Professional referrals are powerful tools for those seeking to increase interim management referrals. Maximize your referral potential with these top tips.
Interim Management Referrals: Notice Patterns
Your time is limited, so you want to narrow your efforts. The best way is to do your due diligence on each source. As your interim management networks generate more leads, take note of useful patterns, as illustrated below:
- Some sources may not lead to the type of work you seek. Analyze each lead and determine whether it offers smaller, project based work or interim, longer-term engagements.
- Determine whether your strengths will play better with some sources over others.
- Figure out the timeline from introduction to starting the engagement.
- Initial time investment may vary from source to source. For example, the time it takes to gain trust and get to know a client you reach through social media efforts might be longer than one who was a personal referral.
These days, we have it much easier than even a decade ago. Through SMW, there are many ways you can increase sales through the referral process. Keep an open mind an eye on all of your network outlets until you learn enough to decide where it makes the most sense for you to focus your efforts.
The Power of Interim Management Referrals
Business referrals are the most powerful tool for successful marketing. People trust business referrals when they come from a close source with a history of reliability. According to a Nielsen study, the likelihood that a consumer will buy a new product increases when the referral comes from friends or family.
Success in your efforts to increase sales depends less on the size of your network than on how memorable your interim management brand is. That’s where SMW Partners come in. A brief interaction with a business prospect should be all you need. They should walk away with a clear understanding of what you can do and how to reach you. Expand your reach by providing new contacts with enough information so that they can further recommend you to their network. These recommendations are invaluable. They build trust and breed success.
Gaining trust and earning more recommendations establishes further credibility for your brand. This leads to greater opportunities to increase interim management opportunities.
Below are three steps for becoming recommendable and increasing the power of your interim management network.
Increase Interim Management Opportunities: Stay in Touch with Your Contacts
It is rare that one meeting leads to a referral. You might work for years with a certain contact without their ever remembering to refer you. However, it is critical that you stay in contact. Modern modes of correspondence and networking make it too simple to stay in touch. Email, LinkedIn, telephone, and other social media all place people from around the globe at your fingertips. Still, one of the easiest ways of adding a personal touch is with an old fashioned telephone call. This is so rarely used, but is as simple as checking in to catch up and see what’s new.
This includes long-time contacts. Whenever you leave one company, consider those former colleagues a part of your network. They can be some of your strongest referral sources. Stay current with their work and keep in touch. Make sure they know your latest news. If you stay out of sight, you will–as the saying goes–stay out mind. Stay in view so that you come to mind for others when jobs come up.
Prioritize. You may have a long referral list, but only a small number of them may ever actually refer you. It sounds counterintuitive, but focusing on a few will increase the likelihood that you will increase sales through more referrals. Stay in touch with your select list, help them out, communicate, and keep them abreast of your latest achievements. If you publish an article, send it to them. Your ideas may inspire them to forward your work and get your name in front of a client. LinkedIn can work the same way. Drop someone a line. Post an article. Publish your thoughts about someone else’s work. Show yourself as a thought leader.
Expand and Increase Your Interim Management Potential
Your referral base should always be expanding. The more your business matures, the more you should make it a priority to continue getting out and meeting new people. For those who have difficulty doing this in person, there are options for building an online referral base. Still, try to take a balanced approach. If you find you aren’t expanding your base, set goals to do so. Set a specific number of people you think you should connect with each week. Even a well crafted tweet could highlight your expertise and value. SMW Partners are professional referrals that are powerful tools for those seeking to increase interim management referrals. Maximize your referral potential with these top tips. Take the tools that are available put them to work for you.
