Well, as that new celebrity from the great state of Alaska says, you betcha!
John sent me an advance uncorrected proof of his new book, The Referral Engine, a few weeks ago. I first met John…
at the Emarketing conference in Cleveland, 3 years ago. I taped a couple of minutes of his presentation. (He gave me permission) Look…
The Referral Engine is an important book, as we all try to figure out this “new media.” I think that we’re all so focused on all of these terrific new tools that do a fine job of helping us spread our message, that we may be forgetting the basics.
As I read the book, I thought back on all the folks that I have been able to help get into business, that stated with a referral. A referral is the most powerful type of lead for any organization that has to sell it’s products and in my case, my franchise brokerage/consulting services.
There’s no amount of money in the world that can “buy” what a referred client or customer can bring to your business. They’re pre-sold. On you.
“What really triggers a referral?” That’s the question that John answers in one of my favorite area’s of the book. He says;
“Referrals happen most naturally when two people are talking and one of the parties expresses their current pain in the neck.”
All of us relieve a client or customer’s pain point. Remember that.
In my franchise consulting business, the most common pain points I hear, are;
- I’m sick of making my boss rich
- I get a new boss every 6 months, and it’s getting to hard to adjust to
- I don’t have any control over my career
- I’m sick of always worrying if I’ll be downsized
A lot of my referrals come from people that I’ve been able to help, advise, or coach. I wonder just how many of them came to me as the direct result of a two-way conversation in which they expressed their career pain points to someone who knows me…and that felt very comfortable referring them to me…
John does go into social media, blogging, and all of the other popular things that are being used and discussed, daily. After all, if it wasn’t for his real sticky blog, and his social media acumen, he probably wouldn’t be where he is today;
An highly visible author, speaker, and thought leader. (Who gets a lot of referrals)
His new book gets the job done. Big time.
You can find his new book in
bookstores and on Amazon.com
(Aff. link)
Here’s another sticky review of “The Referral Engine,” written by my friend, Ivana Taylor