Referral Marketing: Who Can You Recommend As A Speaker?

One way to build your referral reputation ...

POSTED BY JACKY SHERMAN ON 01/02/2017 @ 8:00AM

I’ve just started a new cohort of people on my Referrals for Life programme that gives people a systematic business process to build relationships that turn into a regular flow of recommended business ...

My colleague Vic Vaughan talking about referral marketing at BNI Kent. He's an excellent speaker!

The very first habit we work on is giving. Why? Because giving is at the heart of all relationships and absolutely essential if you want to motivate others to give referrals to you.

"We also know that what gets
measured gets done!"

One of the crucial habits we insist on is to measure what giving you actually do. That usually results in a punch of anxiety to new students, especially if they are new in business. I get wails of “But I don’t know anyone yet. So what can I give?”

Now, that is rarely true; very few people set up in business on the day of their birth, so they do know other people. Further investigation gets underneath the wails and I then get “I don’t know what the people I already know want” or “I don’t know them well enough yet to introduce them to my contacts!”

So lesson number one is to get on with some in-depth meetings, get to know other people better and find out what help they want. Look for some easy wins, the things you are willing to do that reflect what you do know about them and what you can do.

On the course, we work through 16 different ways you can give to build that reciprocal relationship. Today I’m going to share with you just one.

"Who can you recommend as a
speaker at an event?"

If you are serious about getting business by referrals, you will be attending events. Most events have speakers, and most event organisers are constantly looking for good, interesting speakers. Most speakers are looking for suitable speaking opportunities too.

If you are a small business, then you probably belong to a networking group in which members get the opportunity to do a short presentation.

Here’s your opportunity! In both scenarios, you have heard someone give an excellent presentation, so you know what you need to know about them and are not putting your reputation on the line. They can hold an audience and deliver useful, compelling, relevant content.

Talk to the presenter and find out if they are looking for other opportunities to present. Check out what sort of opportunities they are looking for. Who is the audience they want to reach? Other local businesses, a particular target industry group, after-dinner speaking, corporate events or a gig at the Albert Hall? And do they want paying?

Talk to the organiser and find out if they are looking for presenters and what type of presenter they are looking for. They will have particular events or subject matters they want to address. Some may want 'crowd pullers' to promote their event. Subjects such as “How I sailed around the world in an inflatable dingy” or “How I sold my business to Google for £Millions”. Others may just want relevant content from an expert in their field. To save any embarrassment check whether they pay their speakers or not.

Then bingo! Put two and two together with a good recommendation on both sides:

To the organiser, you can say why you thought this person was such a great speaker. What was their content, delivery style or organisation?
To the speaker, you can explain why you think this event would be relevant from your experience? Well organised, relevant audience, size of audience?

What’s in it for you? An early win at the beginning of your referral relationship with two people.

The presenter will be flattered that you backed up your feedback with real evidence that you enjoyed it. They will be highly motivated to want to stay in touch with you. After all who else do you know who needs a speaker? The organiser will love you for helping make their event successful. They also will be motivated to stay in touch to see who else you know.

If you have recommended someone, whether they get the gig or not, do follow up and check it all went smoothly and build on the relationship.

To finish, get out there and attend events the people you know or want to know are running or are the speaker. Build your list of speakers and events to follow and recommend and make the connections.

Then you will get a reputation as someone who can find good speakers and good speaking opportunities and that will draw other people to want to know you.

Want some help finding speakers or speaking opportunities? Why not get in touch with me on 07970 638857 or click here to send me an email enquiry and let's start a conversation.

I'm happy to help!

Until next time ...

JACKY SHERMAN