Business Networking and Referral Marketing

Over the past 22 years of being self employed, my mindset has changed towards how to gain new business. I used to think that just throw more money at adverting, and undoubtedly, something will happen. Now, I think there is a much better way. You see, getting a customer is one link in a long chain you have to build to claim they are a customer of yours.

For several years, I worked as a director along side a company who based their whole thought set around what goes around, comes around. To understand how people make a decision of what supplier to use, you firstly have to understand why your customers use you. If you are the best company, with the best product or service, and give the best customer service and back up, they will tell others. Getting people to refer you is worth its weight in gold.

Business by referral is the most cost affective ways to market any business, and all you have to do is make a good job of looking after your existing customers. I remember one business I owned, we had a product that we had a problem with, and I had to replace the product four times for the customer. I thought to myself that this customer must think we are useless, but to my amazement, the customer wrote to thank me for all the trouble we had gone to, to keep her informed at every opportunity. You see it’s not what you do; it’s how you do it. Do you know, that customer passed so much business our way it was unbelievable, telling every one, we could be trusted and not to use any of our competitors, ‘you can’t buy that kind of advertising’.

When people talk about networking as a thing you should do to drive your business forward into the face of others, just ask yourself this question. How many people can you speak to in a month? I guarantee that it’s not as many as all of your customers put together. So how can you accelerate the process, well, here is a quick way and it will only cost you the price of the coffee.

Business breakfasts, I believe are one of the greatest business tools ever thought of, along with the very clever idea of a relaxed networking coffee club. The ABC is a business referral networking organisation, set-up with one thing in mind; finding more business for its members. How we do this is to give people a structured but relaxed networking environment to network in. The success we’ve had in our home town is unbelievable; check out all the facts on my website. Just a note here though the success wasn’t down to us, it was down to the success those who visited had, and they told their customers and friends.

So remember to invite your customers to join in your networking, whether you are there or not.

Mark

www.abcadvantage.biz

Can't see the wood for the trees...

Its Tuesday it’s 5 to 5 and it crackers, as the alarm goes of for another long day on the ABC networking guide to the Galaxy!

Tuddenham Mill breakfast meeting kicked of dead on the dot of 7.15am, with this weeks main spotlight on the award winning speech from Mr Gary Spencer PHD, that’s ‘professional herbalife distributor’ to you and me. He told us how he can take the ‘tubby of the hubby and put the life in the wife’, sounds good to me! Gary helps people get to their ideal size and to keep the weight off with a product range that is 100% natural. That sounds like the kind thing I need, as my wife keeps washing all my clothes on a hot wash, and now none of them fit me, well, that’s my excuse and I am sticking to it!

As the meeting agenda is slowly creeping into play, I gave the task to Jacqui Carrel to do the Coaching Slot. Jacqui covered Google Adword and the way in which it can help drive traffic to your website, and how you only pay for the leads you get rather than the advert itself; shame newspapers don’t do that.

After the meeting, we dived back to Bury for the ABC Networking and Coffee Morning, where Brett from BAP Photography www.barphotoart.co.uk, had set up his very own art gallery. When the 11am ding on the glass came, Brett leapt to the chair, and told everyone about his passion for his photography. The man is most talented I have to say. Most of the pictures are 180 to 360 degree shots, made up of perhaps 20 different pictures, mostly of the outdoors, especially trees.

More meetings beckoned as we flew from Chez Gerard’s, leaving some of the days visitors to enjoy their FREE bottle of wine with their meal; only available if you came to the ABC coffee morning first. Another good reason to come, I think!

The funniest thing that happened today was when I got home and checked the emails that had arrived since 6am; I had one from a Government Official, who asked could they come and speak to the ABC Coffee Morning guests. My reckoning is we must be getting somewhere if the Government contacts us; anyway, it’s good to talk.

Well, fellow Networkers it’s time for my dinner so ciao for now…

Mark

www.abcadvantage.biz

None stranger than folk...

I always remember as a child my Nan putting her finger over my mouth when I went to talk over her, and saying the words that I hear myself quoting to so many people today. ‘You were graced by god, he gave you two ears and one mouth, try to use them in the right proportions’. The thing is, when I think back to what she said, as a nine year old boy it meant nothing other than shut up. Now several years on, I understand what she meant, and the clear fact is if you listen, you hear more.

This week I have been out and about, holding meetings and just taking the time to listen to what other people have to say, I have picked up so many referrals for people. One of those was from a delightful young lady called Michele from White Tara, a beauty salon in Newmarket. I came away with a print and design job for Andrew Akehurst from http://www.amacman.com/ ,a new member to join the Tuddenham Mill Team. It’s always nice when you can pick up referrals for members, as a lot of the referrals I get at this point have to go to people I know rather than members, but that will obviously change as the membership grows.

One of the members who had joined the week before last was Jacqui Carrel, a good friend of mine for a lot of years, her company is called http://www.cinnamonedge.com/ Jacqui always quotes, ‘words written well’. She offers services ranging from copywriting to ghost writing books. I often get her to check over my text as I suffer badly with dyslexia. Fortunately, Jacqui use to be a teacher so she is use to dealing with creative but challenging brains such as mine. I have set myself a task this week, which is to get some work for Jacqui and her partner Roy. Here is a challenge to you the reader, have a look at their website and see what work they can do for someone you know.

