Create a Successful Client Referral Program

One of the biggest reasons small business owners and solopreneurs struggle to see any results from their marketing efforts is that they are simply trying to do too many different things.

And it’s no wonder. On top of all the traditional ways to market our businesses (i.e. advertising, trade shows, direct mailings, signage, etc.), today we also have access to a smorgasbord of low-cost, online marketing tactics, like squeeze pages, social media, videos, SEO (search engine optimization), blogs, vlogs, ezines, article marketing and more.

What’s worse is that thanks to effective online marketers who know how to write a truly irresistible sales page, we’re convinced that each of the above-mentioned marketing tactics could be the magic pill that will instantly boost our business into the seven-figure stratosphere. It’s more tempting than being a kid in a candy store.

Don’t get me wrong. These are all amazing small business marketing tools and, if used as part of a larger (read: strategic) plan, they’re great. But as with anything, they all take time or money—or both—to be effective.

So is there a magic pill for marketing your small business? Well, I suppose it depends what your definition of “magic” is. But if you’re looking for a highly effective method of bringing pre-qualified, warm leads into your business on a continual basis, only paying for those leads when they become paying clients, and putting forth “minimal” effort on your part, then “yes,” there is.

I’m talking of course about referrals. Or, more precisely, a client referral program.

While perhaps not as sexy as some of the newer online marketing tools, word-of-mouth marketing is a powerful multiplier of future business.

When you provide an amazing client experience—and then put in place a simple, repeatable referral process—you can transform your existing customers or clients into an army of commission-only salespeople. The goal is to inspire your most loyal, pleased, and vocal customers to become credible, persuasive, and influential champions of your products and services.

As with everything though, in order to run a successful referral program, there are some things you need to know. Here are three important ones.

You have to create a WOW experience.

In order to create those champions, you first need to have an outstanding product or service. In other words, you need to give people something worth talking about—and in a good way.

Back in college I worked for a large department store and they constantly drilled it into our heads that if a customer had a good experience at our store (i.e. the experience they expected to have), they likely wouldn’t tell anyone. If they had a “great” experience, they would tell one to three people. And if they had a bad experience, they would tell at least seven people!

So if are thinking about starting a referral program, you need to make sure you’re giving every customer or client a “WOW” experience. What does that mean? It starts with delivering amazing products and services, meeting deadlines and being friendly and accessible. But to truly get to a “WOW” you need to go beyond that to making every client feel like they’re a VIP.

(Note: We’ll be talking more about how to create the VIP experience in Brilliance! You can get your complimentary subscription here.)

Position it as “helping.”

Most people love to help. It makes them feel good. So instead of going about a referral program from the perspective of feeling like you’re bothering people, look at it instead as though you’re giving people an opportunity to help.

Who exactly are they helping? Well, for starters, they’re helping you of course. But, when you position your services or products as solving a specific problem, you’ll also be giving people the chance to help others that they know.

Imagine for a moment you’re a graphic designer and you use Sally for your bookkeeping needs. Tomorrow you invite Sally to be a part of your referral program. Next week, Sally meets with another client of hers who laments how much he needs a new logo for his dry cleaning business. Voila! Because you recently planted a seed with Sally through your referral program, she’s able to tell her dry cleaning client that she “knows the perfect person to help him.” She’s helped you. She’s helped him. Sally feels great. And everyone wins.

You have to keep it fresh.

Even though most of the administrative parts of running a successful referral program are things you can “set once and forget,” you still need to infuse something new into it periodically. Otherwise, your “sales force” will get bored and become complacent.

You can keep things fresh by:

• Promoting only one service or product for your business at a time. Then, after a few months, ask your network to send referrals to you for a different product or service. This will help them think of new people they haven’t thought of before, as well as give them a reason to follow-up with those they’ve already contacted.

• Changing the reward. More than likely, a few people in your network will be the most active. These are your true champions. But you don’t want to keep sending them the same gift card or fruit basket all the time. So periodically change up the referral reward. Even if you’re paying your referrers in cash, you can still offer an added bonus. For example, in addition to the standard 10% commission you typically offer, you could also motivate people to send you referrals by gifting a free Apple iPad to anyone who sends you three new clients in the next 30 days.

