By Dan Kennedy<\/b><\/p>\n
The Secret of Getting Referrals<\/b><\/p>\n
There has never been any argument in advertising circles that the most effective business advertising is word-of-mouth advertising.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why direct selling is so dramatically successful as a method of marketing every imaginable product and service, and why direct selling is such a great business in which to be.<\/p>\n
As a direct salesperson conversationally telling another person why you like a particular product, you are much more convincing advertisement than any TV commercial or magazine ad.<\/p>\n
The tremendous persuasiveness of your personal endorsement of a product is what word-of-mouth advertising is all about.\u00a0 Much to the chagrin of professional ad agencies, such word-of-mouth advertising cannot be purchased.\u00a0 But you, as a direct salesperson, can put this special type of advertising power to work for your business.<\/p>\n
Because you are fortunate to be on friendly, personal terms with your customers, you can enlist their aid in promoting your services.\u00a0 You can actually turn your present customers into a personal advertising department.\u00a0 All you need to do is master the right way to ask for their help.<\/p>\n
Develop Personal Relations<\/b><\/p>\n
If you learn how to properly ask for their help, your customers will enthusiastically go to work advertising your business.\u00a0 This will help promote your services, lead you to scores of new services, and give you all the valuable benefits of word-of-mouth advertising.\u00a0 There are two types:<\/p>\n
1. The customer actually becomes an advertising agent and tells others about you and the service you provide.<\/p>\n
2.\u00a0The customer gives you referrals to people who may be good prospects and allows you to use their name as an endorsement.<\/p>\n
Either type can be extremely valuable in multiplying your customer list.<\/p>\n
Avoid Pressure<\/b><\/p>\n
The most important thing to remember is that this kind of help cannot be bought from your customers.\u00a0 It must never seem like you are offering a bribe in exchange for a list of names.\u00a0 As a rule, people will not \u201csell\u201d their friends to you.\u00a0 Offering an \u201cinducement\u201d also might raise doubts about the quality of your services.\u00a0 If they are as good as you say they are, why should you bribe people for their recommendations?<\/p>\n
Remember two very important things about human nature: first, people usually enjoy telling others about products they try and like.\u00a0 Second, people like to be appreciated.\u00a0 One way they get appreciated is by being helpful to others.<\/p>\n
In short, offer an incentive for help without appearing to be paying for it.<\/p>\n
Show Appreciation<\/b><\/p>\n
In this way, you\u2019re thanking the person, not bribing them.\u00a0 They\u2019ll be pleased, won\u2019t feel guilty, and will be more willing the next time you ask.<\/p>\n
The next time you call on that customer you should remember to again thank them for their help.\u00a0 Report to them on the reactions of the prospects they suggested.\u00a0 Let the person you know you did call on them, that Mrs. Jones did become a customer and purchased such and such, and that Mrs. Walters was interested but wished to purchase at a later date.<\/p>\n
In many cases, after reporting these results, you can obtain a couple of additional prospects from them.<\/p>\n
Prospects are the lifeblood of your business.\u00a0 Your greatest asset in direct sales is your inventory of prospective new customers.\u00a0 And there is no better way to maintain that inventory, converting prospects to customers, than by using the power of word-of-mouth advertising …with recommendations from your present, satisfied customers.\u00a0 Put this power to work now and watch your profits and your list of customers multiply.<\/p>\n
DAN S. KENNEDY<\/i><\/b> is a serial, multi-millionaire entrepreneur; highly paid and sought after marketing and business strategist; advisor to countless first-generation, from-scratch multi-millionaire and 7-figure income entrepreneurs and professionals; and, in his personal practice, one of the very highest paid direct-response copywriters in America. As a speaker, he has delivered over 2,000 compensated presentations, appearing repeatedly on programs with the likes of Donald Trump, Gene Simmons (KISS), Debbi Fields (Mrs. Fields Cookies), and many other celebrity-entrepreneurs, for former U.S. Presidents and other world leaders, and other leading business speakers like Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy and Tom Hopkins, often addressing audiences of 1,000 to 10,000 and up.\u00a0 His popular books have been favorably recognized by Forbes, Business Week, Inc. and Entrepreneur Magazine. His NO B.S. MARKETING LETTER, one of the business newsletters published for Members of Glazer-Kennedy Insider’s Circle, is the largest paid subscription newsletter in its genre in the world.<\/i><\/p>\n