This week has been another mad one, going from meeting to meeting. Meetings are things that amaze me, as you go in thinking you will get one thing, and always come out with something different. I had arranged this week to call on a contact of mine Jane Fiddian who makes curtains, for a cup of tea and came away with a huge box of business cards. I can only think they will come in handy over the next weeks, as everything gears up for the company’s main launch on June 2nd. We still have so much to get sorted by that point, to make sure things kick of really well.

I have driven Kevin to despair this week, making changes to the websites that he thought we had finalised a year ago. Well things change, oh, I mean develop into something bigger and better, and that is at the end of the day what we want to be. Let’s face it if you don’t have the desire to take over the world, then why are you doing it.

Oh my Good look at the time I missed Doctor Who…

Talk to you soon

Mark

http://www.abcadvantage.biz/

Yes 5am does exist!

Yes, 5am does exist!

When the alarm went of at 5am I thought to myself Mark what are you doing, this is total madness. Having got ready, checked the email, rounded up everything required for the long day ahead Kevin pulled up outside and we were off.

First call Tuddenham Mill for the ABC weekly breakfast meeting, where we did some training on how to find more building blocks for each other (referrals/testimonials/get2gethers). A fantastic meeting I have to say myself, we set targets for each other to all bring one new guest next week and to see what building blocks could be found.

Second call Chez Gerard’s for the ABC weekly networking coffee morning, where we normally get around 35 people turn up to network. NOT ANY MORE… 48 people came this week it was a massive turnout and the room was electric. So many new people, I wonder did those flyers work I dropped. I would also have to say on that note a huge THANK YOU to everyone who invited new people along; Simon Langley from http://www.langleysconservatories.co.uk/ invited both a builder and an electrician.

On from Chez Gerard’s to a meet the RBS bank manager, to talk about our plans and his membership. Then it was home to catch up on the emails and phone calls before heading out to four more meeting to see people from Printers, Herbalife distributors, business coach and finally at 10pm my last meeting was to see a friend who had arranged for me to meet with several friends of his to talk about the ABC.

11.55pm I closed the front door on the most amazing day I have ever had in all my time of business networking. Laying there reflecting on the day I thought, well I found referrals, got new members, people asking can they please attend next weeks meetings and a stack load more people to follow up on, those word ‘it’ll never work’ did not come in to my mind.

Mark

http://www.abcadvantage.biz/

Late night for the boys...

Late night for the boys…

Having walked around Bury St Edmunds putting out the flyers to promote the ABC networking coffee club I decided it really wasn’t that bad. Then last night I thought I would print 300 letters and stick in envelopes to drop around the industrial estates. No problem I can do that over the weekend to continue to build on the success of the ABC breakfast meetings, Kevin and I finished them at gone 11pm. Along with the telephone canvassing we start full time next week, post cards and more letters I believe we will get things moving in the right direction.

The funny thing is that as we are contacting more and more people we are starting to get a lot of people I have networked with in the past showing up. I had an email yesterday from a trade mark solicitor I had used in the past for trade marking a company’s name and logo. I had passed on his details to a friend, who is working for a company who were looking to get trade marking done. Funny thing I said, I know some one who can do that, and promptly jump in feet first knowing he was good at his job. Silly thing as I am writing this is when I think to my self that really is how simple word of mouth referrals are.

Well have to go 300 letters to deliver before 8am on Monday morning…

Mark

www.abcadvantage.biz

Just when you thought it was all over...

Just when you thought, it was all over!

Like the madness of King George I have lost the total plot today, travelling round dropping of flyers promoting the ABC coffee morning at Chez Gerard’s on Tuesday. On the other side of that though it did get a lot easier after my 11year old son decided to join me we got out 250 flyers this evening in an hour.

Been a busy old day again, visiting potential members, seeing the printer and organising a telephone campaign and scripts for the girls to use when calling to get visitors for the breakfast meetings.

Had another meeting today with a potential Team Director who is interested on starting a TEAM in Thetford or Watton, where we have already had 3 inquiries.

Oh well must go and my feet ache J must be all that walking…

Mark

P.S where was Kevin LOL.

www.abcadvantage.biz

It will never work!

What a day we have had!

We held the very first Advantage Business Club breakfast meeting this morning with a great turn out, we even had an under water basket weaver. I suppose the most positive thing that came out of the day for me was 6 people called me after the meeting to say can I join please.

So it’s back to the telephones to start getting more referrals for those members and more guests for next Tuesdays meeting to keep the momentum moving.

The strange thing is over the past week I have found 14 referrals with out really trying, so now we’ve started meetings and members are coming on it should start to get exciting.

After the meeting this morning it was straight on to a ABC board meeting, then on to Ipswich to talk about opening the second Advantage Business Club coffee meeting.

It is amazing the buzz you get from getting people referrals and talking to positive like minded people. Today I have found a cracking referral for a printer, but as yet, we don’t have one on board

Oh well that’s me for now…

Mark

WOW!

WOW!

Some times, it’s nice to get more than you bargain for, and today’s ABC meeting was just that. So many faces both old and new, even our RBS bank manager came to support us, even if it was funny, he should turn up the week Lloyds were the sponsor.

However, all jokes aside we did have a great meeting with lots of people asking if they could book 1 2 1’s with us to talk about becoming members. So I guess that means we are off to a start with the next be challenge still to face us at Tuddenham Mill on the 8th of April.

Oh well back to the telephone calls, emails and updating the database, catch up with you all soon.

Mark

http://www.abcadvantage.biz/