Market Less – How to Work Some Referral Magic

By Kendall SummerHawk

Have you tried to get an almost-client’s attention lately?  It’s tough! I just read in Fast Company magazine, that the only sure-fire way to get business right now is through word of mouth. Seems that with the assault of marketing messages flying at us, we only respect what our trusted friends and colleagues recommend.

But what if you’ve had little luck getting good quality referrals? Here are 3 tips that are guaranteed to get the right kind of attention, and plenty of it!

Tip 1 Ask For The Referral

Don’t mince words. Simply say, “I work best with __________ kinds of people.” Then follow it up with the results you’ve achieved. “The people I work best with have experienced ________ (name the results using numbers – time, money, efficiency,  there is always a way to quantify a result from working with you, no matter what your business). Continue with, “Their experience was a direct result from working with me.” Then finish by asking, “Who do you know that may be open to experiencing a similar result?”

Easy, right? I could stop there, but tips 2 and 3 are great too.

 Tip 2 Do A Super Job

Focus your time on maximizing the results your clients receive from hiring you and your name will be passed around for years!

Tip 3 Leverage Your Time With Their List

They have a list of people who trust them. You have a valuable service. There is a multitude of ways to make this work.  Start by creating a “hot list” of at least 5 people who you would love to have referring others to you. Leverage your service through them and you just opened a door of never ending referrals, for very little time spent.