Marketing From The Heart: Issue # 22

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Marketing From The Heart: Issue # 22
http://www.zerald.com
By Tom St. Louis
"The Shortest Distance Between You And Greater Profits(tm)"
July 19, 2002
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How To Grow Your Business Fast Through Word of Mouth Advertising

In the last couple of weeks I visited Edmonton,
Calgary and Vancouver to present my "Golden Rolodex
ProcessTM" to Raymond Aaron's Monthly Mentor group. I
had a blast. The experience got me thinking deeper
than ever before about a subject I have been well
versed in for many years.

I'd like you to consider the most profound of all
marketing distinctions. It has to do with referrals.
Think about this: if every one of your customers
gave you one good referral, you'd double your
business from that one effort alone. And referred
customers are quick to close, do not resist your
fees, stick around longer and tend to give a lot
of referrals.

Are you getting excited? So how do you get
referrals?

Most people think that being good is all there is to
it. There is some truth to this. If your product or
service (or the way you deliver it) causes people to
say "WOW!", they will not be able to stop themselves
from telling other people.

On the other hand, if you can strategically leverage
the appreciation that people feel for your service
or product - then you are really on to something.

Here are a couple of secrets to multiplying the
number of referrals you receive.

1. Acknowledge and reward. Never take a referral
for granted. Express your sincere appreciation in
the form of a hand-written note. And, send a gift. A
quick and dirty rule of thumb is to spend half of
your normal cost of sale on the gift. A gift like
flowers that many people see is often a good idea.
You can easily double your referrals with this
simple strategy. Try it and you'll see.

2. Ask at the moment of maximum customer satisfaction.
Don't ask out of the blue. At the precise moment when
someone is thanking you for what you have done for
them, say "Who else do you know who would also
benefit from my service?"

3. Ask strategically. Don't give up when they can't
think of anybody. Probe a bit. I don't suggest being
pushy, but say, "Do you know someone who you work
with who might benefit from this?" Then say, "What
about someone in your family". Once the person's
brain kicks in, there's a good chance they'll think
of a whole lot of people.

4. Don't think of a referral as a favor your
customer owes you. Position it so that they are
doing a favor for the people they care about.
That's why it's so important for them to be
connected to the value they've experienced. In
that magic moment, they will feel obliged to help
the people they care about to experience the same
benefit they are enjoying.

Try the suggestions above. To get a more in-depth
description of several referral strategies, go to
www.zerald.com and read "The Three Most Powerful
Marketing Strategies in History".

Go to issue #23

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SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY

I am in the process of finalizing "The Golden Rolodex
ProcessTM". It's a guaranteed system to help a
business owner get dozens if not hundreds of great
referred prospects in the shortest time possible. I'm
looking for ten participants to help me refine my
system. There's no charge for participating. All I ask is
that you participate fully and allow me to share your
successes. If you would like to participate, send an
E-mail to goldenrolodex@zerald.com. I will work with
the first ten responders.
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Who do YOU know who might benefit from learning how
to bring in dozens of enthusiastic new customers who
buy fast, don't negotiate fees and give lots of
referrals? FORWARD this message to them right away.
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If you've been forwarded this message and wish to
receive your Free copy of "The Three Most Powerful
Marketing Strategies in History" and a free
Subscription to Marketing From The Heart, click the
link below.
http://www.zerald.com/html/free.html
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