Make a Referral Week

March 8 – 12 has been declared the 2010 “Make a Referral Week.” Make a Referral Week is the brainchild of John Jantsch, creator of the Duct Tape Marketing System. While any marketing initiative today includes Word of Mouth, I’m especially fond of this program because it’s a great example of giving to get.

Make a Referral Week

Gretje Ferguson of Gretje Ferguson Photography and I were exchanging emails last week. Gretje is a great photographer who goes the extra mile to get to know her subjects so she can coax the best out of them, to make their personalities shine through. I found myself repeating that old refrain, “what goes around, comes around.” We were talking about the good will that is created when you make a referral that results in someone having a fantastic experience. When I refer people to Gretje, I believe with every fiber of my being that I’m helping them. I’m sure it helps Gretje as well, but the person needing that great service, I think, is the one who benefits the most.

That resulted in an epiphany. What goes around does come around – but often one receives from a different person than the one to whom you gave. In other words, goodwill creates a circle. The larger the circle, the more people there are. If I give to you, and you give back to me, only two people get something out of it. If I give to you, you give to someone, and that person give to me, three people’s lives, or businesses, are enhanced. So, the bigger the circle, the more people benefit. The thought that popped into my head was “It takes more than two to make a circle.” I’m sure it could be argued that two people holding hands could approximate one but it seems to me that it’s more like a rectangle. You really do need at least three people to start to approximate a circle. This is the concept that was immortalized in the movie “Pay It Forward.”

Another concept tied to this idea is “it’s not who you know, but who knows you.” If I told someone about Gretje, and they told someone by saying, “Joy Johnson of Business Builder Marketing told me,” I’m now known to two people. Therefore, the moral of this story, as it relates to marketing, is to always make it a point to look for ways that you can help others. Make it part of your company culture. If everyone in your company is genuinely interested in finding opportunities to make genuine positive differences in the lives of your vendors, customers, clients, patients, and even employees, your company will prosper. Before you know it, you’ll be known as the company who helps people. This is how you make sales without salesmanship. This is how you market without marketing. Get your name out there – at no cost – build good karma, and rack up the brownie points – by simply being genuinely helpful.

A very easy way to be genuinely helpful is to connect one of your customers to another of your customers, one of your vendors to another vendor, etc. . . . and here’s another magical part. How will you know who needs what? Easy – ask questions. Genuinely care that their dog is sick, that their mother has Alzheimer’s, and that they’re working on developing a new green cleaner line. Ask questions, listen, establish great relationships, and refer!

Tip: Grab stacks of business cards from people and businesses you appreciate. Write your name, your business name, and your phone number on the back, and hand them out two at a time “one for you, and one for a friend – and, oh, by the way, do you have some of your cards I can keep and give out should I run into someone who needs a [whatever they do]” Business cards are not entirely dead yet. It is true we now exchange vcards but when you’re out and about, a stack of the old fashioned variety will come in handy.

Action item: Pull up your contact list. Make one referral every single day. Get your staff on board. Have them do the same. Cost – ZILCH! ZERO! NADA! NOTHING! Reward: Enormous – in every way. Don’t forget to go to the official Make a Referral Week site and record your referral. You, the person you refer, and the person receiving the referral will get a bit of extra national exposure because you can include their website in the post.

I hope to see you there!