Do Less: Get More Referrals… Huh?!

By Daryl Logullo | October 9, 2007 | Popularity: 6% | 239 views

Strange concept, if you think about it: Can doing less of something actually earn you more of what you really want?

Take referrals and introductions, for example.

Traditional wisdom in marketing says that the more you do, the more of a household name may become, the more well known you'll be, and eventually… the more business you'll earn.

Do more. Meet more people. Earn more. But here is why that is flawed thinking…

One of the most disturbing things I see with businesses, their owners, and their marketing, is them trying desperately to distinguish themselves from competitors. Okay. It may not be 100% desperation, but you get the point.

Unfortunately, though, they end up falling into the silent majority–those businesses whose services aren't needed, or worse yet are just plainly forgotten about.

To combat the problem, marketers loosely throw around terms like "niching" or "finding a niche"… a special "place in the world" or your "own place in the marketplace," custom-tailored to your skills. That's a fancy way of basically saying to find and re-fine your specialty and fit your services into it. 

Again, nice in theory, but not always practical.

Think for a moment about this example: My friend's CPA. The CPA is a nice guy. He does tax returns, payroll, bookkeeping, auditing, offers financial planning and occasionally does some business consulting.  Unintentional or not, what do you think that message is that the CPA is sending out to the public? 

"He does a lot of things, but none of them very well," one prospect was oveheard mentioning.

The example illustrates a very important point I want to make summed up in one word: memorability.  You must identify and emphasize the things that can make you more notable becasue they can contribute to you becoming more memorable. This is one of the KEYS to setting yourself apart and truly being recognized as an authority figure.

The truth of the matter is that while my friend's CPA might be capable of performing all of the above services, we as human beings don't like generalists. They weird us out.

It's like the guy who provides a lawn service, a pool service, tree triming… can house sit your pets, and also says he's very "experienced" at painting houses and roofing. It just doesn't feel right.

Rather, we want specialists. Let me restate that: We CRAVE specialists. We seek out people who have expertise in business problems that are similar to ours, and we HIRE THEM.

Or we refer our clients to them.

I say again: better define what you do, and whom you do it for. The result?  You'll ALWAYS send one clear and consistent message about what you offer to those who need to hear it. And you'll ALWAYS reach prospects at the precise time and place they need you.  Try it. 

You'll position yourself to be in demand more often, sought-after more frequently and I assure you, more memorable.

Word-of-mouth buzz grows from this.

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