Strategies for Winning All the Business You Want.
Category
referrals
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05.09.12The Believable VoiceWhen you are reading a study published by a technology company on what technology does to our kids – do you believe it? When you hear a financial advisor talk about how extraordinary their services are – do you believe it? If a restaurant owner says they have the best food in town – do you believe it? Often, the message isn’t believable until someone who has experienced it first-hand speaks up. This is a significant reason that messaging the value of a firm can be off kilter. The business owner knows that their business is as they say, and they ...
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02.14.12Creating a Surprising ExperienceThe litmus test of whether or not you are creating an experience that people find exceedingly valuable can be quantified by the number of referrals you receive. Acquiring referrals has little to do with how often you ask, but rather reliant on how you make them feel. Even more so, making an introduction happens most frequently when the client is actually surprised by how they feel about you. The ‘surprising experience’ as defined by a multi-million dollar producing advisor - “I focus on listening more than 50% of every meeting. If I can keep this in check and not talk too ...
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10.05.11If you’re so unique, why isn’t everyone talking about you?• If you are really, truly unique then people would be talking and spreading the news about your firm. Do they? • If you are delivering exceptional products and/or services, why aren’t more people spreading the word? • If you care more than most, why don’t more people share that fact with others? The reasons? Either your perception is not matched by your clients’ perception or YOU ARE unique and exceptional, but others are unsure how to verbalize it and share you with others. Here are three solutions to get others to share your uniqueness: 1. Have a prepared statement that describes the uniqueness ...
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07.27.11Getting People to Talk About You – A Success StoryDo you think having a website, a social media presence or an email newsletter will get people talking about you? Well that depends, are you sharing anything that people will find valuable to share? People will talk about you because they like you and they value your services and advice. The more strongly they feel about you, the more they will go out of their way to talk about you. But how do they do it? Do they pick up the phone and call everyone they know about you? Probably not. A financial advisor contacted me last week to share with ...
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06.29.11Create a “Branding One Sheet” to Acquire More ReferralsYour one page brand overview is an incredibly helpful marketing piece that will guide those who could refer you to effectively describe what you do. And, it will help those within your firm describe the company consistently and concisely as well. There are 5 sections to include in your “Branding One Sheet.” 1. What makes us different? Describe what you do that is truly unique (it may just be you and your team that truly make you stand out). 2. One sentence firm description or tagline. We're in business to… (a simple sentence that your referrer will remember). 3. Our ideal client. Our ...
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04.20.11Adding A Simple Referral System Into Your BusinessPositive word of mouth is one of the most coveted outcomes of great products and service. It is also possibly the best thing that can happen to any business. A good reputation (that people are talking about) generates referrals -- which are often the most profitable leads that a business can receive. Clients acquired through referrals are more loyal, easier to close, more cost efficient; and in turn are often the ones to give you even more referrals. Consumers today trust a personal recommendation over traditional advertising, brochure, website, or other company communications. According ...
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03.15.11Guest Blog: Better Service Equals Better ReferralsGuest Blog from Bill Cates, President of Referral Coach International Know Your Competition When you know your competition well, it not only gives you a selling advantage early on, but also continues to help you serve and sell to your client throughout the relationship. You should always serve your clients with the knowledge that they are your competitors’ prospects. Do you know what pressures your clients are under to move their business? Do you know what they say to all those other financial professionals who call them? If you don't, I ...
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01.19.11Cultivating Relationships NOT Worth the Time?Proactively cultivating relationships is often an afterthought. We are just too busy trying to get through the workload directly in front of us. And, relationships are not what we DO in our businesses, right? Most firms are not in the “relationship business.” You are in the [INSERT your core offering] business. Simply spoken: We need sales, not more friends! STOP RIGHT THERE!! Above is an excuse that we often create (myself included), subconsciously or consciously, for not finding the time to do one of the most important things directly affecting growth and profitability. Intuitively ...
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11.16.10Guest Blog: New Kids on the BlockGuest Blog from Lena Rizkallah of Mosaic Consulting The results of November’s tumultuous mid-term elections are in: for the third time in four years, a significant change has taken over Congress. The Republicans took back the majority in the House while the Democrats maintained their lead in the Senate, albeit by a slim margin. Overwhelmingly, the shift among voters resulted from the state of the economy, job losses and an uncertain future. One thing is clear: the election results demonstrated what is most on the minds of Americans today, and that is the state ...
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10.20.10Marketing BotoxBlog from Maribeth Kuzmeski of Red Zone Marketing Botox is not a permanent solution to aging and wrinkles. It is a superficial fix and after a few months the same old wrinkles reappear. There is often the urge for a similar approach to marketing efforts. Many businesses are looking for a quick fix to bring on new business fast. Don’t get me wrong – there is nothing wrong with a quick fix. But if you have a quick fix, you end up doing it over and over again instead of getting to the root ...
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