Some call these folks Centers of Influence. I like to call them Referral Partners or even Members of your Referral Team. Financial professionals look to accountants and attorneys to be members of their Referrals Team. Coaches look to other business consultants and trainers as sources of referrals.
Here are 7 steps to getting all of these important people to contribute to your business.
7. Identify all the players. If you haven’t already done so, you want to make sure you’ve identified all the types of business professionals who might work with or meet your ideal clients. Then, systematically work to meet and build a relationship with at least one person from each of these categories. Since the first person you contact may not be interested in a relationship with you, you probably want to identify several people in each category.
And what’s the best way to meet these folks? Through your current clients and centers of influence.
See also: Cross selling life insurance to business owners
6. Be transparent. Be candid and transparent with these folks. Let them know that you believe in your value, you’re looking to bring that value to more people/businesses, and that you would value their help.
Don’t assume that this will have to be a reciprocal referral relationship. While some folks may expect to start getting more referrals in return from you, many will be thrilled just to have a resource like you to send people to.
5. Communicate your value – more than once. Schedule plenty of time to make sure they understand your value – what you do, who you serve the best, how you do it, why you do it, and how people benefit from your work.
You simply MUST become referable in their eyes if you want to start getting more referrals and introductions from them. And this isn’t usually accomplished in one meeting. It takes time for it to sink in. They need to see value in your process and in the results you produce. They also need to like and trust you (especially trust).