Determine Your
Referral Marketing Contact Sphere
Author: Ron Abbott
When building your referral marketing system, it is wise, as well as more
profitable, to naturally follow the networks that are built into your
business. Every industry has a unique culture that forms out of necessity
and convenience. This is where the easy referral will be found – your
Contact Sphere.
Your Contact Sphere is the made up of businesses or professions that are
easily pass referrals to each other. They share compatible, noncompetitive
relationships with one and other and mutually benefit when by passing
referrals within the sphere.
An excellent example of this is in the real estate market. When you
purchase a home, you require the service of many professionals and service
providers. You need a realtor, a mortgage lender, an appraiser, an insurance
agent, a house inspector and a title company. You may also need a mechanical
contractor, a plumber, a painter, carpet layers and movers.
Each of these people brings something to the table and fit within the buying
process when you buy a house. These logical connections are always
prime resources for securing extra business. They are easy to utilize once
you have your system in place.
To determine you Contact Sphere, look at sources readily available to you.
Open your daily planner or PDA. Look at the contact list in there. Many of
those listed are excellent resources for referral because you have an
established relationship.
Also, look at your supplier list. These people are in your industry, do you
think they may know have some referral sources for you?
Begin to make contact with the professions you listed in the first exercise.
Offer to establish a reciprocal relationship with the businesses
that have the best fit with yours. If they are not familiar with the concept
of a formalized referral marketing system, explain what you are doing and
explain the benefits that you have to offer.
While you are determining your Contact Sphere commit yourself to being a
“Referral Hub”. A Referral Hub is someone who has an extensive resource
list of referrals and shares them generously. This is the person all others
come to when they are in need of resources. This person thinks of everyone
as a potential resource. This takes time and a deep conviction to
becoming an exceptional referral marketer.
The new adage of marketing is, “It’s not who you know, but rather, it’s who
they know.” You have no idea what your network can offer until you start
making the connections in a formalized manner.
©2005 Ron Abbott
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