Referrals - It’s A Diva Thing!

A fellow diva and new friend, Deborah Rudman, who is VP of Marketing at Paine Bluett Paine, met with me yesterday to visit over an afternoon glass of iced tea.  We immediately clicked, like divas are want to do, and enjoyed a delightful conversation about our families, business, life’s journey and our dreams for the future.

Soon, our discussion let to the challenges of networking and connecting with the right audience, other professionals, business opportunities ultimately leading to new clients.  We both agreed that the very best business is that which comes by way of referrals.  At Succes in the city we embrace a “zero” tolerance solicitation policy. However, we do encourage blabbing, blurbing, gabbing, raving, endorsing and heartily referring business through and among those we know that provide quality products and services with integrity with a bit of style and panache thrown in the mix.

After all, it’s our reputation that can be on the line when making a referral. 

Deborah shared this article below by Jerry Hocott with me about the subject of referrals, so please enjoy and make sure that you are making and asking for referrals!

Get More Referrals

Pssst! Don’t Keep Me a Secret
by Jerry Hocutt

Got a nice letter and money making idea from one of my students in New York City, Marvin Brown, president of Contact Strategies.  I called him the next day and had a great visit.  We haven’t seen each other since 2003, so I was excited that he still remembered me and thought enough to send me his good news.Marvin has just started his own speaking and sales training business focused on financial services and included several of his students’ glowing reviews of his recent Las Vegas programs.  One student’s comments caught my eye.  He said he liked Marvin’s technique of “Never use or think of the word referral”, but instead use “Don’t keep me a secret.”  I asked Marvin if he could expand on the “secret”.“Look,” Marvin said, “if I give you a referral for a nice restaurant here in the city, I’m not doing the restaurant a favor.  I’m doing you a favor.  If I give you a referral for a movie, I’m not doing Steven Spielberg a favor, I’m doing you a favor.  I don’t want to keep good things a secret from my friends.”

Marvin said one of his best techniques for getting referrals (he sells intangibles) is to comment to his new customer, “Please don’t keep me a secret from your friends.  Do them a favor.  Most of my clients think everyone has a financial advisor.  Sadly, the majority of people don’t.  When you’re talking with your friends about financial matters, please feel free to mention my name and give them a chance to meet me.  Maybe I can help them as much as I’ve helped you.”

Age-old problem

Asking for referrals has been an age-old problem for all walks of sales.  Marvin’s got the right idea.  Don’t think of the customer as doing you a favor by giving up the names of her friends and contacts.  Help her to realize she’s doing her friends a favor by getting the two of you together.  For example, I like to refer good books to others, not so the author can make more money, but because readers will benefit from the author’s ideas and experiences.  I tell others about a good website because I know prior conversations indicated the site has information they’ve been searching for.The words we use to ask for referrals are also important.  “Don’t keep me a secret” is more personal than “Got a referral?”  The secret phrase brings a smile to the lips.  And by stating “give them a chance to meet me” instead of asking “will you give me their number so I can call” gets them to slide their contact information to you without feeling conflicted.I’ve often mentioned Joe Girard’s (Guinness Book of Records’ #1 salesman in the world) bird dog kit for referrals and how it helped me lead the nation in referrals for four years while at a Fortune 1000 company.  (You can learn more about his referral program, how I modified it to be used with today’s technology, and how I still get tons of referrals  from it by downloading my free e-book Creating Sales Opportunities – 5 Proven Ways.)  Now I’m going to incorporate Marvin’s ideas with my referral techniques.  They must work.  I’m referring him to thousands of our Snippets readers.     

New Media Nouveaux

How to make your audience fall madly, deeply, passionately, crazy in love with you, your message and your business

The social networking revolution is propelling change that is pervasive and moves so quickly that it is difficult for even the most strident of those who are media savvy to keep pace. So what does this have to do with you and your company, well just about everything. 

Blogs; personal, corporate, political, business, pithy, funny, witty, sassy, sardonic or just plain commercial are now part of our culture. Even national media uses blogs today for comment on the “man-on-the-street” views related to current and breaking news.

Join us for an incredible one-day conference on lucky Friday, July 13 at the Tower Club in Vienna, VA from 8 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., that will give you insight, tips, strategies, plans, processes and resources, for conquering the new media revolution. You will walk away ready to implement your media strategy and attract attention to you, your business and the great products and services you have to offer.

Prescription; Network with a Few Women and Call Me in the Morning

Founding Success in the City (SITC), a social networking organization for senior level executive women, CEO’s and entrepreneurs was an accidental discovery.  Out of one networking event, following a move to Washington, D.C. 4-years ago, to find a few new friends and meet women of like minds, careers, challenges, and dreams, SITC was born. An organization that has experienced phenomenal growth beyond what I could have begun to even imagine. 

While I have known, both consciously and intuitively, that we were on something big I often pondered the basis of our success.  Why was something that almost appears to be frivolous fun sparking such interest, involvement and commitment by so many successful women?   A recent UCLA STUDY ON FRIENDSHIP AMONG WOMEN by Gale Berkowitz may hold the key. Read on and let us know what you think.

Dear Gentle Reader,

My Publicist, Geoff Livingston, has been after me for more than a year to begin writing a Blog.  And when, prêt ell, am I supposed to find time to do that? With writing a book, leading an organization, Success in the City, of fab, fantastic, incredible women, founding two new company’s, GoGawGaw, & de Lorenzi Group as well as restructuring another business Patriot Computer Group.   

So what’s another commitment to be witty, pithy and writing it all down several times a week? Yes Geoff, I promise to make it happen (wink, wink)!   

Aha, in a moment of brilliance found when a group of savvy women come together; the idea of sharing a blog was conceived.  Together, with other divas you will meet at Powder Room Diaries, we have created our own glog (group log).   In the Ladies Powder Room tears are dabbed away, girdles, bras, thongs and pantyhose adjusted, makeup retouched, hair sprayed, lipstick applied, secrets whispered and reputations made, destroyed and restored.  We’re here to share pearls of wisdom that come on the way to, while in and out of the ladies room.   

And so you have it, the Ladies Powder Room; a haven, a place of relief and retreat, a harbinger of secrets, humor, wisdom, beauty and the best darn place around to learn about the world.  Enjoy! - Cynthia de Lorenzi

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