"More Referrals More Business: How To Harness The Power Of Referrals To Attract More Clients And Grow Your Business" is an ebook and mp3 audio recording from professional services marketing and sales expert Ian Brodie.
I must admit to a little bias from the start. Ian is a friend of mine and a member of my Coaching Mastermind and I want him to succeed with this information product. I know how much time and effort has gone in to making this such an excellent guide to getting more referrals.
We all now that word of mouth recommendations are a great way to grow a business but getting referrals isn't easy if you don't know who to ask, when to ask, who to ask and a host of other questions Ian answers in "More Referrals More Business."
More Referrals More Business - compensated affiliate link
Referrals Need A System
Ian's approach to getting referrals is to create a system. He makes the very valid point that if you were spending time or money on other marketing activities, you'd think carefully about what you want and how you'd get it (well maybe not be you know you should) but referrals are a bit soft, squidgy and difficult to pin down.
Referrals are meant to just happen (perhaps but probably not).
Get Serious About Referrals
Ian says it's time to get serious with referrals and to take advantage of the good work you do for clients and customers.
His approach is based around the Referral Formula - four factors that show not all referrals are equal. (Ian shares the formula in his free video to promote More Referrals More Business)
I've recently written my own guide to getting customer referrals as one of the sources of hidden profit in my soon to be launched membership site. Both Ian and I make the point that many businesses make it difficult for themselves to be referred and therefore don't get referrals.
What do I mean?
By being too general and too broadly based.
A person giving the referrer must feel that you are the go-to guy in the particular situation.
Imagine this...
Your sister rings up in tears and in a panic, your nephew David has just been arrested by the police for Grievous Bodily Harm after a fight when a yob attacked him with a knife outside a nightclub. In the struggle the youth was stabbed with his own knife but he's saying David attacked him.
Do you recommend the nice young lawyer you met at a networking event who told you he could do contracts, wills, house conveyancing, divorces and criminal law?
Of course you don't.
There's no reason to think he's up to it. If you don't know a top criminal lawyer, you're more likely to call any friends who you think are better connected.
This "being too general" is where many of us go wrong - and yes I am guilty of this too often for my liking and I know this stuff.
Mind you I do refuse to niche so I guess I bring it on myself.
We're not specific about the type of people we help and the types of problem we help solve.
The net result is we're wrong for everyone and not right for someone.
You don't want to be everybody's fourth pick - much better to be the number 1 pick for 10% and number 2 for another 10% (just in case the person you tell would like a choice).
Putting More Referrals To Work
I make a big thing about moving from learning to knowing to action. It's only that last stage which brings in the money.
Ian Brodie has got this covered. Throughout "More Referrals More Business" Ian has small exercises to reinforce the lessons and to help you to apply the ideas to your firm.
My Thoughts On "More Referrals More Business"
I liked "More Referrals More Business" a lot when I went through it.
The audio and ebook are almost identical so you can use either or both media.
Ian is a Geordie but he's got a soft, warm accent and not the broad accent that left me bemused when I was talking to locals in the pubs in N'castle when I was a student.
The audio was a bit quiet but I think that's partly my PC set up as it is a common complaint I have on audio programs. It does start with a nice jazzy intro and Ian presents calmly and confidently throughout.
The pdf is very professionally put together with a fancy cover and is easy to read on-screen. It's also put together sensibly on a plain white background so you don't waste a lot of ink when you print it out.
More Referrals More Business is very focused on professional services.
If you're a small business looking for help to get more referrals, it will be useful as it is packed with tips for getting referrals from clients, networking associates, professional relationships and from online contacts.
The closer you are to the core market of accountants, lawyers and consultants, the more you will get from it.
Ian and I approach referrals from different directions but I am going to steal some of his ideas for my referral guide. He's pointed out a few things I don't do and therefore never thought about mentioning. I'll also attribute the referral formula to him.
If you sell professional services More Referrals More Business by Ian Brodie is highly recommended.
More Referrals More Business - affiliate link
I am biased. I expect great ideas from Ian and that's what he gives.
He was specially selected for my Coaching Mastermind because I rate him highly.
If you've been along to More Referrals More Business and watched Ian's free video on getting more referrals, i'd love to hear what you think.
If you've gone to the next stage and bought the ebook and mp3, then I'd also like to know if you rate it as highly as I do.
Posted by: Paul Simister | 14 June 2010 at 01:27 PM