• Tapping different people. In the course of your business you are constantly coming into contact with new people. Those new contacts are connected to entire networks of people who may not have heard of you or your business. So be sure to periodically let a fresh crowd of contacts know about your referral program and what steps they can take to start earning rewards right away.

Would you like to learn more about the magic formula behind successful client referral programs that allow you to market less, fill your programs, courses and workshops faster, and sell more of your products… all while staying true to who you are?

If so, then don’t miss our upcoming tele-class on Wednesday, June 2, “Building a Sure-Fire Referral System:  Create a Thriving Business With No Marketing Budget.”

Toni and I will be walking you step by step through the process of creating an effective referral program and will share why it’s important, what it can do for your business and how to do it with no marketing budget!

So be sure to grab your seat now!

  Okay. So, it’s been pretty well established that if you’re a solopreneur in a service-based industry, such as a coach, consultant, speaker, writer, photographer, professional organizer, bookkeeper, voice actor, etc.—and you don’t want to work yourself to the bone—then in order to build wealth, you need to create passive revenue streams.

The main benefit of passive revenue streams is pretty straight forward: They allow you to supplement your dollars-for-hours income and earn revenue even while you’re sleeping or playing the back nine or sipping your mojito on the beach, or…

You get the idea.

However, for the average service-based entrepreneur or small business owner, the idea that passive revenue streams will suddenly make you a millionaire overnight is well… rubbish. In fact, I’d argue that focusing too much of your valuable time on creating those passive streams of revenue – as opposed to working with actual clients – can actually spell disaster for your business.

And I’ll tell you why: Because paying clients give you three things that are absolutely invaluable. It’s what I call the three C’s of paying clients.

1.)   They give you CREDIBILITY. If I’m going to purchase a toolkit or home study program from someone about how to improve the SEO of our website or teach the Law of Attraction to my kids, for example, I want to know that the person I’m buying from has real-life experience in that area. I want to know that they didn’t just pick a topic one weekend that sounded interesting to them, do some research and cobble together an information product. The knowledge and experience you gain from working with clients is irreplaceable. Plus, having a long line-up of private clients makes prospective buyers think to themselves, “Well, if all those people are working with him/her, then they must be good!”

2.)   They give you insight to CORE CONCERNS. By working with clients on a one-on-one basis, you’ll have a front row seat to what your target market is struggling with most… and that’s going to give you a huge leg-up on what products and services to create and how to market them. In other words, having this close connection will keep you plugged in to what’s going on in the mind of your target market. In turn, you’ll be a better marketer and a better coach.

3.)   Most importantly… they give you CASH. You’re running a business and every business needs cash. And growing a business needs even more cash! The place you’re going to get that cash is from paying clients. Yes, you want to be working on creating those passive revenue streams, but despite what some gurus claim about writing a best-selling e-book in a weekend, the truth is that quality information products take time to create. That’s why the place to start is by filling your consulting practice with clients. Allowing clients to work one-on-one with you should be the most expensive thing you offer.

So if you have the bandwidth to take on additional paying clients, then I encourage you to write down one commitment to yourself in terms of what you can do to grow your client base in the next 30 days. Here are some ideas:

• Offer existing clients a specially priced deal to expand their services with you
• Entice clients that you haven’t heard from in a while with a special “welcome back” package that’s priced to sell
• Leverage the power of word-of-mouth marketing by running a 30-day referral program where anyone who refers a paying client to you receives a $100 American Express gift card (or another incentive)
• Do a direct mail campaign sending a sales letter or postcard to you target market with a special spring promotion

These are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing. The key is to make sure you don’t lose sight of serving the very clients you went into business to help.

If you’re a solopreneur and have a web presence, surely you’ve at least thought about launching a product or program (if you haven’t done so already). But if you still don’t have a signature system to call your own, you’re missing out on a ton of benefits. Here are the top five.

