Small Business Marketing Strategies: Triple Your Referrals through alternative Referral Resources

One of the more vital small business marketing strategies for growing your own practice is to regularly receive referrals from other referral sources. Early in my career, I found it irritating whenever I’d refer clients to other advisors but not receive referrals in return. It became painfully obvious there had to be something I could do to routinely get qualified referrals from other referral sources. So through trial and error, I designed a small business marketing procedure that allows a businessman to produce effective referral sources and generate relationships based on the benefits of mutual marketing. Here’s the way to do it:

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #1: Identify possible referral partner industries.

Many of us consider common professionals in a similar business as the ideal referral source. While these are definitely obvious choices, there are several additional professions you can make use of much more effectively mainly because no one else is. For example, advisors generally consider CPAs and attorneys, but may not consider psychologists and coaches. The referrals we have been given for our small business from psychologists and coaches have been nothing shy of astonishing. Whatever the goods and services your small business promotes or sells, think outside the box and find alternative referral sources for your small business marketing strategies.

Allow your mind to wander and write down a number of professions your ideal client could have a relationship with. The key is to think outside the box – and don’t discount any industry. If you have a mental block or merely can’t discover a method to get the creativity flowing, find a location where you can sit comfortably in which you won’t end up being disturbed. With your dominant hand, write down the question: „Who are the most useful referral partners that will help me develop my company?“ Then, with your non-dominant hand, write a list of all the careers you can imagine. You’ll be surprised at what you produce. The moment you’ve listed fifty professions, place a star next to those that have already been referral sources in the past.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #2: Select referral partner professions.

Examine your list and choose at least five professions you think could be the most profitable and enjoyable to work with. Start with 10 professions within your small business marketing strategy and after that reduce it to the top five.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #3: Obtain 100 „pros“ within your determined professions.

Research the contact material for twenty individuals in each of the five professions you picked as part of your small business marketing strategy. Start out with people you know; check with friends for names or search online. You can also purchase names from a list broker. Don’t forget to create a spreadsheet to track your progress while you get in touch with each professional.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #4: Send out a „Let’s share referrals“ mailer.

Every small business marketing technique needs to have an automated referral and relationship marketing campaign. This strategy can be a letter or even a postcard that describes who you are, what you do and the reason why sharing referrals can benefit the recipient and their clients. Send out the announcements on a monthly basis until three productive referral associates, in each of your five professions, agree to share referrals with you.

If your practice is thriving, end each small business marketing mailer with a message asking your prospective referral partners to contact you. But if your referral goals are more pressing, follow up your mailings with a phone call.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #5: Establish a reciprocal referral mastermind team.

After finding your 15 referral partners, bring them together via phone once a month and in person every three months. Including a referral mastermind group in your small business marketing strategy and plan allows you to produce serious, highly effective relationships.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #6: Take care of every referral.

When you supply referrals to all your small business referral partners and are given referrals from them, it’s critical to have a very good procedure that recognizes the value of those referrals. Whenever I give somebody a referral, I contact my referral partner and provide them with the client’s name as well as a summary of their circumstance. Then I send out a „This referral is for you“ card. I compliment this with a three-way introductory meeting with the referral and the referral partner.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #7: Develop a follow-up system.

One of the most critical components of your small business marketing strategy is follow-up! And quite a few small businesses, consultants and advisors fail miserably when it comes to follow-up. Every quarter, get in touch with your referral partners separately to examine referrals provided and received, as well as to talk about the way to better serve one another.

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Step #8: Automate the process.

One of the simplest steps in your small business marketing strategy is to speed up your process, both offline and online. The great news is that with today’s technology, it is inexpensive!

For more than ten years, our office delivered my „Let’s share referrals“ mailers, „This referral is made for you“ cards, thank-you notes along with written communications manually. It’s expensive and even time-consuming-costing me an average of $50,000-$70,000 per year for employees plus the cost of the mailers – but now I utilize an automated system that takes most of the time, effort and expense away from the equation. Automating your process opens you up to complete the HVFDAs, high-value fixed daily activities, that are critical to the continued success.

Follow these steps and then don’t be surprised if your referrals triple because of your new referral partners.

To attend a call and discover how to develop a small business marketing strategy in order to receive more referrals, sign-up at http://milliondollarfollowupsystem.com.

To attend a free marketing webinar go to MillionDollarMarketingSystem. Small business owners and consultants go to, http://MillionDollarMarketingPractices.com. She can be reached at Questions@MillionaireSeries.com.