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I was working with another coaching client recently on transforming his referral partnerships. He was burnt out by years of asking, nagging, and 'bragging' for referrals. The awkwardness of it all for the seemingly low return. So he was looking to rekindle his confidence in approaching people...confidence that got lost along the way because he felt too focused on himself, but didn't know or understand how to focus on the other person. (Sound familiar? You're the one asking for referrals, after all. Just how are you supposed to make that about the other person?) So what did we do? We built out a framework to get him known as a trusted advisor in his community. And how did we do that? We narrowed down the five biggest challenges his referral partners were having, came up with solutions, and built a story bank around them. He got so excited after that session that he immediately reached out to a connection, asking if he could get feedback on what he was working on. The connection--who happened to be a broker--loved what he was working on, and invited him into his office to speak about it. (Check out the video for more, or read on below...) So he ended up speaking to a small but mighty room of eight agents. (Now remember...he wasn't even shooting for this outcome at this point. Everything after that simple feedback request is alllll bonus.) Anyway, we had built out a simple call-to-action for him to capture attendee info from the event. And guess what? All eight agents took action on that CTA. Plus he even got a referral from one of them. Now...a 100% capture rate? That's certainly not the norm. But it shows what can happen when you focus on someone's problems other than your own. I say it over and over again because it gets proven over and over again: Rather than focusing on what you can get from referral partners, focus on what you can give. If you can figure out what your referral partners are struggling with and help them solve it, you've struck gold. (And if you feel like this is something you can't do on your own, feel free to reply. My Referral Partner Transformation program can help, and I'd be happy to tell you how it works and what you'll get from it.) Remember, you're just one relationship away from changing your business. Just like Greg, this coaching client. He went out, made a difference in his community, and got eight new relationships and one new referral out of it. And the best part? It wasn't a one-shot deal. He did the work, and now he can just rinse and repeat. What a return. I love to see it. Until next time, Brian Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:
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Hello, relational leaders. Thank you so much for being here. As a small business owner or commission sales professional, you probably have a servant leader's heart. You love helping others. You love adding value. And I appreciate that about you. Last week we talked about the first trait of a successful giver, which is knowing where you are going. Many of you reached out for the Vision Story, and I hope you found that helpful. Today we are moving to the second trait. Successful givers have an...
Welcome, relational leaders. It is so good to have you here. And because it is the week after Thanksgiving, I want to begin with gratitude. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Everything I create is built for relational leaders like you. Because I know who you are. You are a small business owner or a commission sales professional. Your income is variable. And you are trusting that someone else will recommend your service. You are referral-based. And I applaud you for choosing this...
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