amichalek writes "We spent some time in the last breakfast club meeting talking about the power of referrals.
Although - as the Unit of 1 group grows - there will be opportunities to
work with each other and even for each other on projects - the bigger
opportunity is to REFER business to one another. Consider the network of
people that you personally know - if each of us leverages that network to
refer business to one another - all of us will benefit...
STEP 1 - Be able to recognize a good referral:
A great question to ask - and be able to answer yourself is: "Who makes a
good referral for you?" As an example - my favorite answer to this from the
breakfast club meeting was:
...Saul Rosembaum who runs Visual Chutzpah.
...His answer was: "If it's visual - I do it. If you see a company that
needs better packaging - refer them to me."
I now know exactly the type of work he does - and how to recognize a good
lead for him...
STEP 2 - Make the introductions:
Go through your contact list - look for good matches. First - think of
yourself - many times we only focus on getting new business - not getting
referrals. Are there people you know that can refer new business to you?
If so - send them an email, give them a call - ask for the referral...
Then - review your contact list to act as a matchmaker... Look for unmet
needs where you can make referrals inside of your own network... Then, as
you go to networking events, meet new people, or hear about new problems
facing people you know - look for potential referral opportunities...
STEP 3 - Follow up:
If you're the fortunate benefactor of a referral - make sure you keep the
person that made the introduction (the matchmaker) in the loop. Let them
know when you make initial contact. Also - if you keep the original
matchmaker aware of how things progress - it's a great way to keep that
connection alive as well...
Regardless of how the referral works out - make sure to thank the
matchmaker...
THE CHALLENGE:
The challenge for all Units of 1 this month - refer just 1 person in your
network to another member of the Unit of 1 group. If you're the lucky
participant of a referral - send email to unitof1@yahoogroups.com to let us
know how it works out. (If you haven't sent an intro to the group - now is
a good time to do it!) Before you make the introduction, make sure you
alert the person that they should be expecting a phone call. It can create
an awkward situation if the initial contact goes badly - e.g., if they
respond by "Andrea who?""
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