How To Develop a Contact List

Last week, we spoke about how to come up with a list of persons  you currently know. Although everyone on that list will not  necessarily become your client, everyone can lead you to  clients. In this section, we will talk about how to get  referrals from all of the people on your contact list and what  to do once you have those referrals. 

 Most people will not feel comfortable giving you referrals  until they know how you intend to handle these contacts. No one  wants to refer you someone that you are too aggressive with,  that you take advantage of, or for what ever reason, that you  make them look bad in front of. The following is an excellent  approach to use that is not only non-threatening for the  referred person , but does not embarrass the person giving the  referral. 

 1. Determine who your client base is. For illustrative purposes,  let's say your clients are CPAs. 

 2. Ask everyone on your MEMORY JOGGER list for a referral to a  CPA. 

 3. Tell everyone who you ask for a referral from, that you will  be using these referrals to seek advice on how you might best  develop your new business. Make it clear that you will not be  asking for work from these referrals. 

 4. Write THANK YOUs to all person who provided you with a  referral. Ask that they keep you in mind in the future, should  they have contact with other CPAs . 

 5. Contact the referrals you receive and make an appointment  for that advice- making sure that you are clear about your  intent- to get advice, not sell anything. Also make it clear  that you will only need a brief period of time- let's say ten  minutes. 

 6. At this appointment, be prepared with survey-type questions  to ask. These questions should be geared toward finding a need  for your product or service. This need can be of a general or  specific nature- you are seeking information here. 

 7. Once at the appointment, conduct yourself professionally.  Dress appropriately. Upon completion of the interview, ask for a  referral of someone else you might be able to seek advice from. 

 8. Write a THANK YOU note to the person you had the interview  with. Thank them for their time and help with the advice they  gave you. Thank them for their referral. 

 9. Contact their referral. Make an appointment with them, using  the name of the person who gave you the referral and making your  intentions clear. 

 10. Repeat the above process. 

 This approach will open many doors for you. It is  non-threatening and low-keyed. The information you garnish will  be useful in helping you tailor your products and services to  meet the needs your client base. It will also encourage members  of your MEMORY JOGGER list to refer more possible clients your  way, once they see how you handle the first referrals they send  your way. 

 Nancy Roebke, is the Executive Director of Profnet Inc, a  professional business leads generation corporation. We bring  business professionals together in a non-competitive environment  to  help each other make more money.  http://www.profnet.org 

 Copyright c 1998 Nancy Roebke 

 Nancy Roebke  Execdirector@Profnet.Org        http://www.profnet.org  --  Learn to Network!  Increase income, cut costs, and put an end to cold calling.  Subscribe to our FREE newsletter that teaches you the secrets  of successful networking. mailto:subscribe@just-business.com !