Remember how I always say you should think about marketing as an investment...
And that your leads are an asset which yields bigger and bigger returns over time?
Well, here’s another investment analogy…
Your current clients are an asset, too. In fact, they’re your “investment portfolio”. And your After Unit is the place where you maximize the “Return on Portfolio."
So when you look at your clients with this new awareness…
You'll notice there are two ways to increase that yield: Either your current clients buy something else from you. Or, they refer you to somebody new who then becomes your client.
Of course, the low hanging fruit here are the referrals. But here’s the thing…
Not all referrals are created equal. The ones I’m talking about, the ones that yield the most bang for your buck are what I call...
Orchestrated referrals.
Now, there are two things you must know about referrals…
The first one is WHY people refer anything.
See, contrary to popular belief, people don't refer things as a favor to you, the business owner. No. They’re doing it because it makes them feel good. We all want to be helpful, useful, informative.
The second thing you must know about referrals is HOW they happen.
The second thing you must know about referrals is HOW they happen.
And the truth is, all referrals happen as a result of a conversation. But for that to happen, three things need to be true…
First, people need to be in a conversation about something related to what you do. Second, while they’re in that conversation, they have to think about you. And third, they have to introduce you to the person they’re having the conversation with.
And only when you combine both, your understanding of WHY a referral happens, and HOW a referral happens…
You can begin orchestrating them. Like so...
Figure out what kinds of conversations (related to your business) your customers could be in with their friends, spouses, colleagues, etc.
Next, ask yourself is there a certain set of questions most likely to come up during those conversations?
And then, create a book, a report, or something your customers could give to the person asking the question…
That they’d feel good for doing it.
And there you have it. A blueprint for orchestrating referrals “almost at will.”