Using E-mail For Referrals

by Daryl Logullo | October 15, 2007 | Popularity: 8% | 794 views

AP had a story recently entitled, "Fridays Go From Casual to E-mail-Free." It partially read…

Overwhelmed by e-mail? Some professionals are fighting back by declaring e-mail-free Fridays – or by deleting their entire in-box. Today about 150 engineers at chipmaker Intel (INTC) will kick off "Zero E-mail Fridays." E-mail isn't forbidden, but everyone is encouraged to phone or meet face-to-face. The goal is more direct, free-flowing communication and better exchange of ideas…

Now there's a novel concept: Get people to communicate face-to-face! ( Duh).

The story quoted executive coach Marsha Egan. She say white-collar workers often receive 140 messages a day. (Perhaps on a good day. I know I get more than that!) There's a simple lesson for you in this story as you try to build your referrals.

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Referrals: What CPAs Really Want

by Daryl Logullo | October 12, 2007 | Popularity: 5% | 709 views

I was interviewed for the August 2007 cover story for Research Magazine, entitled "What Do CPAs Really Want?" The story was written by Ellen Uzelac, an intelligent editor who mentioned that she writes on this subject annually.

The story delved into two issues, all hinging on the article title: What Do CPAs Really Want?… in order to bond with you and, (2) What Do CPAs Really Want?… in order to become better positioned in their clients eyes.

Both are distinctly separate issues. But at the same time, they are key components to building trust and turning on referral "flow." It still amazes me how many people–across differing professions–don't understand these simple concepts.

The worst, I would say, are financial advisors. No dig on them, mind you. But they're stuck in old-skool thinking when it comes to CPAs. Here's what I mean…

Let me talk about these two issues further.

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Using Meetings For Referrals?

by Daryl Logullo | October 10, 2007 | Popularity: 7% | 767 views

Having conversations about referrals is intimidating to most people. But doing so, face-to-face in a meeting?

Wow. That's even more frightening to them.

My friend Miriam Lawrence, blogger for Automatic-Referrals.com, mentioned in a recent post "…referrals are about helping clients and the people they know." Miriam and I have talked about this issue on occasion, and I couldn't agree with her more.

But fear, or downright anxiety about actually discussing the subject of referrals with a client? Now indeed, that is one twisted little psychological bedfellow.

I know, because I experienced it myself 11 years in sales. And today, from over 365 hours of Focus Group work we have done on referral best-practices, I'll tell you this: a person's biggest fear is looking someone squarely in the eyes, one-on-one, and asking them to introduce you to others.

So how can you overcome this?

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Do Less: Get More Referrals… Huh?!

by Daryl Logullo | October 9, 2007 | Popularity: 5% | 669 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…

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Your Referral ‘Sales’ Funnel

by Daryl Logullo | October 8, 2007 | Popularity: 5% | 599 views

I just read a great article from Dave Cooke on his blog Sales Cooke. It's entitled "What Does 'Qualified' Mean?"

In it, Dave discusses qualified opportunities and qualified leads. I like Cooke's approach in this article, as it's very direct. Here's what he says…

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