I recently had this article sent to me by a friend and fellow networker Peter Cowan. Peter works for RWN trading that has an incredible product. Environmental lighting ‘saving the planet one switch at a time.

http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=146678

“In one of my earlier blogs, I mentioned what a tough year 2009 had been, and I felt a wave of agreement from across the planet, coupled with an echo of “me too…”

So, I changed direction, and became Sales Director for an established company here in Dubai and set about re-inventing myself, yet again….so, where to start ?? Firstly, I had a rapid learning curve about our IPTV, Digital Signage, Hotel Booking software and energy-efficient lighting…then I had to go to market !!

I did the usual thing…working through our database, directories, exhibitions, walking the hard miles to make the right connections. This had a degree of success (sadly, I actually quite enjoy an element of cold-calling) but I soon realised that there were not enough hours in the day to really grow our business through this route.

I received an invitation from a good friend of mine, Phil Bedford (Founder of the Referral Institute in Dubai), to re-enter the world of referral marketing, through BNI…after minimal thought I agreed to join a new-start chapter in Dubai (Keizan…soon to be the most successful BNI chapter in the UAE…) and also have enrolled with the Referral Institute on their Certified Networker Programme. I already did the programme last year, but now felt it would be great to refocus on my new business and also blow the dust off everything I previously learnt.

Last week, I had my new phase of “a-ha” moments relating to the true power of referral marketing….
I had an appointment at a hotel where I left with 5 referrals for companies in my contact sphere (3 in my new BNI chapter), as well as great potential lighting and iptv projects for my own company. This is all great news for me and my referral partners, but I also gained great credibility with my customer as a gateway to excellent, reliable suppliers…everyone’s a winner !!

In addition, just as icing in the cake, at our usual weekly meeting we had a few high quality guests. One of our members mentioned in her 60 second presentation that she would really appreciate an introduction to a particular person….the call of “my wife works for her” immediately came out from one of the visitors !! How powerful is that ??

So, what is my message ? We all seem to agree that economies around the world are recovering from last year’s severe battering, but we are still waiting for the REALLY good times to return…so advertising/marketing budgets are still restrained. I encourage anyone who is serious about expanding their business, but faces the economic realities of today, to really look at the sources of their business and think about who they know that can help them….but, more importantly who THEY know….so that your message spreads like a ripple on a pond.

Referral marketing is really the most effective way to grow your business…the true investment is time and effort rather than money. If your business already relies on referrals, ask yourself if you really have a plan to develop, monitor and track your success…if you accept that a major proportion of your business is by referral, isn’t it a bit scary if you do not have a plan to monitor it’s effectiveness ?

There are many great networking events, but don’t rely on the events which are mostly aimed at the social element which gravitates to the bar….by all means attend as a means to unwind and possibly have a chance encounter, but make sure that you also balance this with true BUSINESS networking events where any opportunities of targeted referrals are maximised. My referral weapons of choice are BNI and the Referral Institute – do your homework, see what works for you !

It’s not called netsitting or netplaying, it’s netWORKING !!! Make sure you are working to the max, it will bring success !!

Yes, I do prefer to refer !!

Peter Cowan
RWN Trading
Dubai, UAE – peter@rwnww.com
Lighting the way to energy-efficiency – ask me how to reduce your energy consumption by 60-95% !!