Summer 2008
|
Summer 2008 |
|
|
This Issue • Other Issues • Subscribe • Felber & Felber Marketing
Referrals: You Are Responsible for Painting the Picture - Part One
By Rob Felber
No matter what service our agency provides or program we execute, nothing grows a business faster than the personal referral of a trusted friend or colleague. That being said, if you do not know how to effectively communicate what a "good" referral looks like for your business, you will find yourself with weak leads and scattered success at best.
Many, many years ago, my brother and I belonged to one of the first organized referral groups in the area. We were diligent in our attendance at the weekly luncheons, referred members generously and used practically every service offered by the members. While we made many long-lasting friendships, we were disappointed in the business we got out of it, or rather the lack of it, to be honest. Now, our knee jerk reaction after 18 months was, as you can imagine, "what a waste of time!" It was not until years later and many more sales and business experiences under our belts that we discovered the real problem was us. Simply put, we could not define the ideal referral for us in our business. We mistakenly assumed our participation and enthusiasm alone was enough. In hindsight, we realized the descriptions of the business we wanted to work with and the decision makers we wanted to meet were too broad; none of our referral partners understood who we wanted to meet.
Yes, advertising, marketing and public relations can impact your company's product and service awareness the way you desire. But, just like referral descriptions, if the messages are not targeted properly, the results will not be quality leads. My brother and I quickly learned it all starts with an inward look at your company and your best clients. This intense exercise spiraled into the re-branding of our company name to Felber & Felber Marketing three years ago.
Once you have your target profile clearly defined, you can easily weave your prime prospect description into your own marketing, collateral, public relations and advertising campaigns. You will find a clear focus at networking meetings, knowing exactly who you want to meet and the reason why you should meet them. You cannot serve, nor should you try to serve, everyone. Your "30 second commercial" should be honed and precise. For instance, "At Felber & Felber Marketing, we either teach manufacturers in the business-to-business sector to do their own marketing, advertising and public relations, what we call 'Teach to Fish,' or we execute these programs for the company."
Now that you have a clear direction and precise content for your programs, you need to learn how to ask for referrals and, even more importantly, give them. That will be the topic of part two in this series…The Culture and Ethics of Referral-Based Marketing Programs.
Contact Felber & Felber Marketing at 330.963.3664 or info@felberandfelber.com.
This Issue • Other Issues • Subscribe • Felber & Felber Marketing
 |
| © 2008 Felber & Felber Marketing, A Relative Ease Inc. Co. All Rights Reserved. |