Personal Financial Planning Concepts

If you are frustrated about generating small amounts of new business the chances are you should devote more time to obtaining references from existing satisfied customers.

Generating referrals can start at the very first meeting with a new client. Inform the new client about yourself and your business and tell them that you acquire many of your new customers through referrals and client recommendations. If you change the subject then try to remind the new customer of this again later in the conversation, the customer will not be surprised when you refer back.

Sales people, who don’t ask, don’t get and are often ignored. Clients will never give referrals of their own back. So try to get into the habit of always asking for referrals, what harm can it do. The right time to ask for a referral is when you feel the customer is completely satisfied with your services. If your order fell through for whatever reason but you felt you helped the customer with advise or guidance, contact them and ask for the referral still, if it was on their part the order did not materialise then the customer will more than likely fell some guilt and be happy to offer a referral.

Another way of generating great referrals within the same client group can be to ask if they have any friends or relatives or close working relationships with other companies. Everyone usually has good friends in other workplaces. Try to ask for at least three contacts form one client, this number has been proven to be a realistic but not an excessive amount of information to ask any one for. Be wary of exceeding this amount as you do not want to upset or irritate the one customer you already have.

If you feel that the direct approach is not working for you, try asking the customer if they will be prepared to do this for you. Once again if you have helped the client out for free, they will more than likely accept this request as a favour. Once again be wary of excessive use of calling in favours as this can work against you in the long run.

Using a referral form is a trick to use when asking for references where customers can write down client names. By simply handing over this form, your sending a two non verbal messages over, please complete this form and this is normal practice. Always get the full details you require such as a full name, contact number and email address. How annoying do you get when you receive a mail shot with your name spelt incorrectly.

When you make contact with perspective clients from your list, try to mention who gave you their name and number and always try to compliment the client on their products or services. If you become complimentary about the person you are talking to then this information can be documented and used as a good opener of you ever meet that person.

Brand marketing is all about enhancing the mindshare of one’s products or services. The aim is for your brand name to be at the top of the consumer’s mind at the mere mention of generic terms relating to your company’s services. Arguably the best way of keeping that mindshare is by having a constant presence where your customers are. In this day and age of electronic commerce, there’s no better place to turn to than the World Wide Web.

Markets are conversations, so it is said. And the Web is perhaps the biggest conversation taking place, with exchanges of information going about the world in lightning speed, as people please-whether they be in email messages, forums, chats, or blogs. How people talk about your brand on the Web can make or break your reputation as a company, or your brand’s reputation as a product or service.

This is where blogs come in handy. The advent of the so-called Web 2.0 ushered in a concept previously unheard of in media and related industries-the massive democratization of content. Web 2.0, among other things, basically lets the consumers of information become the creators of content themselves. The Web is moving away from content with central editorial control, such as newspapers and magazines. Today’s most popular websites are not those controlled by one central group, but include mostly community- and enduser-managed sites, such as Wikipedia and DIGG.com.

Blogs let any individual or group join in on the big conversation. You write about anything online, and someone will eventually read your posts. That person can choose to talk back, and if so, a conversation is started. What’s great is that this conversation is open to the public, and anyone can join in or at least read what’s been going on.

In starting a blog, you can talk about your company’s services, or about the industry you are presently in. It would be fantastic for people to read what you write, and to respond by writing on their own blogs, or commenting on yours. You now have a direct line to your consumer-base. Isn’t that great? You are now able to get a feel of what the consumer wants. What’s more, your presence on the Web boosts recognition of your brand.

Consider adding more people to your army of bloggers-employees, partners, clients (or even hired freelancers), and the effect is multiplied. Your company is no longer represented by a stone-cold establishment. Your brand is represented by names, by faces-that of bloggers!

One notable success story in a “brand” blogging endeavor is Microsoft, the software giant considered by many people to be the “evil empire.”  For so long, Microsoft has been the epitome of the stone-cold establishment. It had no human face, save for key persons like Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer-executives and officers whom people don’t really know. Microsoft’s brand name had also been suffering because of anti-trust lawsuits being filed here and there. Something had to be done, or Microsoft’s brand might be further associated with “evil.”