Diving Deeper: 3 Lessons Learned Following a Referral Plan

In this series we have been unpacking why referrals are so misunderstood.  From why people fear them (hint, because they think they have to ask…they don’t.) to believing it takes a lot of time to generate them to the idea that you have to pay for referrals. But thankfully we have debunked those myths about referrals and we are going to debunked one more in this article.  And in the process of debunking those myths, we have dived deeper into understanding the truth behind referrals. Now keep in mind, most people aren’t confused on WHY referrals are so important. We understand referrals are powerful because the referral is “dropped into our laps” already trusting us (a key in deciding to [...]

2018-03-29T11:30:25+00:00 Tags: , , , , |
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Diving Deeper: Why You Shouldn’t Fear Referrals (because you should never ask)

This article is Part 3 in a series on unpacking why referrals are so misunderstood. We are looking closer at the top – though not all – referral myths that hold people back from actively pursuing receiving referrals. First up is the fear based myth - believing we must ask for referrals and network to death. Here are the links to Part One and Part Two in this series. Part One: Why Referrals Are So Misunderstood Part Two: Unpacking the Top Referral Myths Before we dive in deep to the most common referral myth (the myth based on fear), let’s look at all five again. Top 5 Referral Myths To receive I must ask and that makes me uncomfortable (Fear [...]

2018-03-07T15:02:28+00:00 Tags: , , , , |
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Unpacking the Top Referral Myths

In the last article I discussed why referrals are so misunderstood. We understand WHY we want referrals but we are fuzzy on WHAT is an actual referral and completely confused on HOW to generate them. Because we are confused on what a referral is and how to generate them (without asking, of course) – that drives a number of referral myths. [Read about the WHAT and the HOW here.] By definition a myth is not real…but since it is so widely held, it feels really, really real. Here are the top five referrals myths that I hear when I ask, “What is the one thing that holds you back from consistently generating referrals?” The answers – hundreds and hundreds of [...]

2018-03-01T07:43:08+00:00 Tags: , , , , |
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Thanksgiving Thoughts About Thanksgiving Cards (and Other Holiday Cards)

It’s about to be that time of year…when the mailboxes begin to overflow with Thanksgiving cards followed by Christmas, Hanukkah and holiday cards. Some people consider sending a Thanksgiving card so they can stand out from all the Christmas or Holiday cards that will hit in December. I totally get it. If you are going to take the time to have a card printed and mailed you want to make sure those receiving it actually pay attention to it. [After reading this article, check out the Stacey Brown Randall Live Show (Episode 11) where I look closer at Holiday and Thanksgiving cards and why you need to change your thinking on the type of cards you send.] Except sending a card on [...]

2018-02-23T13:57:30+00:00 Tags: , , |
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Where Referrals Fit in Your Sales Strategy

New clients. The name of the game to grow our businesses (or book of business).  Every year we set metrics and goals for how many new clients we need to bring on. Whether your number is 10 or 100 new clients needed every year, I’ll bet you have some kind of plan or strategy to hit that number.  Your plan will have the activities you need to do on a daily, monthly or quarterly basis to help you hit the number.  Activities like networking, cold calling, direct mail, LinkedIn prospecting, Facebook ads, SEO, publicity via earned media, social media updates, attending trade shows, etc.  For some it is a well detailed plan that took hours to create and for others [...]

2018-01-10T10:31:13+00:00 Tags: , , , , |
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Manufactured Referrals Never Work

Have you ever asked for a referral before? What happened? Did the person you asked answer with a stock response like, "let me think about it?" (And did they ever get back to you with names of people for you to call or email?) Or did they almost automatically sit back in their chair or start to shift in their seat?  When they moved back from you they are subconsciously trying to distance themselves from the request you just made.  And the shift in their chair means they are uncomfortable. Why does that happen? Because you attempted to manufacture a referral...meaning you tried to create one that doesn't exist. Now you could argue that asking allows the other person to [...]

2018-01-10T10:31:13+00:00 Tags: , , , , |
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30 Ways to Take Control of Your Referrals (Cool Infographic too)

So if I can't ask for referrals and I can't pay for referrals, how in the heck do I generate referrals? Excellent question. And it is one I hear a lot. My answer is always the same...just because you shouldn't ask for referrals or pay for them doesn't mean you do nothing.  You just have to know what to do and then do it consistently to generate referrals in your business.  It is how I consistently generate triple digit referrals (over 100) year in and year out in my coaching practice.  Or how an attorney has generated 2,730 referrals in the last 13 years (that's approximately 210 referrals per year).  Or how a CPA brings in 57% of new clients [...]

2018-01-10T10:31:13+00:00 Tags: , , , , |
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