How to Get Others Referring to You

Vision Alliance | How To Get Others Referring To YOu

How would you like to get twice as many new customers for 1/3 the cost of anything you’ve ever done before – or even for FREE? If that sounds like pie in the sky, please find a quiet spot and read this article very carefully. You are about to learn one of the most effective ways to get new customers, extra sales and leads for your business. In today’s economic climate, in fact in any economic climate, people are very cautious about dealing with strangers. This means, that no matter how good your product or service, you have to overcome 2 major hurdles.

1. You have to convince the purchaser that your product or service is what they really need and want.
2. You have to assure them that your company will deliver as you promise. In other words,that they can trust you

To some extent you may overcome these hurdles with a money-back guarantee or some sort of a free trial. However, you’ll do far, far better if you…STOP TRYING TO DO BUSINESS WITH STRANGERS. Let’s face it. It’s hard. It’s expensive, and it can be draining on you and your staffs’ energies. After all, to win the trust of a person who doesn’t know you takes time and effort. And at the end of it all, you still can’t be sure if you’ll get their business or not.

However, having the trust of a person is crucial if they are going to buy from you. That’s why the easiest sales are to people who have already bought from you, or referral business.

When you get introduced to a prospective client from someone who is known by the prospect the other person is more likely to listen to you and give you a chance to sell yourself and what you have to offer. You may wonder, “Why would another business want to introduce me and what I’m selling?” There are a number of reasons why someone may want to recommend you.

  1. They may recommend you if you have given them value far and beyond what they expected and they like you and your product.
  2. Maybe they’ll do it because they want you to introduce them to your customers.
  3. Maybe they’ll do it because if their customers buy your product, they’ll then need more of their product as a result. This is especially true if you show your customers how to grow their business and get more customers. As they grow, you get more business from them.
  4. They may do it because you pay them to introduce you or you offer them a ‘bribe’.
  5. Or they may do it because they know their customers will want your product or service and that they’ll get goodwill and thanks from their customers for letting them know about it.

Let me share a very important fact with you… Every single person you want to reach, is already someone else’s customer. Which means they are buying products and services similar to what you offer. Providing that the business they are buying from is doing a good job, these customers will trust a recommendation from that business.

Getting someone else to refer to you is not as easy to put into practice as it sounds.You see,the business owners who may want to introduce you are very busy people. Introducing your business is never going to be as important for them, as it is for you. So what you have to do is to make it so easy for them that they can’t possibly refuse you. How do you do that? To make the introduction easy for them and effective for you, you are going to have to provide the email or letter and the promotional collateral (brochure etc) for them to send. All they have to do is put copy and paste the letter into their email, attach your information and press send.

There are also programs out there such as affiliate and referral partner programs that can also track your referral partner activity. This is not necessary however a great idea especially if your volume of referrals start to increase rapidly and if you are selling products regularly that way referral fees can be easily and effortlessly calculated.

next time you want someone to start referring to you, try thinking about how you can make it easy for them. Write the intro letter for them, collate your introduction information / presentation pack that’s brief and displays the benefits of why someone would want to do business with you and then of course be sure you have a great offer for the new prospective customer to “try you out”.

Would you like some help with this in your business?  Why not book a Complimentary Business Growth Session with one of our Coaches?  Connect with us here.

Navigating the Rapids of Business

Navigating the rapids of business

Have you ever been white water rafting? in 1994, my late husband and i decided to be adventurous and give white water rafting a go.

We were on a short holiday. After all, we couldn’t take too much time off as we were  in business for ourselves and there were only  so many days we believed we could be away from the business before things would surely go wrong. This was our little getaway so whilst in the midst of relaxation and “away time” we decided to experience the thrill and excitement of white water rafting.

Now as beginners, our job was to sit in the raft, hold on tight, use the oars when we were instructed to, scream a little, feel terrified and experience a sense of thrill at the same time. Whilst we navigated our way around the rocks, through the rapids, we had one ultimate objective: stay in the raft until we made it to the calmer waters below.

At one point our raft did tip and after those few panicking moments we all eventually managed to get back into the raft, coughing and splattering as we climbed back in. It was terrifying, yet we found ourselves laughing with adrenalin rushing throughout our bodies as we got back in the raft secretly wanting to do it all over again.

As a team we had to work together, aligning our actions and our focus directing the raft and maneuvering it through to the calmer waters below. Every action required quick thinking, clear strategy and zero procrastination. Yes, at times we were uncertain, not knowing what would come next and whether the next move would take us further out of our comfort zone.

At other times we were on top of the world and Masters of white water rafting. Once in calm waters, we wanted to do it again and take our experience to the next level. “Okay, who’s ready for the next level?” the instructor would ask. There was no turning back once we had made the decision to go for it and give the next level a go. We were fearful of what the unknown adventure would be like, but moving to the next level requires a certain type of attitude – ‘Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway!’

