Referral Misconceptions

I can’t count the number of times I have recommended to clients that the key to their business is sitting right in their database. There are very few businesses or services that survive on new business alone and this is why nurturing referrals is the most important aspect in the success of any business or service.

There are a few misconceptions or misunderstandings about referrals that I would like to address:

1. Gifts are a Strong Referral Incentive? Not in my opinion.

People don’t refer their associates and friends to your business because you offer them a free gift, like a free lunch, movie tickets, cash, etc. They refer others to your business or service because they feel that their associate or friend will really benefit from your product or service. They refer others so that they can help them experience a very positive result.

They also refer businesses to their friends because they want to feel important. They feel important when they are know something that they can share with their friends and associates. Just ask yourself why you would recommend a restaurant to a friend and you will better understand what they are thinking when they refer someone to you. If you had a positive experience at a restaurant, you want your friend to enjoy the same experience and so you recommend the restaurant to him or her. If they have an equally good experience they will be appreciative of your good taste. If the food and service was mediocre, but they gave you an umbrella on the way out would you refer the restaurant to your friend?

Excellent service is one of the most influencing factors in generating referrals, not gifts. You can still show your appreciation with a sincere Thank You note or gift, but don’t make the referral process contingent on a gift.

2. Customers Know What You Do and How Your Services Can Benefit Their Friends – Not in a million years

Never assume that they are fully aware of the many services you provide and how those services can benefit your clients’ associates. In fact you may be surprised at how little your clients know about what services you offer. They rarely know exactly how your services can benefit their friends or associates or even if your services are appropriate for others.

If your clients are confused about which services you offer and which ones would benefit their associates, they probably won’t refer you. It is important to simplify your services and describe them in easy to understand terms that everyone can understand. It’s also important to focus on just one or two of your services when you follow up with your clients. Make it easy for your clients to refer you.

3. Your Business is Uppermost in Your Clients’ Minds At All Times – Give your head a shake!

Your clients rarely think about your business and your services. They have a million more pressing matters that they must address. This is one of the most costly misconceptions small business owners have about their customers. They think their prospects and customers will remember them when they are ready to buy.

That coupon or even gift certificate you gave them six months ago is hidden under a pile of unread magazines, or under the refrigerator.

If you want to bring your business to the top of your clients’ minds, then you must follow-up with them on a consistent basis, with helpful information and special offers.

4. Your Clients Are Always Looking for Referrals for Your Business – Not even your mother is.

Have you ever had someone hand you a stack of his or her business cards and then say, “If you come across anyone who you think might be able to use my services, please pass along one of my cards”? What did you do with those business cards? Round filed them? Threw them away? No one keeps your business cards in their pocket just waiting for an opportunity to promote your business.

Almost always the referral comes when someone is talking to your client/customer about your particular service or business and a light goes on and they say “I know so and so and think they would be able to help / sell / assist you”.

Okay now that I have lost my entire audience check out some tips for developing your referral business.

Fax to Email – Internet Fax – Indispensable

My partner in inboxFX (email stationery) has a fax-to-email service called SRFax that I think is second only to email stationery as an indispensable internet tool.

Why anyone has a separate fax line at their home or office is beyond me when you can have all of your faxes delivered right to your email. Imagine sitting at your computer and your email pops up with “New 2 page Fax from: 604-277-4444“. You scroll down the email and read a preview as part of the email or click on the pdf attachment. You open the attachment, read it and take action. Forward it, save it, print it or delete it.

When you want to send a fax you log on to www.srfax.com, type in your message and it is sent instantly complete wih a cover page. I recommend you go their web site for more information. You can’t beat $ 12.95 a month.

One of the greatest benefits is being able to receive faxes when I am away on business or vacation. The only hitch is when I have to send a document with a signature, but I get around that by scanning the page or pages and sending them as attachments.

4 Ways To Send Huge Files

Not a day goes by that I don’t send or receive a humungous file so knowing a few different ways to get around your ISP’s file size limit is important.

I have only used one of the following services so my experience is limited, but if all of them are anything like YouSendIt I am sure you will be pleased with the results.

YouSendIt allows you to send up to a 100MB file without creating an account. Upon uploading a file to YouSendIt, an email is sent to the recipient, where they are given a link to download the file. The download is available for 7 days and includes advertising on the page.

Perhaps the simplest of the file transfer services, zUpload offers you up to 500MB to share a single file. A unique URL is generated for each file and is available for 30 days. Unlike the other services, there are no user accounts or premium features at the moment. It appears zUpload is entirely advertiser supported.

Based in the UK, MailBigFile functions almost exactly the same as YouSendIt. Without registering, you can send up to a 100MB file.

With a 500MB limit, MegaUpload offers the most storage space for non-paying users to send files. The service functions in the same way as YouSendIt, with no account necessary to send a file.

How Important is Email in Your Life?

If it wasn’t for business emails I wouldn’t need email at all because I still rely on the phone to keep in touch with close friends and family. I have never run to the computer to see if a friend or family member has tried to get in touch with me. That is in part due to my age bracket (49-50) and in part because I tend to pick up the phone rather than send an email. But read on…

IncrediMail Survey Finds Users Would Rather Give Up Their Daily Coffee or Significant Other Than Lose Email for a Day

IncrediMail Ltd. (NASDAQ: MAIL), a software company specializing in Internet consumer products and services, today announced the results of an online survey, which queried users about email communication. More than 10,000 IncrediMail users completed the survey, which was posted on the company’s website, and responded to questions about the role of email in their daily lives and what they have communicated about via email.People around the world have come to rely on email as an essential means of communication, a fact that was reinforced by the survey’s respondents; a resounding 73.8% think that email is essential to their life.

When asked what they would rather give up for a day instead of losing email, the surveyed said that they would rather forego the following rather than their email:

• chocolate (54.4%)
• coffee (50.2%)
• television (41.4%)
• their cell phone (38.4%)
• their spouse/significant other (14.9%)

Beyond sending plain messages, more and more people are emphasizing what they are trying to communicate via email by boosting their messages with images, emoticons and animations. Nearly 90% of the respondents have included images in their emails to enhance the message and more than 90% have used an emoticon, smiley face or an animated character in an email to achieve the same affect.

According to the survey, email is often used as a way to handle both lighthearted and delicate conversations.

• Nearly 50% of respondents have used an email to prank or joke with a friend or colleague.
• 19% of those surveyed have started or advanced a romantic relationship via email.
• 7% have ended a relationship the same way.
• 3.7% of respondents have ended a business relationship by firing someone through email.

Actually I don’t think I could read email without drinking a coffee.