Reason #1: Instant Credibility

Having a branded program or product instantly boosts you from being a run-of-the-mill coach/consultant/author/fill-in-the-blank to a bona fide expert in your field. In fact, creating a system all your own can provide the same—if not better—benefits than authoring a traditional book. Only it’s much easier and less expensive, and you can sell information products and specialized programs for a heck of a lot more than a book!

Reason #2: Client Attraction

Most solopreneurs—scratch that—all solopreneurs, are multi-faceted, multi-dimensional and multi-talented. It comes with the territory. But when you offer prospective clients too many services, they become confused about what it is you do. And once confusion sets in, converting a prospective client to a paying client becomes virtually impossible. Instead, you want to make it crystal clear that your services are an exact match for something that potential clients WANT badly. By wrapping up all the great benefits you offer into a beautiful system with a glimmering bow on top, your irresistibleness goes through the roof.

Reason #3: Sharper Focus

There’s perhaps no better exercise to bring focus around what you do than trying to put it into writing in an organized, step-by-step fashion. For some, this process can seem daunting. But by carefully reflecting on and closely observing exactly how you work with clients, you’ll achieve greater focus in your work and will become even better at what you do.

Reason #4: Simplified Marketing

One of the biggest complaints we hear from solopreneurs is that they have trouble attracting clients. But once we look at their marketing strategy, it’s no wonder. Why? Because they’re jumping from one bright shiny marketing tactic to the next, leaving themselves spread thinner than butter on toast. Having a signature system can change all that immediately because it unifies all your efforts around a central theme.

Reason #5: Cash Infusion

Perhaps the biggest benefit of all is that having a product or program that you can offer to many people at once (or, in the case of an info product that can sell even when you’re lounging on the beach in Flic en Flac, Mauritius) can create a very lucrative cash infusion for your business. Why? Because once you put the effort into creating the signature system the first time, you can then turn your full attention to selling it again and again and again.

So if you’re still sitting on the sidelines, waiting to get your info product out of your head and onto paper, there’s a great call coming up that you don’t want to miss. As with anything, the success of your program or product is all in the marketing: it’s all in HOW you launch your product, course or seminar.

Self-made multimillionaire Ali Brown has perfected product launches and turned it into an art form. In fact, she recently sold over $600,000 worth of a product in just ONE WEEK, and she’s going to be sharing exactly how she did it. And the best part is that Ali focuses on making the process as simple as possible.

If you want in on this simple, step-by-step process to make your product and program launch easy and lucrative, then you’ll want to sign up for her FREE upcoming call: “Secrets to Enjoying Six-Figure Online Product and Program Launches.” Do your business justice by participating, and learn how to access the specifics you’ll need to execute an amazing launch. Reserve your seat here now.

The call is happening March 31 at 8 PM. But even if you can’t listen live, I encourage you to sign up so that you can listen to the replay. Here’s what you’ll take away:

*The 5 simple steps it takes to plan an extremely profitable online launch for your products and programs.

*How to pull off a six-figure launch with little to no team or staff.

*Ways to keep your launch simple yet successful – using tools you’re likely already using or are even FREE – NO complex webinars or videos required. It’s all about maximizing what you already have!

*Secrets to using social media for your launches – Twitter and Facebook can work wonders even for those of you with small or nonexistent email lists. (Everyone has to start somewhere!)

*Exciting details on the debut of her BRAND NEW “Product Launch System,” which will lay out for you, step-by-step, how to do your own profitable launch with ease.

Again, learn more and register for this complimentary call, which is taking place on Wednesday, March 31 by going here.

I’ll be listening in too. Don’t miss it!

Reserve your spot here now.

FULL DISCLOSURE: This blog article contains an affiliate link. So, if you purchase this product, we’ll receive a few bucks.

Yum!!! Hotcakes + butter + syrup = a pretty irresistible package. Personally, I could eat pancakes every single day and never tire of them. In fact, when I was pregnant with our twin boys, I made my husband take me out for pancakes every single Saturday and Sunday morning for months.

But let me ask you this: Is your information product just as irresistible? Is it selling like hotcakes? Or has your e-book, special report, tool kit, home study course, audio seminar series, [fill in the blank], been collecting dust?