Operating a business is a bit like white water rafting. At times it’s scary, hectic, and sometimes unbelievably out of control.

It takes you out of your comfort zone and pushes you into very unknown waters. At other times, it’s exciting, challenging and ultimately rewarding.

The key to navigating your way through business successfully is the same as navigating your raft through the rapids.

Once you know how and what to do, it’s important to be sure you implement that knowledge so that you arrive at calmer waters with confidence and without too many knocks, bumps, cuts and bruises. It’s about making the right moves at the right time and in the right order, so that when you are ready to move to the next level you can do so with confidence.

One of the keys to success in business is how you handle each stage of the journey. In our case, with white water rafting, each stage represented the starting point, the rocky road of the rapids, the free falling down the dips, and the calm waters below. Success was achieved as a result of many things aligning together, the quick maneuvering, the quick decisions and action-taking before arriving at your destination. The destination is not the end of course; it is just the beginning, as you take your experience to new and higher levels. Business is the same. Once you reach a certain goal, milestone, or outcome, it’s not the end; it’s just the beginning of something bigger, better and more exciting.

Doing the right things in the right order is crucial to success. Being sure you take consistent action every day and with a big focus on income generating activities and not just any activity is a key component to building the business of your dreams.

I believe one of the key elements to achieving success is having an open mind and being committed to doing whatever it takes to learn new skills and knowledge, and following through by implementing that new found knowledge and skill set.

What is your motivation? What is your motive for action?

Growth starts to happen when you extend yourself beyond your comfort zone and beyond the edge. You must lean just over the edge every day to achieve exactly what it is you want. Extend yourself. Have the courage to push yourself beyond your own fears, embracing them so that you can make your life and your business phenomenal.

Make a commitment to develop yourself and learn whatever is necessary to be the best. Strengthen every weakness until they become your greatest strength.

Stop Blaming and complaining and Just Get on With it!

Have you ever been in a position where it was easier to blame outside circumstances or someone else for your shortfalls? It is unfortunate that for most of us it is quite a natural habit to blame outside circumstances and events for our lack of results. Because of our past programming and conditioning, many are living a very average way of life because they have chosen to accept that this is just the way life is. If you are someone who is convinced that your circumstances are because of the actions of others or outside circumstances, may I encourage you to open your mind and be prepared to make a decision today to change that level of thinking or to change your current circumstances.

Think about it. How would your life or business change if you knew you were the only one responsible for your success? Not your franchisor, not anyone else, just you.

There would be a lot more doing and a lot less complaining and blaming, wouldn’t there? There would also be a lot more people living the life they truly deserve.

Learn to replace complaining with being proactive and taking action. If you find yourself in a situation that you don’t like, either make it work or simply leave. The worst thing you can do is stay and then complain later about it. Stop missing the pieces of the puzzle! They’re right in front of you.

You are the only one responsible for your success! If you don’t have all of the pieces yet to build whatever it is you want, then it’s your responsibility to acquire them. The world doesn’t owe you anything. You have to create what you want.

Knowing you are responsible for your success and doing what it takes to be a success are two different things. In the past I always knew what I had to be doing to achieve higher levels of success, though

I found myself not always doing those things consistently enough to produce the consistent results I wanted. My results would either be fantastic or just plain average. I started to see a clear pattern forming and it was a pattern I didn’t like. I set out on a path to really make a change in what I was thinking and doing so that my business and my life could progress forward and produce the consistent results I wanted every day. This was the time I truly took ownership of building a new foundation, taking a new direction and committing to taking consistent action towards the success I desired.

What can you do right now to take true ownership of the direction and success of your business? Taking your business to the next level need not be complicated nor does it require excessively long hours or extremely hard work. What it does take is a commitment to your success, a commitment to taking consistent daily action, and doing the right things in the right order.

Your Beliefs & Thoughts Affect The Results in Your Business and Life

Your Beliefs & Thoughts Affect The Results in Your Business and Life.

They say if you believe you can, you can, and if you believe you can’t then you’re probably also right.

I am sure most of you have heard this before. However, what are you doing to improve and change your beliefs and thoughts in order to bring about different results in your business and your life?

Everything you do in life will create a result. Even if you do nothing you will still get a result. Our beliefs which have been formed over short and long periods of time determine the actions we are taking in our business on a daily basis. These actions be that positive or negative is what is ultimately determining the results we have in our business today.

How happy are you with the results your business is currently producing?

Most of us associate positive thinking and changing daily habits with our personal life and forget to transfer those positive habits, thoughts and daily actions into our business. For some it just seems too hard. These are all excuses. If this sounds like you (someone making a lot of excuses) it’s these excuses that have produced the results that are your current reality.  It’s vital you don’t let your past results dictate your current thoughts though. If you do, your results will repeat themselves.

