This includes getting referrals from strategic alliances (ex: CPAs, Attorneys, Investment Advisors, Realtors, Insurance Agents, Mtg. Brokers, etc.)

If your plan this year includes increasing your referral flow, don’t overlook the advice today.

[This article is a guest article, contributed by guest contributor Darek Daniel]

“The Words a Picture Cannot Say to Your Customers”

We’ve all heard of the saying that a picture is worth a 1,000 words, but business owners beware. Don’t take this saying literally when it comes to your advertising. Too many times business owners make the mistake of trying to be too clever or creative with their marketing pieces that their message becomes muddled or unclear to their target market.

Although you probably don’t want to use 1,000 words in your advertising, words are an important piece to your marketing and should complement your graphics and help get the message across. There’s nothing worse than spending the time and money on an advertising piece only to find in the end that no one gets it. Sure it may look great, but is it effective? Remember, there are several important messages your clients should get when they read your advertising piece.

1.  
   1. Who are you? You spent all that time on your advertising, but can your client immediately identify what your company name is? If your logo and company name aren’t immediately apparent in the design, than you have no branding value to your marketing piece and it’s time to rethink your creative.
   2. What do you do? I can’t tell you how many times this happens. Business owners get so involved in the aesthetics and the cool factor of the design that they forget the entire purpose of the piece. If you can’t tell from looking at your design exactly what your company does, why bother spending the money?!
   3. What do you want your clients to do? Ok, so you’ve sent them this great advertising piece. It has your company name on it, and it clearly states what your company does. Great. Now what? What should your clients do about it? Should they call you? Should they visit your website? Set the expectations for what you want to happen by including what’s called a call to action. This is marketing speak for tell your clients exactly what you want them to do. Literally use the words, “Call 555-5555 now for an appointment,” or “Visit our website today at www.prova.fm.” Remember to keep it simple!
   4. Why should your clients follow through? Now that you’ve told your clients what you want them to do, give them a reason to do it. Offer them an incentive to pick up the phone and call your business. Whether it’s 10 percent off or buy one get one free, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s an attractive enough offer to entice people to use your products or services.

Offering incentives also gives you another great benefit besides bringing in new customers. Incentives allow you to track your marketing efforts. Not following me? If you offer a 20 percent discount only to people who have received a certain advertising piece, then when they call asking about it, you will know where they found your number and ultimately you can track the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. Try to make sure each marketing effort you employ gets a different incentive. This will make it possible to track your efforts.

Creating great advertising pieces that draw your clients’ attention with attractive graphic design is just the beginning of a successful marketing campaign. By keeping these rules in mind when you create your pieces, you will ensure that your advertising efforts will not be in vain.

Darek Daniel is a marketing writer and branding professional for Firefly Writing, & offers weekly advertising help for small businesses at Prova.fm. For more information on how your small business can benefit from the design services mentioned in this article, you can visit http://www.prova.fm. For more resources on this topic, visit our blog at http://advertisinghelp.wordpress.com/.

I really like what Scott Weisbrod said recently over at the blog Experience Matters. He was talking about referrals from the perspective of relationships. That’s assumed, but regulary forgotten in my view.

Scott went on to say…

…that we need to go deep, really deep, with our clients. Great point Scott.

In other words, we need to be sharing our hopes, dreams, aspirations and desires with others; and ask them to do the same with us.

Not always easy, for sure.

But absolutely essential to further the trust-bond relationships that encourages referrals and introductions.

How are you doing sharing this with your closest clients and associates?

Tell me what it says to you:

What does it say about your current referrals? What about your referral marketing efforts? I have my own opinions, (obviously because I created this diagram). But I’d like to hear what this diagram says to you.

In fact, the person who posts the best answer (in my view) wins the following…

A copy of my book, “Maximum Referrals” (a $65 value)!

That’s right. Study the diagram. Reply below and tell me what it says to you. Put a little thought into your answer, also.

The most informative reply wins a copy of my book.

A feel free to keep this diagram very close to your business. Growing your referrals is the fastest way for you to earn more money, work less, and get the freedom you want in your life. Period.

Best of luck.

The problem is that most people tend to overlook very obvious tools at their disposal that can create positive word-of-mouth influence for themselves, and encourage regular referrals.

Here are two factors I can think of think of right now…Factor #1: Jump start referrals by creating opportunities where you can ask for (and receive) testimonials from others.

