Faciliated Referral Teams Growing By Referral

How To Get Referrals Without Asking

2010-08-13T04:50:00.001-07:00

Excellent article about how you can grow your referral base w/o even having to directly ask for referrals.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Referral-Marketing---How-to-Get-More-Referrals-Without-Asking&id=4731726

4 COMMON TRAITS OF GREAT REFERRAL TEAMS

2010-08-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

by Steven Zyskowski, CaerusNet Meeting Facilitator
SE MICHIGAN

I freely share this information with you because of my personal conviction that every great, "main-street" salesperson and/or small business owner should seek out and become a part of a great referral team if your business is built on referrals.

By "main-street", I'm talking about the core business providers in a community ... like real estate agents, attorneys, accountants, insurance agents, website designers, skin care professionals, computer repair professionals, day care providers, carpet cleaners, a handyman, electricians, etc. The basic business service providers who will always be around, in a good economy and bad.

The benefits of belonging to a successful business referral team are countless, far beyond the financially obvious one. The trick is … finding a great one in your local market.

The purpose of this exploration is to help you determine if the referral team you are considering searching for, belonging to, or starting up, has the proper foundation in place for it to consistently deliver the goods (referrals) for its members over the long haul.

BURNING QUESTIONS HELP BRING OUT THE ANSWERS
Prior to setting out to create great referral teams as a passion and profession, I took the opportunity to reflect on my personal experiences. This allowed me think things through very carefully, as I laid out the initial framework for my foundational formula.

The questions I pondered:

• Who are the right types of people that will succeed on referral teams?
• Why is it that some referral teams perform at high levels for a period of sustained time while others fade out and break up?
• Is there a tipping point between “ok/great and “ok/bad” referral teams?
• Why do some referral teams seem cliquish or political?

In this complimentary blog post, I intend to reveal my answers to these questions.

TRUTH IS: FINDING THE RIGHT PEOPLE IS HARD!
Author of the book, Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, and personal friend, Gino Wickman often states, “Leaders don’t often function well as part of a team.”

On the surface, it would appear that it could be fairly easy to assemble a group of quality professionals who may all be willing to help each other grow their businesses by referral. The reality is that it’s an incredibly challenging feat as most of these people are used to acting like leaders, not necessarily as team players. To get these people, who are somewhat prideful, to spend time thinking about helping others, not themselves, requires a bit of friendly reverse pyschology and deprogramming ... what I fondly call “re-thinking”.

Anyone who has ever been part of an initial referral team formation or who has attempted to startup a referral team by themselves or with a small group of professional friends, should know exactly what I’m referring to in the previous paragraph. I hope this writing helps provide clarity of vision and reassurance that you can get exactly what you want from a referral team, provided the right structure is in place. The structure will produce common traits that are shared by all great referral teams.

COMMON TRAIT #1:
Great teams have great members.

So, who are the “right types of people” who will succeed on referral teams? In examining the referral teams that did very well over long periods of time, one major common trait was apparent: they had great people as members.

Characteristics I’d use to classify “great people”:

• They’re fun to be around!
• They understand commitment. And if asked, they could easily cite examples of times they’ve given a commitment to other things in their past and have lived up to their word.
• They’re driven! They don’t have to be motivated or “bribed” to be their best. Being their best is what they’re best at!
• They’re professional and ethical.
• They tend to avoid gossip and negative people.
• Being a part of a winning team is important to them.
• Their product(s) and/or service(s) provide a true value to their customer.
• They are admired and respected by their peers.
• They get excited about helping other people and they are “wired” in a way that makes them think about others, yes others, perhaps more than they really think of themselves.
• They’re determined.
• They’re coachable / teachable.
• Humbly confident; never arrogant.
• They’re realized that giving fantastic service is what keeps customers happy.

If eight out of ten members on a referral team possessed 80% or more of the above qualities, they’d have a great team in the making. The sad reality is that most referral teams are so concerned about just adding new members to their
“network”, that they fatally add the wrong types of people on their teams in an effort to simply grow in membership size, thinking more people must mean ... more referrals. Wrong! The side effects of attracting the wrong people can be permanently damaging.