If you are not currently happy with the results you are getting in your business then perhaps it’s time to consider bringing about change to your daily thoughts, feelings and actions. You are going to have to change the thoughts first in order to change your results. You will be amazed at the difference just this change can bring to your business and your life and you will wonder why you didn’t focus on it sooner.

We have become such busy beings in such a busy society that we tend to be just doing and talking about what we don’t want rather than focusing on what we do want. It takes a lot of discipline to focus purely on what you do want, however I can guarantee you once you do just that you will be happy with the results you start to see.

The average person has 25,000 thoughts every day. Unfortunately they are the same thoughts day after day after day. Have you ever had a day off and found yourself automatically driving to work? It happens and all to often I must say. This is because most of us live a habitual life and you don’t have to put much thought into a habit. So make a commitment to changing your habits. Drive a different way to work. Change some ways you do things at work, and start being aware of your thoughts and feelings. By changing consistently your results will also change.

So here’s my first tip for you in creating better results in your business and also your life.

Focus on what you want, rather than on what you don’t want.

Slow and steady will win the race, so go easy on yourself in the first few weeks or even months, if you find yourself falling back into some old habits. Acknowledge them and move forward, is the best way to deal with them. They say Rome wasn’t built in a day so I encourage you to set yourself daily targets for improvement. These could be on a personal level and also in some areas of your business. No matter what area they are in, it’s the Daily Consistent Improvement that will make a difference to your long term success.  1% improvement every day will produce a 365% improvement over the course of one year. The challenge so many of us face is we do nothing at all and wonder why we are in the same position we were in a year before.

With all this said you have to be willing to change and willing to learn new habits along the way.

I have this quote by Albert Einstein” on the wall in my office as a constant reminder that if I want something to change in my business I must change my level of thinking first.

“All conditions and all circumstances in our lives are a result of a certain level of thinking.

When you want to change the conditions and the circumstances, we have to change the level of thinking that is responsible for it. 

Here’s some ways you can start making a change in your business and life.

The 7 Steps To Achieving What You Want

  1. Change Your Thoughts First In Order To Change Your Results
  1. Know What You Want!   Confucius says, “ man who aims at nothing is sure to hit it!” be sure you know what you wanting to achieve in your life and in your business.  Make sure you write down your goals.
  1. Know Why You Want It.  If the why is strong enough the how will fall into place.
  1. Create A Plan Of Action
  2. It’s important to chart your course of action. By creating a plan of action you will go in the direction of your goals a lot faster.  Make sure you have a time frame for what you want. This will ensure the actions you are taking every day are in fact taking you closer to your goal and not further away from it.
  1. Take Action  You will be surprised at how many people create action plans for their goals and then fail to take the necessary action required to see it come to reality in their life. Take Action, you will be amazed at how much you will achieve.
  1. Monitor and Measure By monitoring where you are at with the attainment of your course you will be able to adjust your course of action where necessary. By not knowing where you are going it’s very difficult to make a change if and when it’s needed.

A friend of mine says: “Sleeping is for dreaming , being awake is for living your dreams”

I encourage you to start focusing on changing your thoughts, taking the necessary action and living your dreams today!

Closing the Gap

No matter what stage of development your business is presently in, all small business owners want more revenue. That is always priority number one and to be honest, it should be.

As the year starts to pass us by very quickly you may be asking yourself, how can I achieve more as we creep towards the final half of the year and the beginning of a new financial year? Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? Where have all those months gone?

As fast as the year may go, so does our opportunity to really create the results we want in our business.  So how can we really achieve more? The difference between those just going with the flow and those who grab hold of the steering wheel with two hands and deliberately drive their revenues forward is in how they plan for the achievement of higher revenues and then what strategies and tactics they implement, and the actions they take in order to achieve the desired outcomes listed in that revenue plan.

Identifying Your Gap

Before you get started in putting together your revenue plan, it’s important to know where you are now and of course where you want to be. This is what we call your gap.

A gap analysis defines your present and future objectives in both financial and non-financial terms. The difference between the two is the gap and becomes the starting point for building your business to the next level.

A gap analysis need not just be about money, it is however usually where most people start, including your revenues, profits and cashflow. Your non-financial considerations could include the number of team members, your product or service offering to the marketplace and the number of satisfied customers. Other areas could also include the number of hours you work, the number of recreation days, family days and the holidays you take.

To create your own gap analysis, simply list the goals that are most important to you and your business. List where you are today with each of those measurables, using a number scale system. E.g. on a scale of 1-10, 1 representing little results are being achieved right now and 10 being the ultimate place where you want to be. Write down a number for each goal that represents where you are and then write down a number that represents where you want to be, let’s say, in one years’ time. The distance between those two sets of numbers is your gap. Now you can start working on closing the gap.

