Confirming the sale, 5, 165, 224
Confusion, avoiding, 212–213
Consistency, event, 104
Consistency theory, 101
Contacting prospects, 131–151
appointment cancellations, 150–151
brush-offs from prospects, 140–142
business part of calls, transitioning into, 136–137
e-mail messages, 145
goals for phone calls, 131–132
with humor, 138–139, 144–145
“like or admire” strategy, 133
from LinkedIn, 71–72
with materials and website, 149–150
online appointments, 148–149
resource, presenting yourself as, 134–135
and return calls from prospects, 146–147
scripts for phone calls, 135–136
time for, 139–140
voice-mail messages, 142–145
“what’s important to them” strategy, 134
Content:
on blogs, 69–70
of Facebook posts, 74–75
on websites, 68
Conversation starters, 86–87, 122–123
Conviction, conveying your, 199–200
Core benefits, presenting your, 120–121
Cosby, Brian, 50
Cost per lead, 2
Courtships with prospects, 153–161
adding value to relationship, 159–160
at events, 158–159
and “going for the no,” 160–161
planning for, 154–156
purpose of follow-up, 157–158
records of propositions, 156–157
Credibility, 18
Culture of referrals, 5–6, 28
Curiosity mindset, 40–41
Curiosity questions, 155
Customer-colored glasses, 119
Decision makers, 123, 149, 190–191
Detractors, 6, 182, 183
Differentiation:
with client-service promise, 24
with Facebook page, 74
on Twitter, 73
in value proposition, 200–201
Direct communication style, 173
Directive questions, 181
Do-not-call regulations, 80, 90, 127
Don’t Keep Me a Secret! (Bill Cates), 8, 41
“Don’t keep me a secret” strategy, 29
Educational events, 109–111, 154
Educational materials, 194
Effective introductions, 81–88
building blocks of, 83–84
collaborating with clients for, 85–87
communicating with referral sources after, 87–88
creating, 82–83
and safety/effectiveness of introductions, 82
elance.com, 127
Electronic handshakes, 90
Elevator speeches, 117–118
E-mail messages:
contacting prospects via, 145
humor in, 139
introductions with, 89–92
invitations in, 104
E-mail newsletters, 155
Emotional responses, to benefits, 204
Endorsements, third-party, 124–126
Engaged introductions, viii, 4
Engagement, 75, 149–150
Enthusiasm, 197–198
Event marketing, 99–114
affinity-group events, 111
benefits of, 99–101
business and charity events, 107–109
celebration events, 105–106
client passions as basis for events, 112
educational events, 109–111
inviting clients to events, 101–103
philanthropic and community service events, 106–107
tips for more effective events, 103–105
Events:
attending clients’, 59, 94–95
introductions at, 94–95, 102
promoting, on Facebook, 75
size of, 103
staying in touch with prospects at, 158–159
Excitement factor, 50
Executive Transformations, 30
Expectations, 11, 171
Expert, presenting yourself as, 121–122, 128
Expertise, building trust with, 174
External sorting, of processes, 223–224
Facebook, 74–76
Facilitated discussions, 110–111
Fact-finding questions, 181
False trust, 174
Familiarity, 193–194
Family, getting referrals from, 51–52
Fear:
of asking for referrals, 10
of getting a “no,” 217
as motivator, 179–180
of referral objections, 53–54
Feature and benefit selling, 203, 204
Feature dumps, 203
Feeling-finding questions, 181
Fees:
discussing, 208–210
referral prospects’ view of, 3
Financial sense approach, for fee discussions, 208–209
Flow of value, 159–160
Flowers, Jim, 229
Followers, Facebook, 75
Following up:
after events, 104–105, 108–109
purpose of, 157–158
Food and Drug Administration, 82
Foreshadowing, of request for business, 222
Four T’s of referrals, 13–14
Free gifts, 34–35
Free samples, 211
Friends, referrals from, 51–52
Friendships, business, 25–26, 58, 194
Gaffney, Steven, 172–173
The Game of Numbers (Nick Murray), 217
Get More Referrals Now! (Bill Cates), 8, 41, 199, 227
Gifts, free, 34–35, 150–151, 159–160
Giving game, 10
Glazer, Gary, 175
Goals, for calls/meetings, 189
“Going for the no,” 160–161, 219–220
Google, 59, 68, 77, 108, 117, 128
GoToMeeting, 149
GoToWebinar, 97
Graphic presentation:
of prospecting process, 19, 186–187
of value proposition, 213
Habitat for Humanity, 94–95
Hard-to-reach referral prospects, 64–65
Here/there questions, 182–183
High Point University, 33
Hill, Napoleon, 15
