"Developing
a Contact List- Part Two"
by Nancy Roebke
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
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