Once you define the gap that exists in all areas relevant to your business you can then create a revenue plan that will map out the exact process required so you can eliminate that your gap, reach every one of your goals and objectives and do so within a very specific time frame.

Creating a Simple Revenue Plan

Your revenue plan need not be too complicated. It is an outline of how you intend to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Your Revenue Plan actually begins the process of generating leads for your business by knowing specifically the product and/or service your business will offer, the number you want to sell, the price you will charge and when you project these sales will take place.

Once these objectives are clearly and specifically defined you will have an excellent idea of the number of leads your business needs to generate in order to accomplish every one of those objectives.

Putting together your revenue plan is relatively simple. Start by listing on a piece of paper all the products and services your business provides. Your next step is to then multiply each product or service by the prices you charge and then multiply that by how many units you expect to sell for the specific period (quarter, six month or one year period). Setting your revenue plan out in a table is all you need. What’s important is you set your plan in stone so that you can get to work moving closer to your desired outcome. I like to work with a simple table to begin with that gives you a snapshot of the year then using a more detailed spread-sheet I then break that revenue plan into a month view plan which enables you to be more specific when planning what strategies and tactics you will take action on in order to achieve your plan.

If the results on your revenue plan do not match the objectives on your gap analysis then simply make adjustments until they do. This may mean increasing your prices, increasing the number of times a customer buys from you or it may mean increasing the average amount a customer spends with you at any one time. It’s a simple road map for reaching your targets.
If you haven’t yet drafted an outline of a revenue plan, get started today and see the difference it makes in such a short period of time.

Example Revenue Plan Snapshot

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Now you are ready for the next step. Creating your sales process. A Sales Process will help you maximise your potential and achieve your revenue goals.

The sales process includes choosing the most appropriate channels for getting your message directly to your ideal customers, choosing the right marketing strategies and associated activities. I see this especially in retail, when usually the business owner relies on the most obvious channel – foot traffic. They hope for the best that the customer chooses them today. It’s like playing a game of chance. You have an equal chance that you will win, and an equal chance of not winning the customer. Put simply it is essential you understand your sales process. If your franchisor hasn’t a solid sales process in place then create your own.

Remember your success is dependent on you, not your franchisor. So what would your sales process consist of?

Typically your sales process would include these steps:

  • Identify your ideal client / customer
  • Generate leads
  • Qualify your prospects
  • Present your product or service to your prospect
  • Convert your prospect into a customer / client  (remember to upsell, cross-sell and down-sell)
  • Lead nurturing – Following up leads that have not yet converted
  • Delivery – Servicing your customers including following up

Defining your ideal client is the first step to attracting the kind of people you want to do business with and will greatly increase your revenues.

Without sales and marketing you would have no business at all. It would therefore be fair to say that sales and marketing are the lifeblood of every business. As Peter Druker once said a business has only two functions – marketing and innovation.

The key to dramatically increasing your sales and marketing results is very dependent on your ability to attract not just more clients, but more ideal clients.

So before you dive straight into your sales and marketing activities in order ot increase your revenues, it’s important to understand who your ideal client it. I liken the ideal client to a favourite toy you used to play with as a child. You may still play with the other toys however the bulk of your time is spent with your favourite one, in otherwords the one your prefer to spend more time with. This is the same for your ideal client. Sure you may have other client types but your ideal client is the one you want to focus the bulk of your time. The ideal client is the one who not only buys your product or service, they love your product and service. They literally share your passion for what you do. These are the clients who really want what you have to offer instead of just needing what you offer. Ideal clients mean fewer headaches, returns and complaints. They’re a pleasure to deal with and they’ll not only buy from you once, they’ll keep buying from you forever. Or if you offer a one-off product or service, your ideal client will be willing to tell their friends and family to buy from you. These are the type of clients who will spend more money with you than the average client ever would.

They will send you great referrals and give you unsolicited testimonials. When you properly and specifically identify your ideal client you will soon find you are working less and earning more, which is what your ultimate aim in business should be.

Knowing who your ideal client is will enable you to craft a message that speaks directly to them which will help. This can have a massive impact on your business allowing you to increase revenues, and have more time, more money and more freedom to do the things you love.

Time to Take Action

Before we move onto the next step and key area in your business take some time now to

  1. Complete a GAP Analysis on your business. Where are you now? Where you you want to be?
  2. Prepare your Simple Snapshot Revenue Plan and your Detailed Monthly Revenue Plan listing all your products and services and what you want to achieve
  3. Describe the type of customer you want to do business with.
  4. Describe the type of customer who you believe will give you the greatest return on your marketing investment.
  5. Looking at your current business which customers do you believe right now are the easiest to find, easiest to sell to and require the least amount of time spent on them?
  6. Describe the type of customer who will stay with you the longest and spend the most with you.
  7. Review your past marketing strategies. What have worked? What havnt? What else could be done to maximize your potential?