One common trait amongst “great people” is they tend to personally know other great people. The same can be said of people who aren’t a good fit for referral team.

COMMON TRAIT #2:
Great teams have great meetings.

Great people are attracted to being a part of winning teams. Winning teams productively use their time together to learn how to effectively market the businesses of their fellow team members.

Characteristics I’d use to classify “great meetings”:
• They happen regularly and frequently.
• They have a shared objective (purpose), agenda and goal.
• Every member participates and/or contributes to the meeting.
• Visitors are present and invited to participate.
• Members deepen their understanding of the products and/or services provided by their fellow members.
• There are moments of good, healthy laughter … remember, just because it’s a business meeting doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.
• Referrals between members are highlighted and acknowledged.
• They start and end on time.
• 80% or more of the members are present at each meeting.

Put great people onto a team that doesn’t have its meeting-act together and watch those great people leave. Whether the length of the meeting is one hour – or two hours long, or if it starts really early in the morning or in the mid-afternoon … it doesn’t really matter. What DOES matter is that the time spent together has a true purpose and that the team accomplishes a lot during their time together.

COMMON TRAIT #3:
Great teams create a lot of great, legitimate referral opportunities.

Great referral teams focus on developing their ability to produce referrals for each other. They’re “Opportunity Hunters”. Members should be encouraged and rewarded based on how well they leverage their abilities.

Most of the referral teams I belonged to, even the great ones, had a certain percentage of what I call “junk referrals” getting passed at the weekly meetings. What’s a junk referral? A junk referral is what someone who belongs to the team passes during the weekly meeting in an effort to “save face” and make the other team members think they actually brought a referral to pass at the meeting. It’s one of the worst things a person can do because it undermines the entire effort of creating trust within the team. “Let’s do lunch!” or “I want to talk with you”, or, “I know someone” doesn’t count as a legitimate referral in my book.

Great referral teams pass mostly quality referrals where there is a legitimate opportunity to help a fellow team mate land a sale. They’re warmed up by your team mate and the client is expecting your call. The prospective client is even excited to speak to you because the referring team member did such a great job educating them about why you’re the expert deserving of their business.

Referrals are not an entitlement; they’re a gift and the result of trust building efforts between people. Great opportunities are abundant … especially on teams who have great people.

COMMON TRAIT #4:
Great teams exhibit great leadership;

Most referral organizations that exist today are “member-ran” organizations. Meaning, the members also run the show. They elect officers from within: presidents, vice-presidents, treasurers, secretaries, committee heads, greeters, etc. The calamity that often exists is that many of these “elected” officers are simply “doing time” and aren’t built to do the job they’ve taken on very well. They’re serving to “save face”. The result can be a “Leadership Team” absent of real leadership.

If the leadership team in place is genuinely excited and competent, the referral team can move forward and succeed. When a great leadership team transfers duties to a “so/so” leadership team; the entire membership will suffer. If you are considering joining a member-ran organization, carefully study the leadership skills of the members who currently belong, as they will have a direct impact on the effectiveness, or lack of, for the team.

Facilitated referral teams are lead by a professional facilitator who is driven to see the team successful. Faciliators are often people who have business networking in their blood and who are great at getting people together who rally around a common vision. In this scenario, they run the meetings, track attendance and referrals, give educational training presentations, follows-up with visitors and does additional marketing for the team. This allows the members to simply participate in the system, without having to learn how to run the daily house keeping tasks related to developing a healthy, long term referral team.

Both systems; Member Ran vs Facilitated, can work. However, if it’s a member-ran organization you are considering joining; hopefully a lot of the “right people” mentioned earlier in this report are easily visible on your team, eager and willing to take turns being officers when their (your) time comes.
Some of the strongest teams are strong simply because their leaders develop a positive culture from within.

Good luck to you in your efforts and quest to grow by referral!

Please leave a post with your comments and/or your experiences.

