 | You And Your Network ... | Are you playing the same game? | Posted on: 16/01/2013 By: Jacky Sherman |
Last week I shared with you my vision for the Referral Institute Northampton in 2013, helping to build communities of like minded successful business people who, by working together, generate amazing business for each other in line with their life ambitions ...
if you want to score goals, you and your referral partners must be playing the same game
Most people recognise that referral marketing is a team game and requires high trust between players to achieve success. Yet I constantly have people relaying their bad experience of networking as the reality doesn't match up to their expectations.
So let's look at what it takes to get the right results from your community of contacts:
Decide what game you're playing - Are you a football or rugby team? It makes all the difference in whether you kick over or under the bar. People network for different reasons and you want your referral partners to understand what constitutes a goal. Don't assume - be clear on your expectations. What are your ambitions - To be Manchester United or the local Sunday league? Both are valid but if you want corporate clients and your team mate is content running a hobby business then you may be disappointed. Pick the right players - It takes different types of people to make up the team so be sure they complement rather than compete with each other. Not everyone in your team will be able or willing to help all the other team members but they should be committed to the overall success. Make sure they are all team players and that no-one wants to hog the ball so everyone achieves their personal goals. Train together - Imagine if Manchester United only met up 5 minutes before the match? Training enhances skills, develops the essential common understanding, enables you to anticipate your colleague's moves and lets you know what you can expect. It makes the play easier with less mistakes and wasted effort. Get a coach/manager - The coach sees the whole game as it unfolds, so is in the best position to help guide the strategy and changes needed. His/her interest is in getting the best result so won't get distracted by individual incidents. Your coach also holds each of you to account for delivering what you say you will. We call it Referrals for Life.
One way we are different from many other training companies is that we specifically train you alongside your referral partners. There are many ways we do that:
Referral Success 101™
Book your own introductory class with your referral partners. The class will focus on getting you all to gain that common understanding. Or accept an invitation to join a class run for one of your contacts. Who do you know who is already working with the Referral Institute? Referrals for Life™
Get your own Referral Institute coach to work with you to develop your referral marketing strategy and pick and train your team. Referral Pipeline™
Work closely with one of your team for a day. Build a close understanding, shared strategy and generate business for each other on the day.
If you'd like to know more about building referral partnerships or would like to hear how the Referral Institute Northampton can help you grow your business, then it may feel like a great idea to call me on +44 (0) 1908 678229 or click here to ping over an email and I'll get straight back to you.
Until next time ...
JACKY SHERMAN
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