Bill Doerr | The Ultimate Lead Referral System

Step 1: Creating your profile.

• Contrary to the usual demographic-psychographic marketing, this step involves determining key statements/questions that will help you find the characteristics that correlate with the type of person who, in the past, has embraced their value proposition and spent time and money with.

• Keep the profile as simple as possible.

• Approach this step by thinking that there is nobody who has a need or a desire for your products/services

• Do not think that there’s somebody who’s in need of your products/services — this may only lead to the discouragement of the people who could connect you with prospects.
  • People are not psychic and won’t immediately know who’s going to be a good candidate for your business.
  • People are also not judgmental who instantly know if there are people who’ve got problems that your products/services can solve.
  • Do not push people to be psychic or judgmental so you don’t lose control of the process of getting introductions and referrals.

• Create a handful of specific statements/questions that would be connected to your target audience (the simpler, the better) which can be answered with a yes or a no.
  • “Do you know someone who’s driving a Mercedes?”
  • “Do you know someone who scuba dives?”

• These three acronyms explain what we are looking for in people:
  • C for Characteristics
    • These are the characteristics that are common to your best client.
    • You should determine and utilize at least four characteristics.

• • V for Visible
    • The characteristics should be visible to the eye, so you don’t have to make any judgments.

• • S for Situation
    • Determine situations that might provide a possible value for you.

• In this step, you’re identifying the kind of person who could best understand, value, desire, and afford your products and/or services.

Step 2: Identify and build your sources.

• This step is about knowing the people who know people that will fit the profile you’re trying to reach out to.

• There are two types of sources:
  1. Civilian Sources are people you know in your world that are inside your sphere of influence.
     • They should be your raving fans.
     • They should know the kind of people you’d want to meet.
     • They should have these three characteristics.
       • Awareness
       • Preference
       • Confidence – the equivalent of trust. If they buy something from you, they believe that they get the value that they paid for.
     • If your civilian sources who have these characteristics refer you to someone, they won’t have to deal with damage control.
     • They should have “gravitas” who have got potency in their audience.
     • A person qualifies as your civilian source if he/she answers yes to the following questions:
       • Can he/she help you out?
       • Is he/she able to help you?
       • Will he/she help you?

• 2. Business to business sources is a way to refer one business to the other, and vice versa.
     • The businesses should share the same kind of clientele to do cross-promotions.
     • Your business partners should be related and complementary to your business, but they must also be non-competitive and non-conflicting.
     • Find business partners who have ambition and are determined to grow their business with yours.
     • Try to get “8 Preferred Partners”.
       • Businesses that knows, loves, and trusts you and works with the same kind of people as you do.
       • They are also ready to introduce and endorse you to the people they know that fit your profile.
       • Meet with these key people in a systematized and regular manner (example: once every 2 months).
       • These 8 Preferred Partners will present a list of people who fit your profile every meeting in exchange for yours to them.

• Take note that business to business sources are more viable than civilian sources since the latter might scope a smaller area of influence compared to a business source.

Step 3: Set up your process.

• Once you’ve created your profile and determined your sources, put up a process on how you’d like to meet and screen your sources.

• Follow these suggested steps:
  • Identify the people who are potential sources.
    • This involves finding the people/sources in your circle who can refer you to people that fit in one or more of your profiles.

• • Approach your potential sources.
    • Since you’re acquainted with the people/sources you identified, it will be easy to get in touch with them.
    • Arrange a meeting with these people to confirm if they are fit to your criteria as a source and if they are willing to support you.

• • Meet with your potential sources.
    • Utilize the 1-page discussion guide to keep your meeting focused.
    • This guide helps you identify if your sources are fit for your criteria.
      • Do they know the kind of people you’re looking for?
      • Are they willing to help you?
      • Do they have gravitas?
      • Are they qualified to be your preferred partners?

• • • Once a source checks off at least the first two qualifications, it is time to learn the proper way to have yourself introduced by that source to their circle (specifically to the people they know who are fit in your profile characteristics).

• • Approach your prospects.
    • Send them a letter instead of an email since letters are short and sincere.
    • Do not call out of the blue.
    • Append by the end of the letter that you are meaning to call them to introduce yourself.
    • Mention your source and tell them that the person knows you and your business.

• • Call your prospects.
    • On your initial call, your prospect will most probably ask how you’re acquainted with your source. This is your chance to place yourself in your prospect’s inner circle.
    • Pro tip: prior to your call, ask your source something about the person they’re referring you to that is unlikely to appear on a public record (mention this in the call to uplevel your relationship with your prospect).

• • Qualify the prospect.
    • As the phone call goes, screen the prospect if he/she is viable or not.

• • Process your prospect accordingly.
    • Activate and put them into an active sales pipeline.
    • If your prospect is showing some knock-out factors, it is better to end the conversation and report back to your source.
    • If the prospect is still hesitant and you think they’re not ready yet to purchase your product/service, ask how they would like you to keep in touch without being a bother.
      • This is when you’ll place this prospect for a follow-up, nurturing process, or cultivating process.

• Perform a Service Call once every quarter to your prospects.
  • This step is not to ask your prospects if they’re ready to purchase from you but to help you build relationships with others and introducing them to people who they need to know.
  • It also develops business in values and goodwill.
  • Below are the suggested questions to ask:
    • How are you doing?
    • How can I be of service to you? What are you working on that I can help you with?
    • Would I possibly know someone who could be of value to you?

Step 4: Plan.

• This is a daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly program that keeps that program up and running.

• It enables you to plan what to do when to do it, with whom, and why.

• As for the “how” part:
  • Delegate the system once it’s built so it keeps running.
  • This is so you can still do things that only you can do (such as the initial phone calls).

• These are the two main points to plan:
  • Calendar
    • Set up your calendar and plot your schedules and meetings with your sources which happens on a regular basis.

• • Daily schedule
    • On a day-to-day basis, plan out the following:
      • Who do you send a note/letter to?
      • Who do you have to follow up with an initial call?
      • Who do you need to keep in touch with?
      • What things you should keep in mind?

Supporting Notes

How to generate the fuel to keep the machine (this system) up and running?

• The fuel gives you the opportunities (people) to go after and pursue.

• Qualify if these people belong to the following:
  • People with who you’d want to spend time, energy, and effort.
    • Return on investments can be considered in two forms:
      1. Purchases; and/or
      2. Can they introduce/refer you to the people who could?

• • People who will not support your business. These are the ones who you can terminate.
  • People who are not ready to purchase yet. You can put them on hold in the process and cultivate/nurture them.

• You need to learn if you’re on the wrong timing and figure your prospect’s lifetime value.

• This will help you determine how to help your prospects make their decision when they’re ready to purchase.
  • On a larger scale, do they need what you do?
  • On a smaller scale, do they want to get it from you?

Servicing

• Do not get in touch with your prospects just to ask them if they’re ready to purchase your product/service.

• Instead, ask them how you can be of service to them.

• This gives you the opportunity to leverage your network of experts building a culture of reciprocity.