A Note From Bill

Thanks to everyone who participated in our survey a few weeks ago. We used your answers to shape this newsletter. Based on your feedback, we will send out this newsletter once per month. We will strive to keep the newsletter short, sweet, and relevant. In addition to our feature article, each month, we will try to point out resources that will help you build your business.

I'm a big believer in testing and feedback, so from time to time you will see different features in the newsletter. Make sure you let me know what you like, what you don't like, and if there is something else you would like to see.

Best wishes for you and your business. If there is ever anything that we can to do help you be successful in your business, don't hesitate to call.

- Bill

Featured Resource

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Featured Article

Arm Your Volunteer Sales Force

Most professional service providers rely on word-of-mouth, or referrals to grow their business. A good network of referral partners is like having a volunteer sales force.

People love to give referrals, but it is important to make it easy for them to do so. You wouldn't send your paid sales force out into the world without the knowledge and tools to do their job, so why would you do that to your volunteer sales force?

Since most of the people you know are probably too busy to attend your 1/2 day seminar on "how to work as a salesperson for no pay", you need an easier way to give them the information that they need to help you out.

Create a one page sheet that gives them all of the information they need to refer you properly. Having a written description of who makes an ideal prospect and how your referral system works is a powerful way to get more qualified leads. Your description should include the following:

1. How to spot your ideal customer - this will help cut down on the time you spend chasing referrals who end up not being the type of people you want to work with.
2. How to explain what you do - make sure your referral sources are communicating your core difference rather than just your title.
3. How your referral process works - what happens once your receive a referral.

Having this information in writing accomplishes several things. It is a more effective way to ask for referrals than the typical "do you know anyone that needs what I do?". Your services will be described in a more consistent manner by your referrers. It shows you are organized and professional.

Explaining how your referral process works will also help alleviate any hidden fears people may have about referring you. No one wants to be the person who referred Uncle Joe to the "salesperson from hell" who calls every evening at supper time.

Bottom line - give your volunteer sales force the information they need and start receiving more qualified leads.

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Recommended Reading

Dan Roam's The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures is a wonderful instructional manual that teaches the power of visual thinking in four lessons - introduction to visual thinking, discovering ideas, developing ideas, and selling ideas.

Dan explains how you don't have to be a "visual person" to take advantage of the power of visual thinking. He lays out a specific four step process of visual thinking that anyone can follow.

This is a practical book that provides you with a set of frameworks for solving the different types of problems you will run into in business. Roam provides simple to follow rules to help you decide which framework to use to solve your particular type of problem and communicate your ideas to your particular audience.

The last section of the book presents an MBA school style lesson. The author presents a walk-through of a complete case study. He demonstrates all the tools outlined in the book and you get to see how to progress from one tool to the next in order to first define the problem, then explore solutions, and then present those solutions to the key decision makers.