The Connections Bernards-Ridge June 2019

PAGE 66 THE BERNARDS-RIDGE CONNECTION JUNE/JULY/AUGUST 2019 As a Business Development Coach, (and planner junkie) I work with women who are building businesses, looking for ways to work smarter and not harder while balancing their full lives and trying to have some fun. I have developed this planner for my clients and other women who want to plan in 3 month increments and focus on getting things done that will help them grow their business. This process is easy to follow and one that will help you create sustainable work habits that keep you on track. With coaching, I will help you take the to do list from your mind to prioritized actions and new ideas that will help grow your business. • Defining your business • Networking, social media, income opportunities • Weekly goal setting and how to make it happen • Scheduling with a purpose No matter what you are selling/providing; the easiest path to new clients is always through referrals. Reminding the people who know you about your business and making it simple and easy for them to refer you can lead to new clients without you having to work so hard. A program is needed to leverage this tactic that includes: • Writing the email/letter/attachments • Sorting your list- who is it going to? • Following up- where money is always left at the table. - 82% of Americans say they seek recommen- dations from friends and family when consid- ering a purchase. - 67% say they’re at least a little more likely to purchase a product after a friend or family member shared it via social media or email. ELEMENTS OF THE EMAIL/LETTER (Yes, some businesses can benefit from a hand- written letter with an enclosure as a teaser). • Opening that is personal to them - Intro- duce what you do, connect it to them if possible • Position your ideal client (many of the clients I work with are xyz) • After working with me they feel, have said, are thrilled that …. • My business has grown based on referrals from friends like you so if you know any- one who knows xyz or hears someone say- ing xyz, of course, I appreciate you making an email intro or mentioning my business. • I have attached a highlight sheet for clarity and of course feel free to pass it along • As a post script, add something that may speak more to them alone. Include client testimonials if it feels right. Client testimonials create instant credibil- ity. Reaching out to your clients soon after a positive experience is best - don’t wait to do them all at one time. Build a bank of testimonials and always ask if they are comfortable using their name. If not, just label it as client/or first name last initial. I love seeing these on the bottom of your email signature. Here is a LINK to 25 ways to ask for a referral https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/292645 CREATING THE LIST Look at your contacts and sort them based on how closely they are known to you. 1. Those who know you well have no prob- lem telling friends about you, they just need to be asked. 2. Those who know would probably refer you if they were educated and it was made easy (Professionals you use, net- working contacts). 3. These are people who know who you are, but not very well (maybe through kids sports), they need to be informed about your business, and given a direction on how to easily refer you. THE FOLLOW-UP In a few weeks, send an update on something great that happened in your business, some- thing that they can share on social media for you (a graphic is easy to post). If they could be a client, try to schedule a call or a coffee meeting, and suggest a few options. Mention some friends passed along the info sheet attached and it was so effective you hoped they would too. Follow up is sending your monthly newsletter and suggesting referrals. Creating a referral program can be effective depending on the type of business. GETTING REFERRAL READY By: Andrea Silvershein, Business Coach Happy to help you get this program started, just contact me at: andrea@andreasilvershein.com. My monthly newsletter is filled with tips and best practices for small businesses: https:// www.andreasilvershein.com/newsletter www.theconnectionsnj.com