Constant Contact : Emails : Manage Archive

2010-05-23T15:18:00.000-07:00

Constant Contact : Emails : Manage Archive

'Ann Arbor, Brighton & Lansing Referral Teams Making A Difference'

2010-05-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

'Ann Arbor, Brighton & Lansing Referral Teams Making A Difference'

Are you asking your clients for referrals? How about your marketing team?

2010-04-05T05:22:00.000-07:00

http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/promotio1/a/askreferrals.htm

Great article on cultivating a referring relationship

2010-03-27T22:53:00.000-07:00

http://entrepreneurs.about.com/cs/networking/a/endlessreferral.htm?r=facebook

Great article on cultivating a referring relationship.

Why no referrals? You don't know the true definition of the word - Wichita Business Journal:

2010-03-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

Why no referrals? You don't know the true definition of the word - Wichita Business Journal:

2010 No-Meeting Schedule

2009-12-14T08:58:00.001-08:00

2010 “No-Meeting” Schedule

All CaerusNet Referral Teams are on the same meeting schedule. Regular breaks are worked into the schedule to keep teams fresh and focused. Meetings are always cancelled during all major holidays.

No meetings for 2010 during the weeks of:

February 1st March 8th April 5th
May 31st June 14th July 5th
August 16th September 6th October 25th
Nov 22nd December 20th December 27th

If a meeting is cancelled for any reason due to weather or other circumstances, the Meeting Facilitator will send an email cancellation announcement by 6:30 AM.

Final Meetings of 2009 this week!

2009-12-14T08:54:00.001-08:00

Don't miss your last chance to network as a team this week as there are no meetings next week and the following due to the holidays. Meetings start back up the week of January 4th, 2010!

Great Dale Carnegi Quote ...

2009-12-11T07:47:00.001-08:00

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”

Welcome back from Thanksgiving! Time to gobble up some new members!

2009-11-30T06:59:00.001-08:00

Welcome back from Thanksgiving recharge break!

There are only three meetings left this year before breaking for Christmas and New Years (two weeks off).

This is the perfect time to grow your referral team! Many professionals are looking for new avenues to grow their business in 2010 ... and CaerusNet could be exactly what they're looking for as it's affordable and a creative use of ones marketing time. Spread the word and grow your team. Want more referrals? New members are critical to any great organization.

Stay Connected,
Steve

Ann Arbor 1:00PM Core Team Sheds Core Status! Now an official team!

2009-11-13T17:41:00.000-08:00

It took the traditional 60-90 days, the right types of people with great values and some great core meetings ... and presto ... ANN ARBOR has it's first official CaerusNet team! Congratulations to the newest CaerusNet team!

Brighton 1:00PM CaerusNet Team Weekly Announcment:

2009-11-13T17:31:00.000-08:00

11/18/09 Meeting Location: Brighton Lions Community Den, 465 S. Main St., Brighton, MI 48116

This week's spotlight presenter: Melissa Paddock with Consumers Choice Marketing!

It’s no secret that profitable relationships are built between people who have quality and frequent interactions with each other. That’s why we meet weekly and everyone on the team has an opportunity to make a POSITIVE impact with their Elevator Pitch and by passing referrals (or bringing a visitor).

How do you want to be thought of by your peers? Remember, virtually everything you do and say at the meeting has an impact … so ALWAYS give your professional best, keep your comments and thoughts pure and be supportive of others to help build them up.

VISITOR GOOD HABIT ALERT: We're only 13 members away from having a complete team! Bringing a visitor shows other members you're up to the task of helping everyone. There's no single way to give back to the team more than by helping add a great new member to the team.

On the CaerusNet Toolbox CD you were given, there’s an entire portion on how to effectively invite visitors. Driving in the car for 10 minutes today or tomorrow? Guess what? That’s the perfect time to give a listen to it as the entire CD is less than 10 minutes long.

Looking forward to seeing YOU and your visitor Wednesday.

