Question 5: “Are You Likely To Refer?”

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“If a friend, colleague, family member, etc. asked you . . .
on a scale of  ‘1 – 10’ . . . HOW LIKELY are you to refer us?”

I used to ask, “Would you refer us?”.  The problem with that kind of question is that it leaves no room for shades of grey.

So I’m advising you to use a 1 -10 scale to identify someone’s degree of willingness to refer.  This allows your client to tell you, “Well, I’d say 6”.  That should then prompt you to ask the next question: “OK, what would I have to change . . . for you to say “10”?”

KEY POINT:
Going to your clients to learn, directly, WHY you are so remark-able . . . is a key to becoming more refer-able. Remember, this is about learning what it takes, on your part, to be worthy of being referred.  And, If you’re not quite ‘there’ yet, this will tell you how to get there soon!

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Question 3: “What Would You Change?”

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“Change Happens” is a great saying.  Substitute anything else you’d like for ‘change’, but it does happen.  And growth accompanies it.  Usually.  Your business is no exception.

Feedback Makes You MORE Remark-able and Refer-able
Problem is . . . we don’t invite feedback about what we might want to change.  Not often enough.  Not from our clients.  But they know us best.  Right?  So invite feedback –– not to beat yourself up, but to make yourself and your business as competitive as possible!

So Question #3 is:  “WHAT would you change about our business . . . and, WHY?”
Listen closely.  You’ll hear opportunities to be even more remarkable than you are now.

KEY POINT:
Learning WHAT your best clients would change and WHY will keep you competitive, remarkable and very referable, too.

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Question 2: “Who ELSE . . . and . . . WHY?”

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As helpful as it is to learn why YOU are so attractive to your Ideal Client, you’ll also want to know who else might be your client’s ‘Next Best . . . Fling’. So here’s question #2:
“If I wasn’t available to work with you . . . WHO ELSE would you consider using to gain the benefit I’ve provided to you?”

Don’t take it personally, but you’re never the only fish in the sea.  Granted, you looked like the BEST fish to your client.  But there are others. There always are. So you want to know WHO ELSE your Ideal client is aware of and WHY they’d consider using them.

WHO and WHY
Asking ‘who else’ reveals your serious competitors.  Asking ‘why’ your Ideal Client feels they merit consideration reveals their value proposition.  This helps you position yourself and your services relative to your true competition.  A friend of mine – Fred Wergeles – calls this ‘competitive intelligence’.  Intelligence and insight are always good to have!

KEY POINT:
Learning who your competition is and why they’re attractive will help you remain more competitive!

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Question 1: “Why Us?”

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Why do people perceive you and your business to be remarkable?

In The Referral Machine™ consultation project, you learn that being refer-able requires being remark-able. If people don’t find you remarkable, why would they refer anyone to you?  As John Jantsch, Founder of Duct Tape Marketing likes to say, “People don’t refer a BORING business”.

Survey Your Best (and, most recent!) Clients
When you do, you’ll want to learn several very specific things by asking equally specific questions.  Here’s the first one:

“What moved you to choose our firm?”
This is NOT about what someone needed or wanted from you.  It’s about why you / your firm was the ‘Preferred Provider’ of the service you render.  You want to learn WHY, after the ‘beauty contest’ was over, your firm was the one wearing the tiara and carrying the roses!

Learn why you ‘stand out’ to the people who vote on your ‘value proposition’ with their checkbooks and pocketbooks and you have quite a powerful insight . . . one that will help you identify and maintain the competitive edge that will drive you to the bank a little more often, with a lot more money!

KEY POINT:
Learn why your firm ‘Stood Out’ from the competitors as a PREFERRED PROVIDER

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Remark-ability and Refer-ability

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Testimonials vs. Referrals
Testimonials are endorsements that address ‘obstacles’ that can keep a prospective client from taking a ‘Next Step’ with you.  That’s why you collect and use testimonials –– to address obstacles to taking action by a prospect for your services.

Referrals are endorsements that position you as a PREFERRED PROVIDER of your services relative to other firms or providers in your field or marketing area. The referror’s endorsement of you makes selling your services much, much easier than if you meet prospects through other means.

Remark-ability is THE key to Refer-ability
In The Referral Machine™ — a program I offer, we contend that to be refer-able you must also be remark-able. Meaning?  People won’t refer TO you if they don’t think much OF you.

