Are you using your connections properly?

[Brendan]

Hey all, I just read this article over at news.com.au and thought it was reasonably relevant to the forum, since the whole reason behind this place was to network and make contacts!

Building contacts for success | NEWS.com.au Business (http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,23636,23839982-36437,00.html)

The article states this type of 'marketing' can almost replace traditional promotional techniques... while I don't agree entirely and think it is a bit of a sale for the seminar, I do think it should be a very important part of your marketing campaign.

So, how many of you rely soley or primarily on referrals to keep your business running?

I know I certainly do, and I would say that I am working on he 80/20 rule for this one.. I would say 80% of my business is coming from this type of promotion.

[Slade]

Good article Brendan.

I tend to think this should be a key part of your marketing strategy, you never know when a new lead is going to pop up and as the old saying goes, '.. it's not what you know, but who you know..'

I think we need to cherish our existing clients, let them know they are valued, and that their referrals are valued.

[intergise]

The majority of my work has been via referrals, either from clients or people who know me. For me it's very important. It'd be great if 'traditional' techniques were unnecessary but I think that's unrealistic, especially for start-ups.

What I'm probably not doing enough of is actively seeking a referral network of related business. I need to work on that aspect. I'd be interested in hearing how others have gone about this, success, failures, issues etc.

The caveat is you need to have trust in the referee's abilities and professionalism. I don't want to steer a client wrong, for their sake and for mine.

[J_D]

Referalls are great, but you also need to make sure you protect your reptuation! My recent 'not so positive' experience with referals;

I recently reffered my make specific mechanic to two friends of mine (of whom also own a specific make of vehicle). The main reason for my willingness to refer was the fantastic service and discounts that i constantly receive for my vehicle. After referring two of my friends and hearing that they had been treated very poorly ( a number of issues arose) my reputation with these two friends is now somewhat tainted...

Anyway, that's my little complain for a tuesday

JD