The Role of Giving
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Working by referral requires a mindset and a system. Buffini & Company provides incredible training and systems to create a referral-based business. If you work the system, you will have success. If you follow the working by referral sequence of Give/Ask/Receive you will have a successful business.
Give
The system is designed to help you be a giver first. The lead generation kit has Items of Value relevant to character and competence that are intended to be mailed out and given to your database. You also have 50 notecards in the kit to send to your database. A hand-written note is a gift; it is always opened and appreciated because it requires your most precious commodity, your time. I have been coaching for 15 years now; notes that are particularly poignant or had a message I needed to hear at that time in my life are saved. I keep them in my “happy file,” and if I am ever feeling down I always go to that file and re-read a couple of notes and am immediately uplifted. The impact of a hand-written note is undeniable.
We also teach our clients to make phone calls and do Pop-Bys as a follow up to your Item of Value, a way to give to your database. Give is the first step to the sequence. The heart of working by referral is to be a giver first, not with a “quid pro quo” mentality, more as an act of kindness and appreciation. It’s a way to acknowledge and validate your sphere of influence. The great aspect of this is referrals happen as a by-product of working the system in sequence.
Ask
Asking is the second step in the sequence. You are the head of your marketing department. We refer to this as your CEO hat. You must train and educate your database how to refer you and why they should refer you. You must ask for the business. If you approach with a giver’s heart and mentality you have every right to ask. Buffini & Company teaches great dialogs to help you with this. One of my favorite quotes is, “every time you open your mouth you show people who you are.” Show them you are a professional with a giver’s heart and you will ultimately be rewarded with referrals and have a rewarding business.
Receive
The first two steps in working by referral are to give and ask. The third step is to receive. Many people are attracted to Brian’s system because it’s a natural way of doing business and they like to give. Receiving is a challenge for some people. A gracious receiver allows you to complete the sequence again. A referral is received and you can pop by or write a note as a way of showing appreciation for the business. I believe we are all givers at heart. If you put Brian’s system to work in your business it allows you to be a giver and run a more enjoyable and profitable business.
Kelli