A Remark-able Experience is an Aligned Experience
When the experience you offer aligns with the expectations (or, exceeds them) of your Ideal Client, you have a competitive edge, marketing-wise.  So how do you learn what makes you remark-able?  ASK your clients.  Your best clients.  The ones who’ve already voted for you with their money.

In the next posts, I’ll show you precisely how to learn the basis of your remarkability (and, referability) by asking a few select questions of your best clients.  Stay tuned!

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The Obstacle To Buying

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Testimonials must come, of necessity, from clients who are actually benefitting from your problem-solving expertise.  That said, there are six (6) questions you can use to generate effective testimonials.  Here’s your first one . . .

“Think back to when you were first thinking about hiring me / buying my / etc. . . . there must have been some reason or reasons why you thought, “I dunno. Maybe this ISN’T such a good idea”.  Tell me, what what was arguing AGAINST your hiring / buying / using my services?”

The answer you hear will be an obstacle to buying what you offer.  And, since testimonials are used to address, defuse and overcome obstacles, you need to know what you must address, defuse and overcome to help other people become your client in the future.

You’ll hear a number of factors cited by your clients.  Each one reveals an obstacle and suggests an issue that a testimonial must address, defuse and overcome.  The more frequently a given obstacle is cited, the more important it is for you to be ready for it . . . with (what else?) an appropriate testimonial!

KEY POINT:
Learning WHY people hesitate to buy reveals WHAT a testimonial must address.

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Testimonials That Work #1 of 5

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Most of us are influenced by what other people do and say. Social psychologists call it ‘normative referencing’.  We want to be part of the ‘crowd’ and that means ‘listening’ to what others say, do, feel, think, believe.  Social is our nature.

It’s also why testimonials are so effective. As a marketer, what you tell me about yourself is inherently suspect.  You’re biased. That’s expected.

What’s better?  Comments from a credible source.  Your clients.  Normally, unlike our friend here, they have nothing to gain financially from endorsing your services.  And, if a client ‘looks like me’, then their words about you and your services have more potency for me.

Is there a key to a good testimonial? Good question.  Actually, there are several!

In the next few days, I’ll share what makes a testimonial effective and how to co-create good ones with your clients.

KEY POINT:
Testimonials reduce buying resistance but there’s an artform to generating effective ones!

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Got a Core Message, yet?

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You meet someone at an event.
You exchange introductions and pleasantries.
Question:  “Will what you say be memorable . . . to another person?”
If not, it may be hard for you to ‘stand out’ from the crowd of all the other people who are present at the event.

Solution:  Craft a Core Message that embodies the essence of your value proposition.  Often, it may be the best way for what you’re doing to ‘stand out’ in the Mind of someone you meet.

Examples:
Ben Franklin Plumbing: “If there’s any delay, it’s YOU we will pay”
Duct Tape Marketing: “Simple, effective and affordable small business marketing”
Pete’s Septic Service:  “When you can’t go, we’ll come!”
Johnson’s Plumbing:  “You call.  We come.  You flush”
Wolfe Design: “More great ideas per square inch than anyone else!”

A ‘core message’ is the distilled essence of the uniqueness and value your business offers. Smaller messages are easier to say.  They’re easier to remember, too. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to get called the next time someone needs the value you offer.

KEY POINT:
Craft a ‘Core Message’ as well as your ‘Elevator Pitch’

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What’s Your Core Difference?

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After positioning yourself as a SPECIALIST . . . understanding and communicating your ‘core difference’ is an essential element for attracting prospects to you and your practice.

To  learn what your core difference is, talk with your clients.

Client interviews can reveal some very useful insights.  For example, asking your recent clients (who presumably know your competitors) “Why did you choose our firm?”  and, “If we didn’t exist, which firm or provider would you go with?  Why?”.

That will tell you a) who your competition is, b) what their competitive position is and, c) why yours is more attractive.  Pretty powerful information!

KEY POINT:
Learning what clients find attractive . . . makes you more likely to attract them.

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Specialists Beat Generalists

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What makes you stand out to a prospect?

Niche –– a focus that differentiates you from others in your field.

If you were arrested and charged with a capital felony, would you want a ‘general’ lawyer to represent you or a lawyer who specializes in ‘criminal defense’ law?  I rest my case (no pun intended).

Being a specialist in some aspect of what you do positions you relative to other providers in your field.  All things being equal, it helps you ‘stand out’ as a Preferred Provider of your problem-solving expertise.

KEY POINT:
Specialists are more attractive than generalists. Being a ‘specialist’ positions you as a preferred provider in the eyes of prospective clients.

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