Giving Back

Not sure how to fit "giving back" into your everyday life? That's okay. You can define service and giving in any way that works for you. Possible next steps could be:

*Volunteer one day per month to assist a non-profit in your community
*Mentor a new employee at work
*Become a Big Brother or Big Sister
*Donate blood through the American Red Cross
*Help an elderly neighbor with some of their shopping needs
*Cook a meal for a family in need
*Join Habitat for Humanity and help build a home for a family in need
*Teach someone how to read
*Take the extra step "above and beyond" to provide services to a customer or find a solution to a problem outside your job description
*Make a phone call to someone who needs cheering up
*Sign up for a committee at your child's school or in your community
*Mentor a teenager who needs help
*Commit yourself to reaching out today. When we give to others, we are the greatest recipients.

As physician and writer John Andrew Holmes said, "There is no experience better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up."

7 Key Relationship Marketing Goals

1. Make your One Minute Business Commercial ROCK!
• Vow to spend 5 minutes on your one minute each week!
• Get very specific. Think “a great referral for me this week is…”.

2. Commit to be at every TEAM meeting (or have a representative when you cannot be there).
• Out of sight is out of mind!
• Being casual about your TEAM attendance commitment implies you are casual in
all of your business commitments. Your networking partners might question your “referability”.

3. Attend all TEAM events (and TEAM Sponsored Events).
• Local, regional and organizational wide events are offered all the time!
• Take advantage of these knowledge expanding networking opportunities.
• Commit to your Personal and Professional Growth by educating yourself this year!

4. Do an AWESOME TEAM presentation when it’s your turn to speak!
• Prepare a “knock your socks off” presentation to show your stuff.
• Answer the question… “Why you should refer me”.

5. Do Coaching Sessions!
• Make a plan to meet “one on one” with every member of your TEAM.
• Organize your notes from these meetings to be more effective in referring your
networking partners.

6. Expand your “Power Partners” opportunity in TEAM!
• See who is missing from your “Center of Influence”.
• Ask your fellow TEAM members to help you invite these key professionals to your chapter.

7. Put all of your Relationship Marketing Goals in Writing!
• Set specific, measurable goals.
• Base your goals on personal performance or skills and knowledge to be acquired.
• Reward yourself in the achievement of your goals!

THINKING THROUGH YOUR GOALS
When you are thinking about how to achieve your goals, ask yourself the following questions…
• What skills do I need?
• What information/knowledge do I need?
• What help do I need?
• What resources do I need?
• Is there a better way of doing things?

Getting to Know your Networking Partners

Once you have begun your journey of doing better, smarter business with Relationship Marketing, there will come a time when you need to take those relationships to the next level. You have worked on building relationships with your “Power Partners” and other members in your networking group and with the professionals in your local chamber of commerce, perhaps also a community service organization or in your own personal/social sphere. But do you really know them? Better question, do they really know you?

Getting together for a meeting once a week or once a month is good, but what would happen with your relationships if you invested the time to meet with your networking partners outside of the normal networking meeting, business mixer, committee or board meeting? At TEAM Referral Network we call these meetings “Coaching Sessions”.

“Coaching Sessions”

For your networking partners to refer business to you, they must first get to know who you are and what you have to offer. Meet for lunch or coffee with a different member of your group(s) each week. At this meeting, use the time so you can each share information about one another. Getting to know your networking partners will help you give more referrals and receive more and better referrals.

Here is a guideline to use when you get together:

• Share information about who your clients are, where they live, work, etc.
• Share with each other your background, education and any recognition/awards you’ve received.
• Tell each other about your family life, hobbies and interests.
• Talk about other organizations you participate in.
• Exchange literature and/or selling tools.
• Schedule a visit each others place of business.

Take the opportunity to make these “Coaching Sessions” part of your marketing plans for the next year. The investment of time will pay off in growth for your business!

How to Network Effectively at an Event

By Kelli C. Holmes, Founder



1. Mix, Mingle, Meet
• Don’t sit only with those you know! Meet new people!
• Sit with only ONE person you know and make new connections with the others!

2. Set Goals for the Event
• Meet 10 new people
• Meet 2 new Power Partners

3. Know What You Want to Say
• Spend 5 Minutes on your 1 Minute! Perfect your pitch!
• Know what you want to ask your new contacts!

4. Have Your Business Cards With You
• Other Marketing Materials Too!
• Ask for cards from your new potential networking partners
• Bring your TEAM Spirit!

5. Schedule Follow Up Time
• If you don’t actually follow up, you might as well never have met them!
• Send a card, email, or make a call
• Schedule a time to meet again in person for a “Coaching Session”

Power Partners

Power Partners are business professionals who are in the same industry who want to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with each one striving to share referrals, ideas, clients and information with one another.

Who Are Your Top Power Partners?
Let’s think a minute - who do you refer your clients, your family, your friends to? People you know and trust! When does the opportunity to refer your clients to a Power Partner come about? When they need professional services that are related to your business. These professions are natural referral centers for you, they are in your “center of influence”. They are whom you want to develop a Power Partner relationship with.

Where Do You Find Power Partners?
Look in your personal rolodex: follow your money, who do you give your business to. They are benefiting from you. You should be benefiting from them! Look to your “networks” whether it is a referral network, the Chamber of Commerce, a charity or service group, church, PTA, trade or social group, seek out the professionals that match your list of Power Partners.

