There are eight different types of people that can pass you referrals, and one of those eight is your STAFF! Every single person that works for your company has a vested interest in your business being successful, as it ensures the pay check is there every week. In addition to the continued success of the company, and the added value they bring to their role to the organization, ensures a hopeful future for everyone.
A key consideration in this conversation will be to expand your thinking so that all of your employees could potentially pass you business, not limiting yourself just to the sales staff. You could encourage all your staff to be on the lookout for new clients, including your receptionist, “widget” makers & service people, delivery staff, and the list could go on and on.
There are a few crucial points to follow when creating referral sources from our staff. First, you are going to need to arm your staff with a little bit of education regarding your business, including:
who is an ideal client and who is your target market
key phrases to listen for and perhaps a list of clues to look for that indicate a person may need your product or service
how to create the referral and how to bring the business into the office
Additionally, a crucial component of this staff training will be to encourage your staff to horn toot (one of the 16 Relationship Builders from the Certified Networker Program);
Horn tooting is when you reply to “How are you doing?” with a response that shares positive things happening within the work place.
The next step in creating your staff as referral sources is to arm them with the right collateral material. Collateral material should give your staff a sense of pride in what you do as well as identify their role within the team, and allow you to keep your branding consistent!
On the card:
Employee’s name & title
Company’s website & social media information
The staff member’s direct contact information, including a personalized email instead of “info@____.com”
The basic product/services/benefits offered by your company, as your staff may not be as fluent in the language of your business
Finally, be sure to recognize and reward your staff for bringing you business!
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