Honesty Sells (Steven Gaffney), 173
Honesty Works (Steven Gaffney), 173
How Line (Client Conversation method), 118
How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Sales Team Performance (Alan Rigg), 219
Human inertia, overcoming, 216–217
Humor, 133, 138–139, 144–145
“I’m too busy” messages, 22–23
Importance, treating requests with, 42
In-between-meetings contact, 188–189
Indirect communication style, 173
Inertia, overcoming, 216–217
Information, withholding, 170
Infusionsoft, 157
Innovation, referability and, 18
In-person introductions:
collaborating on, 85
e-mail vs., 89–90
at events, 94–95, 99
Insistence (preferred status level), 12
Intentions, clarity of, 14–15, 189
Internal sorting, of processes, 223–224
Internet:
cold research with, 116–117
your presence on, 67–68, 128–129
(See also Social media)
Introduction methods, 89–97
e-mail messages, 89–92
events, 94–95 (See also Event marketing)
in-person, 85, 89–90, 94–95, 99
text messages and tweets, 92–94
webinars, 96–97
website landing pages, 95–96
Introductions:
in culture of referrals, 28
engaged, viii, 4
impor
tance of, 80
increasing number of, 58–59
from multiple referrals, 60, 61
timing of, 192
(See also Effective introductions)
Introductory webinars, 96–97
Invitations, 101–104, 109, 164
Jantsch, John, 20, 21, 95
Jargon, 119
Johnson, Ray, 144
Just Be Honest (Steven Gaffney), 172
Knowledge, building trust with, 174
Konrath, Jill, 142–145, 154
Landing pages, website, 95–96
Language:
of referral requests, 46–47
of value propositions, 119–120
Law of inertia, 216
Law of Perpetual Revenue, viii–ix, 5
Lead sources, referrals vs. other, 4–5, 13–14
Length:
of introductory e-mail messages, 145
of online appointments, 148
Letters of introduction, 80
Lewsey, Curtis, 21
Like button, 70, 74
“Like or admire” strategy, 133
LinkedIn, 59, 70–72, 117
Links:
on blog pages, 70
in e-mail messages, 145
on others’ websites, 68
in tweets, 73
on your website, 128
Listening, 169, 173
“Little soldiers,” 34–35
Loyalty, 11–12, 24
Manipulation, selling as, 164
Marketing:
appreciation, 21–22
event (see Event marketing)
Master Closers, 203–204
Materials:
educational, 194
engaging prospects with, 149–150
“Maybes,” 196, 219–220
Messages about success, 22–23
Microsoft Outlook, 157
Million Dollar Referrals (Alan Weiss), 17–18, 223
“Mistake,” use of term, 119
Momentum, referral, 50–51
“Money conversation,” 208–210
Motivation:
discussing your, 201–203
with pleasure vs. pain, 179–180
Murray, Nick, 217
Name, prospecting process, 19, 186
Net Promoted Score, 6
Newsletters, e-mail, 155
Newsworthy events, 143
Newton’s first law of motion, 216
“No,” 217–220
anticipating, 217
bringing up, 217–218
going for the, 160–161, 219–220
training for, 220
Nondirective questions, 181
No-shows, 150–151
Note-taking, listening and, 169
Notice-Imagine concept, 173
Objections:
dealing with rejection, 217–220
and human inertia, 216–217
overcoming vs. understanding, 215
from prospects, 215–220
from referral sources, 53–54
One-legged appointments, 191
Online appointments, 148–149
Open-end questions, 180–182
Opportunities, problems as, 175
Options, laying out, 129
Orphan accounts, 62–63
Outcomes, desired, 189
Owner’s manuals, 20–21
Pain (as motivator), 179–180
Palumbo, John, 203–204
Passions, clients’, 94, 112
Payment, for referrals, 35
Peers, trusted, 143–144
Perlman, Steve, 12–14
Permission:
to ask questions, 178
for brainstorming, 42, 43, 190
for business discussions with friends/family, 51–52
in sales process, 164, 221
to send information, 132
Perpetual Revenue System:
components of, 1–2
generating referrals in, 8
and Law of Perpetual Revenue, viii–ix
Persistence:
in courtships with prospects, 154
and “going for the no,” 160–161
in sales process, 191–195
value-centered, 193
Personality, showing your, 75
Philanthropic events, 94–95, 106–107
Phone calls:
business part of, 136–137
in courtship of prospects, 155
goals for, 131–132
invitations in, 104, 109
return, 146–147
scheduling additional, 132, 188
scripts for, 135–136
voice-mail messages, 88, 136, 142–145
Photographs, testimonials and, 125, 126
Planning:
of courtships with prospects, 154–156
for phone appointments with prospects, 146–147
for referral requests, 49