What Do You Do With Power Partners Once You’ve Found Them?
Reach out to them. Contact them and tell them what you want to do. Ask to develop a Power Partner relationship with them, explain how mutually beneficial sharing referrals, ideas, information, and resources can be. If this is not the type of relationship they are willing to commit to, find someone else in their profession who is!

When To Utilize Your Power Partners ?
What are you hoping to gain from your relationships with your Power Partners? Referrals, ideas, information, resources, be prepared to first give these things. Send them business, share a great idea with them and let them know about information that can help their business. Once they see your efforts producing for them, they will strive to give back to you.

How Will Power Partners Impact Your Business?
Once you have established these important relationships you will start reaping the benefits of receiving referrals, ideas, information and clients from them. Because you will be giving to them as well, you are establishing relationships that will last for years. Relationship marketing with your Power Partners can definitely impact your bottom line.

Developing relationships with Power Partners will not only help you generate more and better business for you, it will also reward you with satisfying personal and professional relationships to continue to build upon.

Relationship Marketing...A better, smarter way of doing business

• 
  Determine the value of referrals to your business.
  
  Are referrals an important part of your business?
  
  What percentage of your business comes from referrals?
  
  What percentage of your business do you want to come from referrals?
  
  How are you currently developing referrals for your business?
  
  What or who are the sources of your referrals? Your clients? Friends? Contacts?
  
  What is the basis for you to receive referrals? Your reputation? Credibility? Quality of products or services?
  
  Once you have determined the value of referrals to your business, look for ways to develop good referral sources for your business. Ask yourself the following:
  
  Are you professionally visible? Being an “expert” is not enough. You need to be visible, approachable, understood, trusted and be able to leave a lasting impression. Check your professional visibility by answering these questions.
  
  How visible am I in my community?
  
  Do people seek me out for my expertise, products or service?
  
  Is my impression better than my competitors?
  
  Do people view me as a credible resource?
  
  How do people react when I present information about my products or services?
  
  Are my “networking” activities productive?
  
  Networking Do’s and Don’ts:
  DO:
  
  Have a networking plan in place. Know what you want to achieve from your networking activities and how you plan to get it.
  
  
  Know your own strengths, talents and resources. Listen for when a situation may be right.
  
  
  Help others build relationships. Make only those offers you intend to fulfill. Relationship marketing only works when you are genuine.
  
  
  Have business cards with you at all times.
  
  
  Develop a system to track your networking activities and the results.
  
  
  Follow up promptly and professionally on the referrals you receive. Remember to thank the person who referred you.
  
  DON’T
  
  Wait until you need a network to develop one. It takes time to develop relationships.
  
  
  Give out your business card indiscriminately. Ask for a business card from someone you would like to give your business card to.
  
  
  Don’t be afraid to jump in and network! Networking is a contact sport, it requires your physical presence.
  
  
  
  Kelli C. Holmes is the Founder of TEAM Referral Network, a professional referral organization that turns success-oriented business people into a strong team of networking professionals who work together to build their businesses by referral. Relationship marketing is a better, smarter way of doing business. For more information visit their website http://www.teamreferralnetwork.com/ or call (866)311-TEAM.

Referral Incentives

FACT: Providing quality products or services is not enough reason for people to refer your business to others. In fact, people are far more likely to talk about your business when they are unhappy with your product or service than when they are happy with it!

Therefore you need to develop an incentive plan that will give people a reason to refer your business to others.

In establishing referral incentives there are some important elements to consider:

Be consistent and reward referral sources equally.
Determine the potential cost of the program in advance and plan appropriately.
Decide if you will be rewarding:
1. All referrals
2. Referrals that purchase only
3. Referrals that purchase above a certain amount
You could consider doing a tiered incentive program as well.
Select what the incentive will be:
1. A gift?
2. A gift certificate?
3. A percentage or dollar amount off their next purchase?
4. Or plain ol’ cash?

Adding special touches such as unique wrapping or a hand made card make an even greater impression. I have even seen custom gift certificates made of chocolate wrapped in gold given to appreciative clients! They not only get to spend their reward they get to eat it as well! You can continually reinforce your relationships by sending a personal note or inspirational message to your referral sources as well.

There are also other less tangible ways to recognize the people who refer business to you; like recognizing them publicly by thanking them in your newsletter. Or, establishing a section of your newsletter that thanks them and shares what they received as a result of referring. This can be very effective.

Be sure to track and follow up on your referrals. Share with the source that referred you what is happening with that referral. Tell them what you plan to do next and keep them informed. They will appreciate knowing how well you are taking care of the person they sent to you.

The most successful incentive plans to get people to refer you are generally special and memorable, leaving an impression upon the source so that they will be inspired to continue referring your business to the people in their lives. Using an effective incentive plan will help you do better and smarter business.

Kelli C. Holmes is the Founder of TEAM Referral Network, a professional referral organization that turns success-oriented business people into a strong team of networking professionals who work together to build their businesses by referral. Relationship marketing is a better, smarter way of doing business. For more information visit their website http://www.teamreferralnetwork.com/ or call (866)311-TEAM.