Testimonials with names are an effective way to prove your business provides a worthwhile service.  People read these testimonials and relate to the needs of the person making the statement and how they were fulfilled by your office.  When people recognize the name of the person making the testimonial, it is another form of business referrals.

Factor #2: Jump start referrals by creating opportunities to give away freebies to your prospects/potential new clients.

For example, when clients send a referrals offer to set up an introductory meeting over breakfast or lunch.  Offer the new client and the referring client a reduced fee for your services (if it’s permissible).  Sure it’s a perk. And it’s obvious when you offer perks or incentives, people can be illing to spread the word about your business and send referrals.

But bigger than this is something else: Creating ways where others can come to experience you and your work. This is worth more than offering a cash bounty.

For example:

• If you’re a realtor, you could give away a free market analysis of the neighborhood.
• If you’re a PC agent, you could give away a listing of average HO costs within a zip code range.
• If you’re a financial planner, you could give away a helpful guidebook on how to read a life insurance policy.
• If you’re an accountant, give could away a sample 1040 return with your handwritten notes on important sections.

Notice anyhing here?

By automatically beginning with Factor #2, you instantly start to experience Factor #1. Collectively both factors will generate more business referrals for you.

Phenomenal at working less, earning more money, having more freedom in their lives. And phenomenal at having high quality prospects (referrals) seek them out.

So what is this concept? What is this factor?

Cultivating relationships.

Sadly, though, most people are lazy in follow-up. You can never cultivate if you don't follow-up.

I suspect most people know they need to do this, but they're zombies about it. Or they figure it's too long of a process, or they have nothing of value to contact someone (again) about.

It's not about being a pest. It's about spending time building relationships with others rather than you hiding-out behind rocks (like your office or home).

You can never expect your network of people to generate any results, let alone yield tremendous new relationships and business, if your not cultivating people.

So what's my definition of cultivation?

Answer: Looking for opportunities to add value to others lives. And this involves everyone in your circles — personal/social and professional.

What are some methods to cultivating a relationship?

Well, let me say that you're only limited by your imagination — both personally and professionaly.

Here are a few approaches:

1. Send articles of interest to others with a handwritten note.
2. Invite a person to provide their opinion on a situation you are facing.
3. Ask someone to serve in an advisory/accountability/mentor fashion to you.
4. Call people and offer advice and suggestions freely. Use the phrass, "Oh by the way, I thought you would like to know…"
5. Keep a visible list of names and telephone numbers each day, to reinforce items #1-#4.

The bottom line with all of these?

Outward action on your part.

Why?

Because I'm a lifetime student of referrals and word-of-mouth.

Granted, the average cab driver in New York probably doesn't care a whole heckuva lot about word-of-mouth or referrals. Probably ain't even thinkin' about it–especially in a city of 8.2 million customers.

So what was really going on here?

The following…

"Many cab drivers in New York expressed their concern that credit card machines are faulty and that passengers are likely to walk not having paid their fares if the credit card transaction doesn't go through."

Gimme a frickin' break.  Talk about a case of focusing on pain, rather than potential pleasure!

I mean, don't these idiots realize that by accepting PLASTIC they're nearly guaranteeing bigger take?

Come on. Anyone with half-a-brain knows that people will spend using a card than they will with cash.

So… just how large a business is cab fare in New York City right now?

People spent $1.5 billion in fares last year alone. And 240 MILLION people took a cab.

What if you could get a 2%, 5% or maybe even 10% lift in additional revenue–for example, say, from the Wall Street Investment Banker who was short on cash after a client lunch at the 21 Club on West 52nd Street–who decides to tell the cabbie just "run it on my Amex."

Holy moses man! You don't have to be a math genius to know that's a boatload of new found cash.

For what?

Really nothing. Other than providing an expected courtesy today: Accepting plastic.

But no: The New York Taxi Workers Alliance doesn't want to do the extra "work."

The fools.

Message to your brains: Accept credit cards. Figure out how to do it. And that's coming from a guy who doesn't even live in NYC.

Need some ideas? Here's three I came up with–free of charge:

1. Outfit cabs that do take plastic with a special light on top when they're on duty.
2. When millions of dollars in new cash flow ramps-up, place a special sign on the cab (advertising "Now Accepting Major Credit Cards," rather than selling the ad space to Howard the Ambulance Chaser, Esq.).
3. When you're laughing all the way to the bank… partially (or fully)… paint the cab a different color.

Talk about true word-of-mouth.

Talk about buzzworthiness.