Episode number 868.
10 ways to create referrals for life.
You're listening to the official B ipod asked
with B and I founder and chief visionary
officer, doctor Ivan Me.
Stay tuned for networking and referral marketing tips
from the man who's been called the father
of modern networking,
along with suggestions and insights into getting the
most from your membership in the world's largest
networking
organization, B I.
Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the official
B and I podcast.
I'm priscilla and I'm coming to you from
Live oak recording studio in Berkeley, California,
and I'm joined on the phone today by
the founder and the Chief Visionary officer of
B and I, doctor Ivan Me.
Hello, Ivan. How are you? And where are
you? I am in Vietnam this week visiting
for B I conference. In in Vietnam... It's
my second visit there And
the first 1 was truly truly amazing in
great experience. Matter of fact, I have a
photograph literally,
just above my computer here,
of me at the Vietnamese conference. The last
time was is there about 8 or 9
years ago. So
excited to be back here.
Yeah. Is is it a big group in
In vienna? Yeah. There's lots and lots of
members very successful B and I chapter there.
They they... They're doing a great job.
Oh, that's cool.
So I've gotten a lot of content in
this presentation. Let me jump in. It's
as you said 10 ways to create referrals
for life.
And so for those of your listening,
pull out your pencil and paper and take
notes because, I'm gonna give you lots of
content here to
share with your fellow members.
You know, we know that referrals play a
role in the success of of every business
and establishing
lasting referral connections is absolutely essential. For any
sustained growth in business.
Referral tend to yield much better results in
bringing in business to a company compared to
other lead generation methods
or marketing strategies and when someone for your
business services or products. It comes with a
recommendation that boosts the likelihood
of converting connections into sales. That's really important.
That's 1 of the reasons why referrals are
so
valuable.
So generating referrals requires more effort though than
some marketing tactics.
You know, and it's also more cost effective
than a lot of marketing tactics.
According to a nielsen dot com global survey
of 29000
people, 84 percent of those responding said that
they prefer
recommendations from people they know.
That was the number 1 selection relating to
the question to what extent do you trust
the following forms of advertising?
And so
referrals from people they know is what is
number 1.
So building referrals for life. That's what B
and I really is about. And it's not
an event, It's not a quick solution. When
it's done right, it should be a process
rather than a 1 time
endeavor.
So networking is an enduring investment that demands
effort and dedication to nurturing relationships with your
referral partners. This is important in understanding of
ABI group. To journey, not a destination. It's
something that you're working on to create referrals
for life. So there there are 10 recommendations
that I've got to do this. 1 is
to cultivate
a mindset
centered on referrals.
It's really crucial to adopt a mindset that's
focused on generating referrals when network and and
fostering connections. And when you prioritize,
assisting others over focusing on your immediate personal
gains
develop
relationship building mindset that values
helping and supporting people. And by being attentive
to others needs and seeking ways to aid
them and reach their objectives, you can establish
the kind of trust
that allows people to feel comfortable
referring business to. That's number 1, number 2.
In build strong relationships, which is 1 of
our core values.
Establishing connections is essential for fostering referrals and
to build these connections It's crucial to embody,
authenticity,
honesty,
reliability,
being a good listener,
Good network adds 2 ears in 1 mouth
uses them both proportionately.
Demonstrating interest in others following through on your
promises. These are key aspects of nurturing strong
relationships.
3,
educate your network.
This is really important B and I. It's
about, you know, training a salesforce not closing
a sale each week. So educating your network
is often overlooked
as as part of the referral process.
In order to cultivate referrals, it's important to
educate those within your network about the business
and and your offerings that you have in
your business.
So that this involves more than making a
sale, and entails equip be in your network
with the knowledge they need
to refer your business to other people.
By helping them grasp what sets your business
apart and how you can benefit others, you
effectively conveying the value
that you provide to your clients or customers.
Number 4 is deliver exceptional service. Now this
one's clearly
obvious and very important. So delivering great service
plays a vital role in generating long lasting
referrals when you provide exceptional service your clients,
our customers turn into your
advocates.
And they're more inclined to refer you to
others because they have faith in what you
do and the value that you provide. So
providing service involves,
exceeding
expectations and anticipating clients needs and, of course,
fulfilling their commitments,
are your commitments to them,
you know, in B I, there's no place
to hide. You're gonna see them every week.
So you better do a good job for
the people that are giving you referrals.
Number 5 is to ask for referral noise.
Isn't it interesting that that's not number 1.
It's number 5 because there's other things you
gotta do before you're asking referrals.
