Add More Credibility With Prospects
and Clients (and Green too)
Set up A Referral Binder
Do you belong to a networking group?
Or have a group of business cards in a holder for referral giving?
Take this process one step further, improve your referral giving process AND your client/prospect connection.
How?
Set up a three-ring binder. I call mine simply, “My Referral Binder.”
What is the purpose of my referral binder? The purpose is to provide more information than just a business card.
It has greater impact...
It has many uses too…
If you have a physical office space, display it in the lobby. Have a conference room, use a flip binder and display it. Too many people in your office display it on a side desk in your office. Even if you add it to your book shelf within handy reach, it works.
Displaying it in plain view does always work best though. It also reminds you to mention it. If you have to interrupt with a phone call, hand it to them before you take the call.
Place your strategic partner’s information in plastic sleeves and add it to the binder. Add additional information about their services or products so people can take one. Their brochures, flyers, bios, whatever is important for giving a referral.
Label the folder something along the line of, “Strategic Partners We Recommend”. Add, “Take one.” You may also want to add, “Let us know when you remove the last one so we can replenish.”
At a recent networking event, the dentist gave a presentation with handouts. I picked up the extras left on the table, created two sleeves and added the additional information to my referral binder. Later that afternoon I was visiting a prospective client. I brought the binder. During the close, I said, “I have many strategic partners and have brought their information along with me. Is there any services you are looking for currently?” And I handed her the referral binder and took a restroom break. She flipped through it and saw the dentist handouts, took one of each. I have found out since that my now new client has visited the dentist. When I asked her what was the deciding vote on hiring me, she said, “It was the referral binder.” I wanted to work with a marketing coach who actually did what they said, and not just talk about it.
Do you belong to a networking group?
Or have a group of business cards in a holder for referral giving?
Take this process one step further, improve your referral giving process AND your client/prospect connection.
How?
Set up a three-ring binder. I call mine simply, “My Referral Binder.”
What is the purpose of my referral binder? The purpose is to provide more information than just a business card.
It has greater impact...
It has many uses too…
If you have a physical office space, display it in the lobby. Have a conference room, use a flip binder and display it. Too many people in your office display it on a side desk in your office. Even if you add it to your book shelf within handy reach, it works.
Displaying it in plain view does always work best though. It also reminds you to mention it. If you have to interrupt with a phone call, hand it to them before you take the call.
Place your strategic partner’s information in plastic sleeves and add it to the binder. Add additional information about their services or products so people can take one. Their brochures, flyers, bios, whatever is important for giving a referral.
Label the folder something along the line of, “Strategic Partners We Recommend”. Add, “Take one.” You may also want to add, “Let us know when you remove the last one so we can replenish.”
At a recent networking event, the dentist gave a presentation with handouts. I picked up the extras left on the table, created two sleeves and added the additional information to my referral binder. Later that afternoon I was visiting a prospective client. I brought the binder. During the close, I said, “I have many strategic partners and have brought their information along with me. Is there any services you are looking for currently?” And I handed her the referral binder and took a restroom break. She flipped through it and saw the dentist handouts, took one of each. I have found out since that my now new client has visited the dentist. When I asked her what was the deciding vote on hiring me, she said, “It was the referral binder.” I wanted to work with a marketing coach who actually did what they said, and not just talk about it.
Now I know you don’t need to be a marketing coach for this to work in your benefit. Many of my clients have been using this process for years. And I have many success stories I can tell you about it.
Now you might think the business card would have worked just as well. Not really, the binder items provide additional information as well as give a stronger signal for urgency. In fact, most business cards don’t say much – at least enough to get someone to take any type of quick action. Hmmm, says something doesn’t it. Well, that’s another topic for another day.
Do you know if others in your group have already started something like this? Ask. Show yours.
Do you distribute extra handouts and brochures to other people who already use the referral binder process? Do you even know who in your group uses this method? If not, make this an action item.
The question is, "How are you helping others sell you? You spend all this time attending networking groups but what are you doing to help others help you? Give them the tools they need to support your marketing.
With gas prices going to go higher, the current estimate price for attending a networking event of $198 per instance is just going to go higher. Maximizing your opportunities is just going to get that more important.
Sixty seconds, even a 1-on-1 meeting doesn’t help keep the information fresh in your referral partner’s mind. It just can’t. Information overload is all around us. So, today, take action, take it one step further. Create a referral binder.
Let me know if you start a binder and want to add my material. I’ll be glad to send it.
Happy marketing today!
Catherine Franz
Life and Business Master Coach
Speaker and Author
(703) 838-0477
www.AbundanceCenter.com
PS: If you have any additional ideas on this, please send them to me so that I can include them in a future distribution.
PPS: Ooops almost forgot. When the binder gets fuller, add categorical dividers for easier selecting. For example: I have a section for life coaches. You might be asking why I would have one for my own category with supposed my competitors. Well, because not everyone is my ideal client. Sometimes someone else has a better fit for that person.
