Making better referrals and intros
Think back on the best or most productive referral someone made for you. What made it so great? How did it help you?
As a service provider to business owners, my own business thrives or dies from the quality, fit, and timeliness of introductions and referrals made on my behalf to my ideal prospective clients. And I know the same is true for many others.
As a result, I've learned to hone the art of dot connecting and referral making by picking up ideas and best practices from others, along the way.
Earlier this week, when a friend asked me how to write referrals and intros, that got me thinking that it's more art than science. And, it's not really something that's taught.
Thus, I'd like to pass along 3 best practices I use and really appreciate seeing in intros and referrals:
Step 1: Lead with Context
Who is each person (include a link to each persons Linked In profile or website) and what do they do or need?
领英推荐
EXAMPLE: Heather - I'd like to introduce you to Mike. Mike developed a platform that monitors HVAC systems in large office buildings, and then recommends steps to improve energy efficiency.
Step 2: Define and connect the dots
Why and how do you think the people, pieces, and businesses fit together? Is there a specific capability, problem, need, or situation that you're aware of that the parties should discuss or collaborate on? Make it clear and specific.
EXAMPLE: Mike, When we spoke last week you told me your number one problem is consistently generating in-bound leads from ideal clients who have an immediate need for your capabilities. Heather is a master at building marketing funnels that do exactly that!
Step 3: Share a personal experience and/or result
How has either person helped or created value for you, your clients, or people you know? What was the result of their work? How does working with them make you feel?
EXAMPLE: Heather has helped our clients build marketing funnels that have consistently delivered dozens of high quality organic and paid leads, each month. She removes the headaches and hurdles, so that the entire build, manage, and optimize process is easy and effective. Put simply, she gets results.
What lessons and best practices would you add? Share them in the comments below.
Business Change Management Coach - Helping Business Owners Deal With the Emotional Side Of Life
1 年I would add giving them something to do while waiting for the 2 of them to connect - example, Heather, you can check out Mike's website here or this training video etc while you're waiting to connect with Mike. Checking this out will help your convo with Mike to be more productive.
Problem Solver | Value Creator | Marketing Leader
3 年Hello, this is my friend Jeff who knows how to make great intros and I’d like to introduce you to. Happy connecting ????
Really good context Jeff, stealing this to use with some of my future intros - to your question, one thing I always consider when making intros is personality compatibility as well, at least to the extent I can quasi estimate how personalities might match