Trust – How to Earn it? The Formal Referral Program

Beliefs “I just need to get my name out there” “I just need more leads” “ I need a bigger territory” “It’s a basic fact of life that many things “everybody knows” is right- turn out to be wrong”   Jim Rogers

“The Quote” “If you want to be the best in the world, make your world smaller” Seth Godin Next Level Coaching www.next-level-coaching.com

Marketing is: Do it right “The use of focused, relevant, frequent communications to effectively and efficiently get people with similar needs, wants and fears to know, like, and trust you.” Attract your Ideal Prospects – raise their hands Repel the rest of the market Next Level Coaching www.next-level-coaching.com

What is a good Lead? At any given point in time only about 3% of the market is ready to buy what you are selling 2% of sales are made on the first contact 3% of sales are made on the second contact 5% of sales are made on the third contact 10% of sales are made on the fourth contact 80% of sales are made on the fifth to twelfth contact SBA Survey 2008 Next Level Coaching www.next-level-coaching.com

“All we need is more leads!” Lie 48% of sales people never follow up with a prospect 25% of sales people make a second contact and stop 12% of sales people only make three contacts and stop Only 10% of sales people make more than three contacts SBA Survey 2008 Next Level Coaching www.next-level-coaching.com

Who is your biggest Competitor?

What is a good Lead? They match the profile of our Ideal Customer They understand and have completed the Decision Making Process They know, like and trust you Great, but how do we find them?

NPS Survey Focus/Relevance Two powerful questions via email 9-10’s Promoters 6-7-8 ‘s Passives 1-5 ‘s Detractors Promoters – Detractors = Score What they like/dislike about their experiences Bain Studies showed the top scores = higher growth and earnings They spend less on marketing, they grow organically, they are highly selective and focus on referrals Next Level Coaching www.next-level-coaching.com

NPS Benchmarks National Companies Harley Davidson 81 Costco 79 Amazon 73 Ebay 71 Apple 66 Fedex 56 Southwest Airlines 51 Dell 50 Next Level Coaching Clients Software training company 39 Construction/Drilling 63 Country Club 24 Security Company 71 Insurance Agency 68 IT Support #1 56 Catalogue/Web Parts Co. 74 Propane Dealer 51 Construction Company 70 Carpet Care Company 87 Next Level Coaching www.next-level-coaching.com

Ideal Customer Profile Focus/Relevance - Demographics - Characteristics - Wants and Needs - Pains and Fears How do we find this out? WE ASK Next Level Coaching LLC www.next-level-coaching.com

My Ideal Client     Who:   Busy, successful business owner 45+ years old Business from 5-100 employees $500,000 - $20 million Business is successful In business at least 5 years   Next Level Coaching LLC www.next-level-coaching.com

My Ideal Client Characteristics: Is committed to taking the business to the next level Business has reached a plateau Has good ideas and intentions but can’t seem to get them implemented Mature enough to know seeking help is a strength Pain/Fears:   Fears the business depends too much on them –they have to be there every day to make it work Fears not enough time to get everything done Fears their marketing is not working as well as it should Fears not being able to retire Fears they don’t have the right people in place and can’t find good people Next Level Coaching LLC www.next-level-coaching.com

Marketing is: Do it right “The use of focused, relevant, frequent communications to effectively and efficiently get people with similar needs, wants and fears to know, like, and trust you.” It is no longer just generate a lead and then have sales close the sale Next Level Coaching www.next-level-coaching.com

Trust? We can’t be looked at “Selling “ them something We have to be looked at as serving and providing service that is helping them Someone they trust refers them to you!

Best Way Is Referrals People love to refer others #1 it makes them feel smart #2 they get the pleasure of knowing they helped two other people

Types of Referrals “Here is their name” “I’ve talked to them and they will call you” “I’ve talked to them and they said to call them” “I’ve talked to them and why don’t the 3 of us meet”

They are Just Like Prospects They will refer you when they want to, not always when you want them to And we have to address their needs, wants, pains and fears

People Fear Referring Others Why? #1 - The person they refer will embarrass them #2 - They don’t know how #3 - The timing must be right

What is your referral program? Do you know who to ask? Do they know what to do? What do they fear? Do they have something of value to offer from you? What do they get out of it? Do they know what happened? Next Level Coaching LLC www.next-level-coaching.com

Most Powerful Method to Market Your Company Trust A Formal Referral Process - People like to refer you - Must be Asked ( NPS) and reminded - Must trust you will not embarrass them - Must be shown an easy process to perform and have something of value to offer - You must keep them in the loop - Goal – Every time the referees sees the referrers they thank them - Repeat Next Level Coaching LLC www.next-level-coaching.com

8 Steps To Success NPS Survey Promoters and 200 People “you know” list Letter of Apology for not staying in touch Develop your Formal Referral Packet w/free service offer Educate your Referrers on who, what and why so they know what to do Stay in touch every month with relevant information Build and promote a Referral club Keep all referrers in the loop and “request” for more

Referral Packet Referral Letter - Why referrals – highest compliment - What you “will do” and “not do” - Something they can offer “free” from you to make it easy to approach someone - Marketing piece with Value Proposition - What they get in appreciation - Goal – every time the referee sees the referrer they thank them

Ask “You can have almost anything in life if you are willing to ask 1000 people” Byron Katie But make it a Request not a Demand

Demand vs. Request Are you disappointed or upset if they decline? Does the person feel they have the freedom to and can easily decline? You are committed – you’ll do it with or without them They have the capacity to deliver The request is crystal clear There is a deadline to commit

Stay in Touch People don’t always refer you when you want them to, they refer you when the time is right for them Once a month – Relevant information Same communication Referral Club Update

Relevant Frequency “No matter what your product is, you are ultimately in the education business. Your customers /prospects need to be constantly educated about the many advantages of doing business with you, trained to use your products more effectively, and taught how to make never ending improvements in their lives.” Robert Allen Next Level Coaching LLC www.next-level-coaching.com

Keep them in the Loop Let them know what is happening More chances to re-enforce how good it feels More chances to “request” another referral

“Try different” “The usual mantra is to 'try harder'. Trying harder is impossible when you're already trying as hard as you can. But you can always try different.” Seth Godin Next Level Coaching www.next-level-coaching.com

Summary - Trust A Formal Referral Process - People like to refer you - Must trust you - Must be asked (request) - Must know “who” to refer - Must be shown what to do and a “free service” to offer - You must keep them in the loop - Every contact should be communicated - Goal – Every time the referees sees the referrers they thank them - Notice – rewarding is last and do it for the referee first - Partner with other businesses