If it’s the latter, don’t worry. You are NOT alone!

The thing is, when you first discover the world of passive revenue streams and come to understand the concept of leveraging your time, it can be intoxicating. You see all these folks out there who are either making windfalls with their own info products or they’re selling you their “proven” info product creation system while proclaiming how “easy” it is to make millions online.

Before you know it, you’re filled with so much excitement and anticipation you can hardly contain yourself.

Unfortunately, however, what ends up happening to a lot of folks is that after they invest all this time, energy and money into creating an e-product, they launch it only to see their shopping cart go dead.

So what happened? Where did they go wrong? Well, here’s the good news. When you get right down to it, there are ONLY 3 reasons why you’re info product isn’t selling. All you have to do is figure out which one (or more) of the following is the problem and then take the necessary action to correct it.

I recommend fixing things in the order I present the possible issues below. Otherwise, if you fix problem #3, but you’re product is also suffering from problem #1, then you still won’t sell a darn thing!

Okay. So let’s dig in.

Problem #1: You created an information product about something that the market didn’t ask for and doesn’t want.

Ouch. Yes, this one hurts the most. After all, when this happens it’s typically because you’ve created an information product around something that you feel passionate about. Something you believe is important. Something you believe can truly help others. And it hurts when the market says, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

But alas, that’s business! And in today’s world, people buy what they WANT… not necessarily what they NEED.

The Fix: Start by doing some homework to see if you can find a related problem that is of value to your audience. A smart place to start is by looking for other info products or educational resources on the same or similar subject that are selling like hotcakes.

While you’ll want to bring a fresh perspective for sure, don’t think for a minute that just because someone else has “written the book” on X, Y or Z, that you can’t also write about it. In fact, when people are in a place where they want to learn all about owning real estate, for example, they’re not going to read ONLY one book. They’re going to seek out as much information as they can possibly find on that topic!

So, more than likely, if you do a little digging you can find a new angle or similar topic and end up salvaging at least part of your content by incorporating it into the new and improved info product.

Problem #2: Your ideal customer doesn’t know about your product.

There are two reasons your ideal customers might not know about your product. The first is because you’re talking to the wrong customers. You think your product is perfect for Group A over here, but in reality it’s a better fit for Group B over there.

Here’s an example. A writing coach creates a special report all about how to write your own fictional novel. Only that’s a product trying to reach a really broad target audience. And, while a lot of people talk about writing fiction, often a strong desire to get started isn’t there.

On the other hand, solopreneurs who want to create market buzz and establish themselves as experts have a strong degree of desire. By simply tweaking the focus of the e-book to “how to write your first non-fiction book so that you get noticed,” the writing coach would be able to tap into an easier-to-find audience that also is ready to take action.

Another reason your customers don’t know about your info product is because you haven’t told them. Oh, sure. You have a sales page and maybe you’ve sent out some tweets and some Facebook updates. But you’ve only captured maybe 1% of the total number of eyeballs that you should be reaching.

One thing I see today is that folks think with social media that they don’t have to PAY for advertising. And that, my friends, is a BIG MISTAKE.

The fact is, like it or not, you have to be willing to SPEND MONEY on advertising. You know the adage, “it takes money to make money”? Well, in a sense, it’s true. I’m not suggesting you have to spend your entire life’s savings. But you do have to invest some time and money into advertising if you’re going to generate considerable sales.

(And it’s perfectly okay, by the way, to not spend on advertising if you’re okay with mediocre sales. But when you see big shots making six figures or more, trust me, those folks are spending money to get eyeballs!)

The Fix: Go back and look at your marketing strategy. Are you targeting the right people? Are you reaching enough of them? And are you reaching out to them with the right frequency and with the right level of visibility?

Problem #3: You’ve confused the heck out of your target customers.

Okay. So let’s assume that you created an info product that the market said it wanted and you know for sure because you spent time up front figuring out what people want. (Smart cookie!)

Then, you figured out how to reach these people and you invested some dollars to make sure you could get in front of them. Only, now they STILL aren’t buying.

This probably means you’ve confused your audience. In other words, they’re not able to make the leap between WHAT THEY NEED and WHAT YOU HAVE.