ROSTER:
Lyberg David Real Estate One Residential Real Estate 586-839-2092
Lukins Dr. Mitch Lukins Family Chiropractic Chiropractor 810-220-4040
Homant Patrick National Benefit Plans Health Insurance 810-360-0112
Shepard Bob LamanatorPlus, Inc Sandless Floor Restoration 517-304-0007
Conedera Gino Farm Bureau Insurance Property, Casualty & Life Insurance 810-227-2605
Sawallich Ryan Power House Electric Electrician 810-623-2742
Hall-Gabriel Sheila Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. Pre Paid Legal / ID Theft 734-787-2697
Defever Steve Divine Doors & Trim Doors, trim, staircases & hardware 810-229-9962
Clarke Arlene Aflac Supplemental Insurance 810-923-2737
Bos Adam Edward Jones Financial Planning 810-231-2045
Rohman John Portrey & Company, P.C. Certified Public Accountants 248-887-4900
Zyskowski Philip Your Message Productions Professional audio recordings 810-599-5848
Ungelbach Adam Viperspace, Inc. Computer network design & service 810-599-0676
Watson Leonard Clog Busters Restoration Flood rest., sewer & drain repair 734-752-1896
Kozlowski Diana Lukins Fam. Chiro & Massage Massage Therapy 810-220-4040
Righetti Eric Citizens Bank Personal & Business Banking 810-229-9576
Paddock Melissa Consumers Choice Marketing Utility Broker 248-640-4300

Brighton 7:30AM CaerusNet Team Announcment

2009-11-13T16:41:00.000-08:00

CaerusNet goes on the road this week and will have its regular weekly meeting hosted at Paulson's Construction located at 115 University in Howell. Paul is also the featured Spotlight speaker.

A GREAT WEEK TO BRING A VISITOR! We only have 14 spots left on our team. You're not the only great professionals willing to start their day off on the right foot, so get good at overcoming objections to a morning meeting. Statements like "We pass more business in the morning than most businesses get in an entire week!" and "Would you get up early if you knew there was business waiting for you?" can help.

REFERRAL GOOD HABIT ALERT: Are you carrying your CaerusNet Business Card Binder with you everywhere you go? Doug Moffat does and he says it helps him stay focused on the team. If you haven’t yet listened to the Toolbox CD … there’s a portion dedicated to drumming up referral business.

It’s no secret that powerful relationships are built between people who have quality (engaged, respectful, appreciative) and frequent interactions. That’s why we meet weekly and everyone on the team has a chance to make a POSITIVE impact at the meeting with their Elevator Pitch and by passing referrals.

Looking forward to seeing YOU and new visitors this week for another great meeting.

First Name Last Name Company Category Phone #
Paul McClorey Paulson's Construction Remodeling, Renovation & Restoration 517-545-8651
Doug Moffat Northwestern Mutual Fin. Net. Insurance: Life, long term care and disability 734-913-2630
Steve Giroux Keller Williams Realty Realtor 248-421-1335
Chris Atkinson TCI Restoration Wind, fire and mold restoration contractor 517-404-2641
Ken Elkins W.R. Thompson, CPA's. P.C. CPA 248-960-3112
Daniel Fisk Bank of America Home Loans Mortgage Loan Consultant 517-914-1871
Carrie Woodruff C&M Insurance Services, Inc. Property & Casualty Insurance 734-255-3188
Greg Miller Paychex Payroll Services 313-680-4648
John Nagel Signs by Tomorrow Signs 810-225-7446
John Boylan Lakeside Service Company, Inc. Heating & Cooling Services (HVAC) 810-227-0202
Neil Mackey Prestige Technologies Website Design / Custom Business Software 810-355-2032
John Lilienthal Statement Marketing, Apparel & Promotions Marketing Consulting, Promotional Apparel & Products 888-852-6662
Ron Priebe GreenFlag Profit Recovery Profit Recovery 313-938-9751
Kevin Long Shine Through Window Cleaning Window Cleanning / Residential & Commercial 517-552-0035
Dave Kozler Precision Printer Services Laser Printer Sales & Toner Cartridges 734-564-1590
Kevin Williams InfoTech Computer repair and sales 734-660-3400