It’s frustrating. You belong to some great organizations and have a wide network of business associates.
You see each other regularly and you’re all friendly with one another. You’ve got your “elevator” speech polished to a luster; people know what you do. They know, like and trust you. But you’re not getting referrals! So what’s missing?
Why people who know, like and trust you, don’t refer you!
If your ideal client isn’t finding you, why is that? It’s because the people who know both you and your ideal client forget to refer you! You see each other at the same events; you’re friendly enough; they know what you do. They know, like and trust you. So what’s missing? They’re not personally or financially involved in your success. And why should they be? They’re busy with their own agenda. They need to know, like, trust and partner with you. That’s what’s missing.
You need to cultivate relationships with them, and engage them so their success is tied directly to yours. One of the easiest and most successful ways to do that is to create partnerships with them. I don’t mean legal partnerships — just informal agreements to work together in ways that will benefit everyone’s business.
When you have a trusted partner, either of you can present a seamless solution when you meet a prospective client. And since each of you is out meeting different people, when you work as a team you have effectively doubled your chances of finding business for both of you!
For example, if you’re a web designer, have you taken the time to cultivate a strong relationship with a copywriter? Or if you’re a photographer, how about partnering with an event planner? If your business is providing online training for solo business owners, why not team up with someone who’s a business coach for that same kind of person? You get the idea.
Who will refer you?
The most productive partnerships are those where the referral comes naturally – where the goods or services are related and complementary to one another. Let’s take our photographer. She could certainly partner with an event planner, but her customers might also like help from a photo organizer, as well as someone who produces beautiful bound photo albums. Relationships among related suppliers benefit everybody and add value for the customer too. Partners can suggest services the customer wants but hasn’t ever thought of!
Partnerships also work well when everyone is serving the same audience. Think about a two-career couple with small children. This is an audience who has the potential to use lots of seemingly unrelated services: child care, home cleaning, yard maintenance, and meal preparation. What these services have in common is convenience for busy people – a great basis for creating a smart partnership!
Ask yourself:
- What kinds of services would my ideal clients use?
- Which members of my network offer these services?
- What kinds of community contacts would my ideal clients have?
- Where can I meet these people?
- Who can offer me speaking opportunities that place me in front of my ideal clients?
By identifying, cultivating and partnering with other businesses, each of you offers added value to each other’s current clients, while gaining access to potential new clients for yourself. Now, you’ve added the missing ingredient — partners who will remember to refer you!
If you want to learn more about how to help others refer you, click here. You’ll find interviews with 8 experts on this exact topic from the recent Referral Source Secrets from Solopreneur Superstars Telesummit. You can own the ENTIRE SERIES! Click here to order.
