. Now let's talk about what goes into setting up a good referral system. 5. Your Referral System: the absolute best sources of referrals. Air spontaneous and unsolicited, they're also the most rare. It's very difficult to build a successful service business, depending upon spontaneous and unsolicited referrals for the most and best referrals. The key is building and maintaining an effective referral system. Here are six guidelines to include in your referral system Number one. Base your system on creating win win win situations. This first guideline is to ensure that your system will create win win scenarios referred. Clients win in two ways. They save time and locating qualified service providers. And there is less stress and hassle in getting the help they need. Refers win because in making qualified referrals, they can provide even more help to their clients. As a result of this, additional help your referrals can enhance their relationship with referred clients invariably enhance relationships. Lead to more repeat business, and your winds include low cost, high value marketing, pre qualified leads prepared to do business with you. It's kind of like a seal of approval from the Shura partner. It peer recognition for you and your work. Remember, the referrals are about more than just your landing. A new client second Where do refers. Find referrals. Remember the story of Willie Sutton and Sutton's Law? As you recall, he was the bank robber who robbed banks because that's where the money is. Would it have made sense for Willie to a vast a petty thief or pick pocket artist about suitable banks to rub? Probably not. It would have been better to ask his bank robbing contacts, emphasizing the most likely solution rather than wasting time and money investigating every conceivable possibility. The best approach to finding referral sources who can refer ideal clients is other people who know and serve the same market as you. As a result, you can help them find areas for opportunities the same way you do share with them. Your stories of fighting referral opportunities help them increase their awareness of these opportunities, and they don't appropriate circumstances. They could refer potentially ideal clients to you. Keep in mind that the role of your referral sources to connect you with people they know who represent potentially idea clients for you. At the very least, this involves making the induct introduction and qualifying you as a good person to do business with. This would include confirming that as a person you are honest and trustworthy and that as a service provider you're competent and capable. Don't even think of expecting me for all sources to prevent, promote your services or close the deal. That's your rule. Direct requests represent an important source of referrals. As with many aspects of life, business and marketing, timing is everything. The timing of requests, referrals can and should be systematized. Ideally, the best time make different request referrals is when you're likely to receive them. Here's a story that illustrates the timing of asking for referrals. Murray is an experienced real estate agent outstanding in his field. The back of his business card says 85% of my new business comes from referrals. Murray asks for referrals at strategic stages of his service. First, when an offer to purchase is accepted, he asked both parties referrals. Secondly, when the transaction closes, he asked for referrals and he asked, gave a referral. Six months and 12 months after completion. Since asking for referrals generates 85% of Murray's new business, his approach seems to work. The conclusion we can draw is asking it should be given to you, but remember, timing is everything. This'll The last guideline is the magic ingredient that converts individual referrals into the ongoing flow of referred ideal clients. As magic as this ingredient is, there's nothing secret about it. Facilitating and acknowledging referrals is about applying common courtesy and manners. 6. Now It's Your Turn: At this point, I hope that you have a basic understanding of both the importance of referrals and how to go ago generating more of them. The key question left to be addressed is what is the relationship between your personal brand and the process of generating referrals? In other words, just how can you promote your personal brand to generate mawr and better referrals for present purposes? Your personal brand answers to fundamental questions. First, what distinguishes you from the competition? And, second, how does this distinctiveness benefit clients for purpose of generating referrals? It's important if your referral sources understand your personal brand and how it defines the kinds of clients whom you like to help in practice thes air. Your ideal clients, the kinds of client clients that you love to serve and are good at satisfying. Revisiting the example of my mother. Had I known more about marketing at the earliest stages of my legal career, it would be helpful to clarify for her the kind of legal work that I actually did or wanted to do. This would have involved my explaining who are something like I worked in the area of business law and real estate law or that I helped business people and people buying and selling homes. This would have given her a better idea of the kinds of matters that I might have been able to help with. The same explanation would have been helpful to other family members and friends who believed that all lawyers work in all areas of law. Obviously, the clearer your personal brand, the easier will be for family, friends and network contacts to refer potentially ideal clients to you. A brand positioning statement is one of the best tools for distinguishing yourself from the competition and also helping potential referral sources understand the kinds of clients you would welcome with open arms. A brand position statement contains four essential elements. First is a target audience. Next is the frame of reference. Third is the benefit or point of differentiation, and finally, is the reason to believe in effect. Your brand position statement is what connects your personal crack brand with the process of generating referrals. Once completed, your brand position statement would help differentiate you from all others. It will also make it easier for support of family, friends and network contacts to fully understand the kinds of clients you help and how you help them, this internal position them to make more and better referrals. At the top of this light, there's a template that you can use for preparing your own brand positioning statement. At the bottom, there's a sample of a brand position statement that have a known about. The concept would have helped my mother refer ideal clients to me, as is the case with all templates. It's important to customize this one to reflect you and your distinctiveness as long as it contains the four essential elements it will print serve its purpose. Well, it would be a good idea to positivity you to take a screenshot of this template or make ahead written copy for your future reference. And after that, we can end this class by summarising the key lesson points way 7. Conclusion: from the personal on business perspective, friends and family are indeed life's gifts. These were the people closest to us. They are our inner circle. The next ring out in an inner circle would be our network contacts, those people with whom we have established and maintained some kind of relationship as we go boat living our lives. Not surprisingly, these air the two best sources of referrals, Theo. Absolute best referrals are spontaneous and unsolicited. They're also the most rare. It's very difficult to build a successful service business, depending upon spontaneous and unsolicited referrals for the most and best referrals. The key is building and maintaining an effective referral system. Here's some guidelines to keep in mind as you go about developing and maintaining your referral system. Your brand position statement is what connects your personal brand with the process of generating referrals, therefore, essential elements to your brand position statement. First, there's the target audience. Second, there's the frame of reference. Third is the benefit or point of differentiation on. Finally, there's the reason to believe. Once completed, your brand position statement will help differentiate you from all others. It will also make it easier for support of family, friends and network contacts to refer more and better clients to you 8. Your Next Steps: over the years, asking for and making referrals has become a very natural and comfortable element of my interactions with others. However, it was until I prepared this class that I recognized the critical role of a personal brand in generating referrals is my sincere hope that you've also learned some new things that will help you read. Read the benefits of leveraging your personal brand to generate mawr and better referrals. Just because it's the end of the class, it doesn't mean that you be on your own to face whatever marketing issues that may pop up down the road. Once you complete your class project, you can download your free copy of keeping in touch effectively. Why would you want this book to maintain a sustainable flow of new business? It's important to keep in touch with those people who generate your new business, your clients and contacts. When your clients and contacts forget you and the great service you provide, they will start returning for repeat business and make fewer and fewer referrals. Traditionally, businesses kept in touch with clients through personal interactions and regular newsletters or other mailings. But in today's world, it's not always easy to arrange personal interactions. And given the unlimited, limited competition for the attention of your clients and contacts, it's difficult for newsletters or other mailings to stand out from the crowd. This e book will help you keep in touch to the best ways possible and at the appropriate intervals. This will help your clients and contacts remember you and even better hire you again and make more referrals. Let's keep in touch through the community forum. Thank you so much for participating this class. Keep on being awesome.