Page 224 - Duct Tape Marketing

Ramp Up a Systematic Referral Machine

types of referral sources and create a system that allows you to develop
these relationships much like client relationships.

Jason J. Culbertson of the Culbertson Team Real Estate Solutions
in Paola, Kansas, gives his top fifty referral prospects an empty, two-
inch, three-ring binder. (He hand delivers the binders to save on
shipping and gets another one-on-one contact.) Included with the
binder is a letter that states the binder is to be used for the marketing
materials he sends to them, including but not limited to newsletters,
postcards, letters, and holiday and birthday cards. The letter also says
that anyone who keeps everything in this binder, all year long, will be
entered into a drawing for a gift certificate to the restaurant of their
choice. He personally checks the contents of each binder in December
and chooses ten winners. The ten winners have turned into his raving
fans and his best referral sources because they are constantly saving
and reading his mailings (www.TheTCTZone.com).

Make It an Expectation
One of the best ways to leverage the power of referral marketing is

to make the providing of referrals an expectation of every client rela-
tionship. With every new client or networking relationship, you need
to introduce the ideas of referrals. In fact, the most effective referral
marketing systems start with this as a stated expectation.

This method of generating referrals becomes easier as you imple-
ment it. More and more new clients will come to you in this same way
and will already understand this expectation.

Do It during the Honeymoon
Your referral marketing system should be designed to acquire

referrals as soon as possible. No matter how great your service is, your
firm will never be thought of as highly as when you first provide a
solution.

Over time, even though you may provide the same great solution

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