Referral Engine Tune-Up: Cultivating the Referral Expectation

When you ask most people who work in the professional services what the single most important factor is to growing their business in the long term, they will tell that it is establishing a steady source of high quality referrals. However, when you ask most of these individuals exactly what kind of formal system they have in place for generating these so coveted referrals, you’ll be shocked by just how few professional firms and practices have a concrete answer in place. The Advisory Board’s Marketing Jump Start program is designed to train professionals how to implement an energy efficient referral engine in place for your practice marketing campaign, beginning with creating the expectation for referrals amongst you professional network.

One of the biggest mistakes that professionals across all industries make is assuming that referrals are generated as a natural byproduct of delivering top-notch professional services. The truth of the matter is that even your most valued clients need to be educated so that they now how, why and when to refer their contacts to your business. While most clients are perfectly happy to spread the word about products and services that they appreciate, you’ll find that the average client is not familiar with the full scope of your services and target market unless you educate them accordingly.

Sowing the seeds for the expectation for referrals can be as simple as a casual conversation before or after a business meeting or appointment. For example, a healthcare professional seeking referrals for a medical practice marketing campaign might take a moment after working with a well-known patient to discuss some of the other services that he provides and mention that his office is currently accepting new patients. When it comes to clients that you have been working with for some time and have established a good rapport, simply asking why you have not heard from any of his or her associates regarding your services may an appropriate method of greasing the wheels of your referral engine and firmly establishing an expectation for referrals in the future.

Our Marketing Jump Start program devotes an entire module to Developing a Robust Referral Engine that will walk you through the step-by-step program of turning your existing professional network into a lead generating machine that you will be able to rely on for years to come for your professional services marketing needs. Take a moment to sign up to today for a free Solid Marketing Foundation module packed with tips, tricks and tools that will have you building your professional practice immediately.