You can’t just sit back and wait for the business to roll in – you need to get into the habit of generating referrals as an instinctive, everyday task – much like getting up and brushing your teeth every morning. We’d like to offer a few ideas on how to build on the momentum and keep it going so that it becomes a habit, rather than a chore.

1. Generate money without spending any
(Part 2)
Created by Christine Crothers
ActBeyond Limited
03/07/2012 Copyright 2012 ActBeyond Limited 1

2. Build on your basic referral plan
Introduction
• Our last presentation, Generate money without spending any
(Part 1), covered the very basics of getting a referral plan into
place.
• But you can’t just sit back and wait for the business to roll in –
you need to get into the habit of generating referrals as an
instinctive, everyday task – much like getting up and brushing
your teeth every morning.
• We’d like to offer a few ideas on how to build on the
momentum and keep it going so that it becomes a
habit, rather than a chore.
03/07/2012 Copyright 2012 ActBeyond Limited 2

3. Build on your basic referral plan
#1
1. Grow a strong trusted professional network
• Just collecting lots of LinkedIn contacts or Facebook
followers is not enough – you need people you can
trust, who can trust you and who will keep you at
the forefront of their minds when referring you and
your business. It doesn’t need to be a huge network
– quality is better than quantity. And don’t forget -
referrers can be clients but also can be colleagues,
friends, family, associates, suppliers and all sorts of
other people you know in your personal and
professional life.
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4. Build on your basic referral plan
#2
2. Time it right
• It’s important to strike while the iron’s hot. When
you’ve done some good work, or you’re getting
praise, or someone is mentioning how difficult it is
to find good (whatever you do)’ers make sure that
you promote yourself and what you can do. Prove
yourself first before asking for a referral and you’re
far more likely to get one.
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5. Build on your basic referral plan
#3
3. Give the right message
• Don’t be shy. Make sure that you’re confident about
what you can do - you aren’t begging, you’re helping
others benefit from the excellent services you offer.
But don’t be tempted to over-promise, or agree to
anything that you know you can’t deliver.
• Offer a guarantee – if your services are good, you’ve
got nothing to lose and it provides reassurance to a
new customer.
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6. Build on your basic referral plan
#4
4. Get your referral tools in place
• Every time you complete a successful piece of
work, ask your clients to be a case study or provide
a testimonial (offer to write it for them so that all
they have to do is approve it).
• Create short descriptions about what you do and
the benefits of your service. These can be in the
form of web pages, or documents for download, just
as long as you make sure it’s easy for your referrers
to pass on your information to potential clients.
Linking your email signature to these pages will
make it even simpler and the easier it is to refer
you, the more likely you are to be referred.
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7. Build on your basic referral plan
#5
5. Stay in touch
• There’s nothing quite as effective as a personal
recommendation to get you a new client, but for it to
work, you need to know your referrer and they need to
believe in you. Follow up with previous clients from
time to time – stay in the forefront of their mind both
for follow up work and to get referrals. Tell your
referrer how the referral went - people like to know
that they’ve been helpful and it’s useful for them to
have some feedback for the next time they see their
contact, even if it didn’t work out this time.
Do be careful though – there’s a difference between
genuine interest and stalking and it usually shows!
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8. Build on your basic referral plan
And finally...
• If you’re thinking that this is all too hard, or you haven’t got
the time, just remember - referral leads are more likely to be
interested in your services. They are more likely to believe in
what you are selling. And they are more likely to stick with
you — even if you botch the sales pitch.
• In short, referral leads are ready to buy what you’ve got to
sell. So what are you waiting for?
• SignUp for free at abteamup and find people you can identify
with and start building your professional referral network
now.
• Follow us on Twitter to find out as soon as we publish more
articles or relevant news.
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