YA-HA Tips by Industry

One of the best referral sources I have seen for a banker is a successful Mary Kay representative. Every person she signed up as a new distributor was recommended to the banker to establish a business checking account. As a bonus, some needed small starter loans too!  This resulted in over $200,000 in new business for the bank in 1 year!

If you can provide insurance cards quickly, then buddy up with car salespeople from several dealerships. It can help them close deals if you can get them quotes and insurance cards very quickly. You can reciprocate by referring back to them when one of your policy holders is suddenly in need of a new vehicle.

The obvious ones are people that have back pain. Teach your patients to be on the lookout for limpers, leaners and slouchers. Develop a referral reward system with monthly drawings to help encourage participation. Most people are not aware the huge benefits that chiropractic has reducing headaches and allergies too. An often overlooked referral source is personal trainers and event venues – these folks cater to professional athletes who use chiropractic to stay in top-form! Many celebs while traveling look for a local chiropractor so offer to be the on-call-chiropractor for your local venues.

Everyone hears about technology frustrations from their customers. “My bleeping computer is so slow!“ ; “Hold on, I have to reboot… again!.” Make it easy for your customers to help their customers by developing a promotional product that contains your company name, help desk number along with a catchy slogan like “Help stamp out technology gremlins call….“ . Select a product that will stay on top of the desk such as a stapler or sticker that they can put on their stapler, paperclip holder, pencil cup, post-it holder, mouse pad etc. When you are training desktop users on how to setup or use applications, that is the time to also teach them how to listen for referral opportunities for you.

Start with your own friends and family. It surprises me how many people in the financial industry assume that their friends and family know what they do. If you are wondering, ask them to describe what you do in their own words – you may be surprised.
When asking others to find you referrals, life insurance is usually a simple way for people to get you an introduction. They can use a simple statement like: “ I just had my life insurance reviewed, it was quite eye-opening. Have you had your policies reviewed lately? I have a great guy/gal that I would be happy to introduce you to. “
Many people are touchy talking about financial matters so find easy avenues to establish the relationship first.

A little training goes a long way in this industry.  When your client says the word “love”, that is your clue to ask them to help you grow your business.  Example:   “I LOVE this lipstick!”  “Great! Please tell your friends.  I am trying to grow my business and I would love all the help I can get. Here is a few cards you can pass out while you are bragging about your new awesome shade of lipstick.”

Everyone is talking / complaining about health insurance – educate your friends, family and customers on what to say to people when they hear the grumbling. Example: “If you want to talk to an honest agent who will help you navigate the chaos, give ____ a call.”
An often overlooked resource is hair dressers – people ramble on with their whole life story while being held captive in the chair – ask your favorite hair professional to put out a few of your cards and mention you when they hear the words “health insurance.”

Of course all moving companies are reaching out to realtors but there is another often overlooked industry that can lead to even better results.  Home inspectors are an excellent referral source for moving companies because they are one of the last professionals in the chain (just before the title company) .  Many home owners like to follow the inspector around and chat while they are inspecting.  This is a perfect opportunity to casually bring up “ Do you have your moving company picked out yet? “.

Each photographer has one style and/or subject matter that they love and are really good at. When asking for referrals, stick to what you love so you can do more of it. Wedding photographers can team up with jewelers to offer a free engagement photo. Family portrait photographers can run a special at the assisted living facilities on Grandparents Day. Think outside the box where you can find the easy way to start relationships with people so they will continue to use and refer you as life events happen.

One of the most profitable referral sources for printers can be non-profit agencies.  They are continually printing and mailing materials for fundraising campaigns, annual reports, posters etc.    Connect with local associations to become strategic alliance partners.

Clearly commercial real estate agents and property managers are an excellent source but what about painters?  Painters usually get into a space after the lease has been signed but before the tenant has moved in.  Teach them to look for competitors logos and equipment and casually ask “ I see you have brand X equipment, if you are getting competitive bids on your monitoring and service, here is a great local company that we work with often. “ (present business card).