And this, friends, is a communication barrier. You’ve picked some name for your e-book or tool kit that makes all the sense in the world to you, only your prospects are walking right past it.

The Fix: You need a title that IMMEDIATELY tells people “Hey Joe! You see this? This is for you! It’s EXACTLY what YOU need to solve that problem that’s been giving you a huge headache!”

Key things to include in your title include the “name” of your target audience, the pain point they are struggling with and the end result you’ll help them achieve. Here’s an example:

“7 Secrets to a Successful Day Spa: How Salon Owners Struggling to Stay in Business Can Instantly Have Customers Coming Back Again and Again”

The target audience: Salon Owners

The pain: Struggling to stay in business

The end result: A successful day spa thanks to repeat customers

If you’re not sure if your title is on the right track, ask a handful of people (who aren’t already familiar with the info product) to read the title and then tell you what they THINK it’s about. If it’s not at all close, you know you have some work to do.

Can success be guaranteed?

It’s a fair question for anyone about to take a leap of faith to ask, isn’t it? I mean if you’re thinking about starting your own business or creating a new information product or launching a big new coaching program or investing in a new training program, wouldn’t it be nice to know if success can be guaranteed?

Even if you know, understand and practice the Law of Attraction, you can’t help but at times find yourself wondering, “Is this really going to work?”

The thing is, sometimes even the “sure things” aren’t so “sure” after all.

Imagine, for example, if a big-time Hollywood producer came to you and said: “I’ve got a can’t-miss opportunity for you to invest in. I’ve hired Tim Burton as the director, and the all-star cast includes some of the hottest names in Hollywood, including Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Christina Applegate, Jack Black, Natalie Portman and more. Plus, we’ve given Burton an $80 million budget!”

Now, I’m no expert on films. But I know I’d be chomping at the bit to get in on this! I mean, after all, if all those people want to be a part of this project and it has an award-winning director and substantial budget then it’s GUARANTEED to be a success. Right?

Wrong!

For all you movie buffs out there, you’ve probably figured out by now that I’m talking about the 1996 film Mars Attacks!

Was the movie a blockbuster success? Hardly. It did at least break even at the box office. And it has become a “cult favorite” of sorts among satire enthusiasts. So it wasn’t a complete catastrophe.

But if you’ve never seen it, well, let’s just say it was painful. I personally remember thinking to myself, “Will this ever end? Please…someone…put me out of my misery!”

So what went wrong? A big-time director. An all-star cast. A sizeable budget.

Well, in this case it was the script—by all measures a complete debacle from start to finish.

Okay, so I’m sure I’m going to get some comments from folks who loved this movie. And hey, we’re all entitled to our movie opinions! But the numbers don’t lie. The movie barely made it into the black even though the studio thought it would be a runaway success.

So what’s my point?

Well, I don’t know if SUCCESS can be guaranteed. But I do know that failure—or at least mediocre results—is guaranteed if a major piece of the puzzle is missing.

In fact, for many solopreneurs, the success they’re having (or not having) is more about what they’re NOT doing than about what they are doing. For whatever reason, folks decide to skip this piece here or that piece there, mistakenly believing that the strengths of the other pieces will more than compensate.

However, we’ve all seen the results of what happens when a critical ingredient is missing. (Right, Mr. Burton?)

So if you’re not having the success you desire in your business… if you feel like you’re stuck in second gear… if you’ve done an info product launch and it fizzled… if your income has hit a plateau… or if you’re going in circles trying to get clarity and focus, then ask yourself, “What piece of the puzzle am I missing?”

If you’re not sure, then I invite you to join Toni and me for a FREE call on Feb. 10, “How to Create Your Ideal Business that Sells for You Naturally!”

We’ll be sharing our 5-step formula that will take some of that uncertainty out of achieving success so that you can share your passion and gifts with the world, create an abundance of wealth and prosperity in your life and have the freedom and flexibility you desire.

Don’t be fooled by the name. This call is for BOTH people who are just starting out, as well as for those of you who think a course correction might be in order.

I hope we see you on the call! Sign up here!