document.write('<p><b><font class="heading">How To Make Your Business Explode With More Referrals</font></b></p><p><font class="text">');
document.write('Who are the very best new customers you get? Who is most likely to buy from you and continue being a good customer in th');
document.write('e future? Isn\'t it a prospective customer who was referred to you by another customer who is an advocate for your busine');
document.write('ss?</p><p>Referrals are the best prospective customers because they have already developed some trust for you and your');
document.write(' company. Their defenses are down, and their minds and hearts are open. These are the ideal conditions for doing busines');
document.write('s.</p><p>The most expensive customers to get are those in the &quot;cold market,&quot; through advertising or other pr');
document.write('omotional activities. Yet that\'s where most of the marketing effort for companies seems to go. You can market much more ');
document.write('effectively by devoting more of your organization\'s time and resources to developing referrals.</p><p></b>You can enco');
document.write('urage your customers to give you more referrals.</b></p><p><b>1. You must deserve referrals.</b> You have to deliver t');
document.write('he products and awesome service that people can\'t help talking about.</p><p><b>2. You must ask for referrals.</b> At t');
document.write('he end of every sales interview, whether you make a sale or not, you must ask for referrals. When you make a sale, you h');
document.write('ave only completed one-half of your mission. The other half is to get referrals. Don\'t leave the job half done. To encou');
document.write('rage the customer to make referrals, help him isolate people in his or her mind: Is there a business associate, like him');
document.write(' or her, who you can talk to? A customer? A supplier? Is there a golf buddy? Listen for names that come up during your c');
document.write('onversation.</p><p>Script a brief profile or description of what you are looking for in a prospective customer. Trigge');
document.write('r the customer\'s mental search with the question, &quot;Who do you know who... (give profile)? If he or she was here, ri');
document.write('ght now, you wouldn\'t hesitate to introduce us, would you? That\'s all I\'m asking you to do.&quot;</p><p>If the custome');
document.write('r hesitates to give a name, Frank Bettger came up with this strategy. &quot;That\'s all right, Mr. Wright. I think I unde');
document.write('rstand how you feel. Give me the name of someone you know, under fifty, who is making money. I promise you I\'ll never me');
document.write('ntion your name.&quot; &quot;Mr. Wright, my name is Bettger. I\'m in the life insurance business. A mutual friend gave me');
document.write(' your name with the understanding that I wouldn\'t mention his name. He told me that you have been very successful, and t');
document.write('hat you would be a good man for me to talk to. Could you spare five minutes now, or would you rather I stop by some othe');
document.write('r time?&quot;</p><p>The prospective customers never asked who made the referral, and some of these people were Frank\'s');
document.write(' best leads. (Bettger, <i>How I Multiplied My Income &amp; Happiness In Selling</i>.)</p><p>Part of our introductory p');
document.write('rocedure for new clients is to review a list of &quot;Our Commitments To Each Other.&quot; The final client commitment i');
document.write('s: &quot;You will consider referring to us at least two other business persons whom you believe would benefit from an as');
document.write('sociation from us.&quot; The expectation of providing referrals is planted at the beginning of our relationship.</p><p');
document.write('><b>3. Show appreciation.</b> This is the real key to continuing receiving leads from a customer and cultivating him or ');
document.write('her as a center of influence. Thank the customer for making the referral. Write a thank-you note. Call the customer with');
document.write(' a report of the results of your interview. Make a big, appreciative fuss about the wonderful thing your customer has do');
document.write('ne. Give thank-you gifts in appreciation: send flowers, take him or her out to dinner, or give tickets to a show or athl');
document.write('etic event.</p><p>What is appropriate considering the lifetime value of a customer for your business? Many people buil');
document.write('d their businesses with customer appreciation events. For example, marketing guru Dan Kennedy knows a chiropractor who h');
document.write('as <i>a monthly patient appreciation luncheon</i> where he gives jeweled appreciation pins to patients who made referral');
document.write('s that month. There are different &quot;levels&quot; indicated by different jewels. Shades of Amway and Mary Kay! Patien');
document.write('ts are invited to bring family members to the luncheon to see them receive their award, which is given with an appreciat');
document.write('ive hug by the chiropractor. Photographs of the luncheons are posted in the reception room.</p><p><b>Important Questio');
document.write('ns:</b></p><p>If this were your chiropractor, would you want to make a referral?</p><p>How can you use this extremel');
document.write('y powerful idea to build your business?</p><p>If you use salespeople in your business, do you train them in how to get');
document.write(' referrals from customers?</p><p>Do you maintain a file of all customers who buy your products for follow up promotion');
document.write('s encouraging referrals?</p><p>We can work with you to help build strong referrals for your business.</p>');