Gameplan Step 6: Execute Your Plan Marketing Triad: Networking
Referrals: A 5-year strategy to grow your business
I ran into a colleague I hadn’t seen in a few years at a networking meeting recently, and when I asked him how his business was doing, I was really happy to hear that in spite of the downturn in the economy, his business was doing really well. He described his business as growing steadily year-after-year, and said that his #1 way of getting new clients now was from referrals.
I remember conversations we had years ago about his business, and he told me how hard it was to sell what he offered because it was “unconventional.” When people needed it most, they typically didn’t have the money. He seemed really frustrated, but he stuck it out. For the last 5 years, he’s been consistent about going to networking groups, making friends, and doing great work for the clients that he was able to get. Over time, people noticed: his colleagues heard from their colleagues about the great work he was doing. They noticed his consistency, and trusted that since he’d been around for a while with a smile on his face, he must do good work. As they learned about what he did for his customers, and they kept seeing him “all over town,” they began to think of him when someone they knew might benefit from what he offered.