The Tribune

By D’Arcy Rahming

When I entered business school in 1987 I remember our orientation meeting very well. Vinnie Lyons, who I believe was the dean of our programme at that time, said: “Look around you. Look at the people. Make sure you forge friendships and build networks, as they will be more important than the classes you will take.” These were great words of wisdom. Referrals are the life blood of any marketing consultant, and of anyone marketing a product or service.

Referrals go beyond word of mouth. Some industries have this down pat. The insurance industry, for example, has a great referral culture. A good agent asks you for names of people that could benefit from their service. Then, I presume, they call these names with an introduction from you. I can tell you that, as a marketing consultant, the most powerful words of business are: “So and so can help you with this problem.”

If you are that person being recommended by a trusted friend, you have just eliminated the competition, and taken the focus off being the cheapest provider. A referral is better than a testimonial because it is a personalised endorsement. But the problems with the way people implement referral programmes are that they do not formalise them.

Here are some steps that I recommend you take to get a referral for your business. The first step is to make sure you are taking care of the clients you have now. No amount of clever marketing is going to make up for shoddy delivery. If current clients are not satisfied, find out why and try to improve your relationship with them in the best way possible. Everyone makes mistakes, but it really is how you react to the mistakes that will make people feel like you are working with them or not.

The second step is to list as many people who you know, you would be comfortable calling or walking up to and having a brief conversation with. We have in our immediate circles quite a few people; that is, in our families, churches, past school friends, current and former clients. As you go through the list, rate these people and your level of comfort with them.

I am not talking about posting to your 1,000 friends on Facebook. I mean people that you actually have some common link to. Those that you have the highest level of comfort with, you are going to approach personally, ask them when is a good time that you can talk to them. When you have determined that, you explain what you are doing and ask if they know anyone with that type of problem. Then explain how you can help them.

In forming your thinking on this matter, I recommend the book ‘The Referral of a Lifetime’ by Tim Templeton. It is a quick read with some great ideas. One of the members of my international Mastermind group reports that he made $4,000 last month in using one of the methods in this book. I’m going to reread this classic tonight!

NB: D’Arcy Rahming holds a Masters of Management from Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. A lecturer at the College of the Bahamas, Mr Rahming has clients in general insurance, retail, the health and medical fields, sports federations and financial services. To receive his marketing newsletter FREE go to http://DArcyRahming.com or contact him directly at darcyrahmingsr@gmail.com