Quick Tip
No Stinkin' Badges
"Getting referrals is not a badge of honor."
That's an actual subject line from an email in my inbox.
Judging by how many times I've received it, this must be the latest tactic taught at SPAM-U.
I won't bore you with the rest of the email, but they go on to demonstrate how much they DON'T understand about referrals.
Not every business needs to scale to thousands of customers.
There are plenty of successful businesses that generate most, if not all, of their business by referral.
"By referral-only" is still a viable strategy.
I get that you may not want to put all of your "eggs in one basket." But creating a referral system is a basic marketing fundamental.
Back to the email. To me, it demonstrates 2 common misunderstandings about referrals.
The first is WHY people refer.
People do not refer their friends and colleagues because they want to help your business.
Ok, maybe your mom does. And a few others.
But most people make referrals because they want to help their friends.
Second, businesses that grow by referral don't sit around waiting for referrals to trickle in.
They actively orchestrate referrals.
How?
By creating a system that routinely:
- Helps people recognize conversations about what you do
- Helps them remember you - and that you can help
- Makes it easy for them to introduce you to them
With apologies to President Kennedy...
Don't ask which of their friends can help you - ask how you can help them help their friends.
Do that in a systematic, consistent way and orchestrate more referrals for your business.
Yours for smarter marketing,
Bill
913.962.9361
News, Tips, & Tricks
Fedex Small Business Grant
FedEx will be awarding $50,000 plus a bunch of other prizes in during the 10th Anniversary edition of their Small Business Grant Contest.
What is the difference between copywriting and content writing?
This article is written for writers, but knowing the distinction is important if you want to hire a writer to help with your marketing.
Will moving your website to a new host affect your SEO?
Wondering if moving your site to a hosting service in a different country will have an impact on your SEO?
Here's what Google has to say on the subject
Is Customer Support Through Live Chat Effective?
Personally, I find most support via chat to be slow and painful. I think that has more to do with implementation than the technology. But that's just me, what do you think about support via live chat?
And this...
This herd of escapees from a dairy farm were caught on a doorbell cam. I love how USA Today describes the herd as "shameless." No comment from Chick-fil-A.
Witness the shame for yourself
Book of the Week
The Success Cadence
Valuable insights for sales leaders in fast-growing organizations - and those who aim to be.
Get it here. (affiliate link)
Tool of the Week
Funnelytics™ - Visualize the performance of your Customer's Journey
Connect your strategy and data in one simple canvas.
Image of the Week
Say Cheese
Here's an awesome shot of the International Space Station passing in front of the moon
photo credit - Thierry Legault via Mashable
Like This Newsletter?
Let me know. Reply, email me at [email protected], or find me on LinkedIn to hit me with some feedback. I’d love to know what you think.
Thanks for reading.
Bill
913.962.9261
P.S. - And whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you grow your business:
1) Get more referrals - Want help creating your system for orchestrating referrals?. Reply to this email with "More referrals" to set up a time to talk.
2) Get Help Quick - Day Rate Consults are the easiest way to get marketing tasks off of your to-do list. See what you can get done
3) Get more leads from your website - If your website isn't delivering enough leads, reply to this email with "website leads" and I'll send you the details about my Website Leads Audit.