Krishna De is an international author, broadcaster, journalist, speaker and business development mentor and the Managing Director of
With over 20 years expertise in growing global businesses, she is considered by the media to be one of
She guides leaders of professional services companies in how to generate new streams of revenue for their practice through business development, branding, marketing, networking and media strategies with the outcome that they build distinctive corporate, employer and personal brands and realise more profit and greater success with less stress.
Krishna has worked in over 30 countries and lived in 3 continents and is now based in
Krishna hosts Ireland’s only terrestrial radio show focused on guiding women in business to expand their success on Dublin City Annalivia FM the ‘Women in Business’ radio show on and ‘Biz Growth Live’, where she is in conversation each week with experts from across the globe on how to build YOUR brand, attract MORE of your IDEAL clients and expand YOUR success.
An expert in business strategy, business development, branding, marketing, networking and media strategies, she has been responsible for guiding the performance and growth of major global and national premium consumer brands within the FTSE 20 including Guinness, Smirnoff, Bombay Sapphire, J & B, Cruz Campo, Budweisser, Carlsberg, Burger King, Baileys, Haagen Dazs and Pillsbury.
Since the mid 1990’s, she has held board positions in leading consumer goods organisations and was the youngest person and first ever female to be appointed to the board of Guinness
Krishna subsequently led merger and integration of Guinness
Krishna has led a number of organisations to become winners of the prestigious ‘Best Company to Work For’ awards.
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You’ve honed your technical expertise, you’ve established your business and got your team in place, but why was it no one told you you’d also have to develop marketing and sales skills?
That’s not what you were expecting when you established your professional services practice, be that as a lawyer, an accountant, a designer or consultant. In fact the idea of selling leaves your cold.
The reality is most of us dislike selling. Equally, we don’t like being sold to. This simple fact is often overlooked, yet it has the potential to be the key that unlocks the growth of your business.
People do business with those they know, like, trust and respect. In other words they want to build a relationship with you before they invest their hard earned money in your solutions and services.
Referrals are often the most powerful way to expand your business requiring little marketing spend and providing you with immediate credibility through the reputation of the person referring you.
But how often do you miss the opportunity to ask for a referral? Do you have a specific strategy and action plan to manage your referral process? Are you leveraging the support of your unpaid sales force - your clients who already know, like, trust and respect you?
Here are five keys to growing your business through increasing your referrals.
You’ve honed your technical expertise, you’ve established your business and got your team in place, but why was it no one told you you’d also have to develop marketing and sales skills?
That’s not what you were expecting when you established your professional services practice, be that as a lawyer, an accountant, a designer or consultant. In fact the idea of selling leaves your cold.
The reality is most of us dislike selling. Equally, we don’t like being sold to. This simple fact is often overlooked, yet it has the potential to be the key that unlocks the growth of your business.
People do business with those they know, like, trust and respect. In other words they want to build a relationship with you before they invest their hard earned money in your solutions and services.
Referrals are often the most powerful way to expand your business requiring little marketing spend and providing you with immediate credibility through the reputation of the person referring you.
But how often do you miss the opportunity to ask for a referral? Do you have a specific strategy and action plan to manage your referral process? Are you leveraging the support of your unpaid sales force - your clients who already know, like, trust and respect you?
Here are five keys to growing your business through increasing your referrals.
1. How to ask for a referral
Review your current clients and identify three of them that you can contact this week about the potential of them referring you to others.
When you speak with them, thank them for their business and tell them you enjoy working with them. Advise them you are in the process of expanding your referral based business. Explain that you would like to partner with them to help you grow your business and ask if they could refer you to 2 or 3 of their contacts.
Make sure you advise them of the profile of your ideal client that you would like them to refer you to. If they are able to identify someone, ask if they would contact the person ahead of you reaching out to them to introduce yourself.
2. Make your clients proud to refer you
Most of us delight in great feedback and there is nothing better than having someone thrilled because of the results they have achieved through working with someone you referred to them.
When a client refers you, their personal reputation is on the line. They won’t refer or recommend someone who they don’t believe in. It’s therefore paramount you deliver to your highest standards when working with the contact you have been referred to.
3. Connect with your potential new client
When you make contact with your potential new client, reference the person referring you and advise them that your mutual contact thought it would be a great idea if the two of you connected.
Make sure you don’t overwhelm them with your great technical expertise. Actively listen to their challenges and concerns. Offer suggestions and be generous with your advice - make them feel you have their interests at heart.
Remember, you can’t convince them to work with you; even though you have come highly recommended, they have to grow to know, like, trust and respect you on their own terms.
4. Keep your client in the loop
Don’t forget to keep your original client informed of how things progress with the personal contact they referred you to. That is not to say you should disclose anything confidential – just make sure they know that you have made contact and whether you are going to work together.
5. Reward your referral partners
Consider rewarding your referral partners, perhaps by entertaining them to lunch or introduce a different service agreement or fee structure to formally reward your clients for their referrals. After all, they’re helping you grow your business and are sure to remember to provide you with referrals more often if they know their support is appreciated.
Don’t wait for your workload to quieten down before you implement a referral strategy. To grow a thriving professional practice, business development needs to be part of your ongoing agenda. Developing and implementing a referral strategy can help you propel the growth of your business without the anguish of feeling you have to sell and with little investment in overheads.
Krishna De invites you to join her in conversation with experts from around the globe to discover how to build your brand and grow your professional services firm at http://www.bizgrowthlive.com/ . You will also receive access to Biz Growth Express a weekly newsletter bringing you strategies, inspiration and tips to grow your professional services practice. Register today at: http://www.krishnade.com/
©Krishna De, Oneocean Ltd 2006. All rights reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article providing the article is printed in its entirety, you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in anyway and include the copyright statement.