So,
once you've established credibility with people, which takes
time. It's important to ask for referrals and
while this may seem straightforward, many business owners
overlook,
asking referrals from individuals so that they have
relationship with. It's beneficial to make it a
routine to seek referrals from clients or customers.
We know that in B and I,
But you gotta build that relationship before you
really, you know, start asking for referrals even
within the B and I context.
Now when you're requesting referrals be specific about
who you would like to be referred to
and why,
specific is terrific when it comes to doing
your weekly
presentation. And it may sound counterintuitive intuitive because
we like to say everything we do in,
you know, the time we have. But the
truth is to The more laser specific you
can be, the more likely you are to
to strike a chord with somebody where they
remember,
something about you that allows them to refer
you more effectively.
Number 6 is,
give referrals. 1 way to get referrals is
by giving referrals yourself and when you refer
someone, it creates a quicker potential relationship for
both parties and involved. It demonstrates your willingness
to assist others,
and it also enhances the chances of receiving
referrals and return. So make it a practice
to actively look for opportunities to recommend businesses
that share your values and standards. That's an
important aspect of creating referrals for life. Number
7, stay connected touch points are critical. It's
1 of the reasons why we have weekly
meetings in B and I is that regular
connection. So keep connected with your network by
following up with them. This could be done
through emails, phone calls, social media interactions, of
course, face to face, meetings or Zoom.
Calls 1 of the other we do in
B and I. And by staying connected, you
keep your business at the forefront of their
mind. To the... It it shows that you
value the relationship beyond just business
transactions. I find it interesting Sometimes people, you
know, they go out I've made these connections
in B and I. I'm gonna step down
and I don't need to... I don't need
to go to the B I meetings anymore
and people will just give me referrals. They
don't. They don't. Well, If you stop going
to be an meetings, there's somebody in your
profession that's gonna join that chapter and they're
gonna start giving referrals to that person.
So don't do that. Stay connected, keep going
to those meetings.
On number 8 is leverage social media, platforms
like Linkedin,
Instagram, x.
Previously Twitter, and Facebook all service tools for
maintaining
existing
relationships,
And sometimes even establishing new ones, I, I
said, I'm very active in social media, I
believe in social media I don't think it's
necessarily the best way. To build your business,
but it's a great way to stay connected
with people. So using social media
is a way to connect with potential clients,
and existing clients and referral partners,
share valuable content, engage in industry specific groups
stay updated to the latest news,
I recommend being active in social media and
I certainly am.
On number 9, attend networking events, what a
shock.
Attend networking events is an opportunity to meet
people establish and nurture,
relationships, generate referral possibilities look for events tailored
to your industry, of course, things like B
and I meetings when you attend these these
meetings,
you know, remember to go there prepared to
talk about what it is that you do
and to do it concise so that people
can remember who you are and what you
do. And number 10,
Show gratitude.
Expressing gratitude when someone refers you to a
client or customer is essential.
You can show appreciation by sending a thank
you note a gift or offering a discount
on your services,
demonstrating gratitude strengthens the relationships and leaves an
impression that may result in more referrals in
the future, noise always surprises me when
members tell me that they've given referrals to
somebody and they've never shown any gratitude for
those referrals that that they've sent their way.
That's a stake, you wanna create referrals for
life. You wanna show gratitude when people give
you referrals.
So by incorporating
these
strategies
into your networking efforts over time, you can
cultivate lasting
relationships. It contribute to sustainable business growth,
and keep in mind that building relationships is
a commitment that pays off over
time. This is not a rich quick scheme.
It's a way to build a solid foundation
for a long term,
successful business and it demands ongoing efforts.
Lifetime referrals go beyond just endorsements.
They until nurturing during connections, within your network,
delivering top notch service
and consistently
enriching the lives of others it signifies a
level of
approval and plays a pivotal role in fostering
lasting growth. For any
enterprise. Let me give you the the the
10 items again, cultivate a mindset centered on
referrals
Number 2, build strong relationships. Number 3,
educate your network really important in B I,
number 4, deliver exceptional service.
Number 5, ask for referrals. Number 6. Give
referrals. Number 7 stay connected. Number 8.
Leverage
social media, number 9, attend networking events and
number 10,
show gratitude,
That was a lot of
information in dinner 12 minutes today, Priscilla.
Yeah. I I hope this the members found
this of value.
It's very interesting and it's a a great
list. I wrote it all down, Ivan.
It'll be a test next week 40 so.
Okay. Great. Thank you. I think that's it
for this week, Doctor Me. Thank you so
much for the great information. This podcast is
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This is Priscilla rice, and we look forward
to having you join us again next week
for another exciting episode of the official B
and I podcast.