If you knew that a flu epidemic was imminent, what would you do?

1 Wait until you are ill, suffering, off work and then get a flu shot. (Oh sorry, I forgot, it’s too late by then)?

Or

2 Get a flu shot to stop yourself from getting ill in the first place?

We are hearing, yet again, that there is another recession imminent. So what are businesses doing to prepare? Historically, we still need to get new business but marketing and sales budgets are reduced. Yet targets are still the same due to operational expenses.

Most businesses simply cannot afford to spend money on getting new business. So the question is this…

What are you doing about your referral marketing? It is free business generation after all.

The challenge we face here is that most companies do not realize they can actually “do something about it” because referrals have historically come by chance. They believe this is the way it has to be. If they do have tactics then the deepest their tactics go is to simply ask existing clients for 5 referrals (and often at the most inappropriate of times). These referrals are really not much more than warmed-up cold calls.

Given that many businesses get between 40 – 90% of their new business by referral, I would suggest now is a good time to start investigating how to get your network prepared in advance, before the flu epidemic hits-again.

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I saw a great example of incentive triangulisation at the Wafi City Dubai last night.

The Arabian Park Hotel gave us discount vouchers to Sevilles. Sevilles then gave me vouchers for use in Ashas. As we left, Ashas gave us a 2 for 1 voucher to be used in Carters or Sevilles – you just follow the discount trail. What a great way of keeping people in the complex and away from the competition.

At all points they got our details for their CRM system.

Well done Wafi marketing.

Do you do anything similar?

I was at a networking event the other day in Dubai when I bumped into one of my clients Shridhar Sampath from Motivaluate.

I asked Shridhar how the event was going. He laughed and said

“I came early to meet the speaker for the night. I have done that so I might as well go now”.

I had to chuckle to myself.

If you are aware of behavioral styles when networking then you will recognize a “Go Getter”. They know exactly what they want to achieve from an event and boy do they achieve their goals.

Interestingly enough, Shridhar did stay on a bit longer and was kind enough to provide some great introductions for me as well. So I guess he is an above and beyond “Go Getter”.

I got this great Metaphor from Susan “The Coach” Castle this week.

Susan was recently accepted into the Referrals for Life community from Certified Networker. She used the below metaphor to explain her decision to apply.

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going.

After a few weeks, the minister decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The minister found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his minister’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a big chair near the fireplace, poured him a dram and waited. The minister made himself comfortable but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the play of the flames around the burning logs.

After some minutes, the minister took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet fascination. As the one lone ember’s flame diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and “dead as a doornail.” Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.

Just before the minister was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

My question to you is. What are you doing with the 2nd and 3rd Core Competencies?

2 Staying engaged
3 Training your network

Doing the 1st Core competency attending the training is only the first step.

Matt Farr, one of my clients, the other day chuckled “Hey Phil, I still have you down as ‘Phil Business’ in my Phone.”

I had been introduced to Matt by my personal trainer, Santa. Matt was looking to open a business and be registered in Dubai (he arranges treks to Nepal). He was having all kinds of problems.

As it turned out, Santa realised that I had a large network, because I had been able to connect him to the right people for a few requirements he had had over the past year.

So when Matt was having problems setting up his business, Santa connected me to him. Over a number of months, I was able to help Matt with a few introductions and key connections to facilitate his business set-up.

He became intrigued as to why I was so well connected and ended up attending one of my Referral Institute programs.

Now Matt is one of my clients.

While it was not my first intention to sign Matt up as client (after all I didn’t know him), my initial intention was to help Santa. However, in a universe where ‘what goes around comes around’ I am really not surprised.

It is interesting, on reflection, that the whole thing started by me helping my personal trainer to get a quote to move his flat.

I have, over the years, set myself up as a gate-keeper (i.e. someone who has a large network and is willing to share and help others).

Gate keepers become a centre for a business. The “go to” person whenever you need something. Gate keepers are aware of all kinds of information; they support others and hence become a great source of referrals.

So I ask again… “How are you listed in other people’s mobile phones”?

It’s easy to type with one or two fingers and get a reasonable speed.

Once we learn to use all our fingers, though, we can do so much more efficiently. However, we do have to go through a certain period of adjustment while we learn the new skill. In fact, we may go a little slower at first.

It’s similar with Referral Marketing. For those of you who have spent your professional careers selling yourselves and your own products, there can be an adjustment period while you train your network to do it for you. In fact, it may appear at first it’s easier to just give up and do it yourself again.

These initial frustrations are understandable – especially while you are selecting the “correct” partners and possibly “kissing a few frogs”.

If you stick with it, the ultimate result will provide a number of people who are highly trained and highly motivated to “sell” you.

When you have a group of these true believers introducing you and your product by 3rd party recommendation, it simply has to be more efficient then you doing it yourself. There are more of them and people believe third party recommendations more than they do direct sales pitches.

Many of you will continue to promote your own business yourselves, and why not? You are good at it. But just think… how much more business will you be getting if you continue to promote yourself and you have a team promoting you as well?

It takes persistence.

As a BNI member myself one of things I have always liked is the incredible names many of the chapters have.

e.g. Legends, Kaizen ( continual improvement by small increments), High Flyers, Winners etc.

They “scream out” success, hope, high achievement, team, commitment, continual improvement.

The very elements that make a successful chapter

The names are very much a symbol of the dedication and focus of the members who first started the chapters. In a way just as the Pharaohs left us the legacy of the pyramids. If you have ever been part of a chapter launch you will know exactly what I am speaking of.

How are these legacy’s being treated, are the Pyramids being cared for?

I wonder how many members actually think about what their chapter name means. Do they live up to that dream of success?

I suggest any members reading this to have a think about the name of your chapter and ask the question.

It appears that the ability to network is one of the reasons that modern day man has survived, whereas – in days gone by – physically superior “humans” died.

I was watching “The Planet of the Ape man”, a BBC production about how modern man when he arrived in Europe 32,000 years ago found Europe already occupied by the Neanderthal. The Neanderthal, despite common belief, was a species of similar intelligence (in fact they had bigger brains) and far superior physical strength to us.

They had been there for millions of years and were quite simply the most dominant species.

The program went on to explain the main reasons why modern man survived and finally became dominant.

They would welcome new groups to join them, to increase their size and also share ideas and technology. In comparison, the Neanderthal lived in small family groups where, even if they developed technology, the idea would stay within the group.

It strikes me as interesting that there are many similarities to people in the modern age – growing their business by referral marketing and networking.

Some people see the value in developing relationships, helping each other, sharing ideas and resources and learning new skills while others do not.

The smart networker has a few varied and strategic networks. We grow our business and make our lives easier by discovering new opportunities provided by meeting new people to get referrals, information and support.

If networking could help our species in its fight for survival over 32,000 years ago, I am sure it can help people survive a recession.

What do you think?