Pleasure (as motivator), 179–180
Positive influence, selling as, 164
Power Questions (Andrew Sobel), 177
Preferred status, 11–12
Presentation mode, 122, 169
Price:
discussing, 208–210
referral prospects’ view of, 3
Prime Concepts Group, 69, 76
Pro Group sessions, 230
Problems (clients’):
asking questions about, 179, 180
solving, 121, 123, 175
Products, selling, 18–20, 185–187
Professionalism, 18
Promoters, 6
Promoting referrals, 27–38
conditioning referral sources, 30–31
creating buzz, 33–34
with culture of referrals, 28
“Don’t keep me a secret” strategy, 29
with free gifts, 34–35
paying clients for referrals, 35
teaching clients how to refer you, 31–33
thanking clients for referrals, 36–38
Promotional items, 33–34
Prompting lists, 49, 54
Prospecting approach, 115–129
body of evidence in, 124
Client Attraction Conversation method, 117–119
conversation starters, 122–123
core benefits in, 120–121
free reports, 126–127
language for value propositions, 119–120
laying out options, 129
learning about prospects, 115–117
presenting yourself as a specialist, 121–122
web presence, 128–129
Prospecting process:
defining, 18–20, 185–187
leveraging, 19, 186–187
measuring quality of, 19
Prospects (see Referral prospects)
Publicity, thanking referral sources with, 37
Purpose:
of events, 103
of follow-ups with prospects, 157–158
Pushing:
asking for referrals as, 48–49
selling as, 164
Quantuvis Consulting, 36
Questions (see Asking questions)
Rapport, building, 100, 136–137
RCI (see Referral Coach International)
Rebuttals (to objections), 217–218
Reciprocity, 18, 55–56, 58
Recommendations:
asking for business with, 222–224
from clients, 68–69
information needed for, 178–179
for referral prospects, 3
Record keeping, 55, 156–157
Red folder system, 54–55
Referability, 17–26
and appreciation marketing, 21–22
of blogs, 69–70
and business friendships, 25–26
from client-service promise, 23–25
components of, 17–18
establishing, in early relationship, 20
–21
and sales process, 18–20
and staff involvement in process, 231
and your messages about success, 22–23
Referral Champions Boot Camp, 23, 46, 53, 60, 229
Referral Coach International (RCI), 33, 70, 132, 155, 159, 182, 211
Referral Confidence Assessment, 225–227
Referral culture, 5–6, 28
The Referral Engine (John Jantsch), 20, 21, 95
Referral lifestyle, 4
Referral mindset, 9–15
and asking for referrals, 48–49
borrowed trust in, 12–14
elements of, 9–11
intentions in, 14–15
and preferred status, 11–12
Referral moments, identifying, 50–51
Referral objections, 53–54
Referral process:
explaining, to clients, 30–31
importance of, 10–11
Referral prospects:
attracting appropriate, 14–15
brush-offs from, 140–142
conveying conviction to, 199–200
engaging, with materials/website, 149–150
event invitations for, 101–103
fit of, with your business model, 195
following up with, 104–105, 108–109, 157–158
hard-to-reach, 64–65
information about, 84
learning about, 115–117
maybes from, 196, 219–220
nudging, 157–158
objections from, 215–220
professional persistence efforts for, 194
quality of, 31–32
relationship of sources and, 84
return phone calls from, 146–147
teaching, 174, 211–212
thanking, 36–37
unpleasant, 195–196
website landing pages for, 95–96
(See also related topics, e.g.: Prospecting approach)
Referral Role-Play Tournament, 230
Referral seeds, 27 (see also Promoting referrals)
Referral sources:
communication with, 87–88
conditioning, 30–31
event invitations for, 101–103
inciting action in, 58–61
mentioning, in introductions, 92, 142–143, 145
objections from, 53–54
paying, for referrals, 35
relationships of prospects and, 84
reluctant, 55–56
selecting, 47–48
teaching, 31–33
thanking, 36–38
(See also Collaboration with referral sources)
Referral tip sheets, 154, 157
ReferralCoach.com, 126
ReferralCoachTV.com, 70
ReferralMinute.com, 125, 227
Referrals:
actionable, 83
awareness of, xi-xii
benefits of, 2–4
in body of evidence, 124
dealing with large numbers of, 60–61
engaged introductions from, 4
four T’s of, 13–14
giving, to others, 10, 18, 55–56, 58
as measure of value, 19
other lead sources vs., 4–5, 13–14
in Perpetual Revenue System, 1
power of, 8
from referrals, 3
(See also Asking for referrals; Promoting referrals)