The three positions in referral marketing
In this article, I want you to imagin with me a volleyball player. The volleyball player must position their bodies’ just right on the court to effectively return the ball. There are three key positions a player can take that a referral marketer can learn from.
Before we look at these three placement strategies notice we are talking about the players and not the spectators. Referral marketing is for players and doers not spectators. The first thing a player must do before positioning themselves to return the ball is to decide what balls they should return and which ones they should let another player return.
After the player decides that another player is to return the ball they then will positon their body to support the player that is returning the ball. In referral marketing it is paramount to know which referrals you want. You need to teach your referral partners what a good referral for you is verses what a bad referral is. You should not and cannot take every referral that is hit over the net. If you don’t have a referral partner on your team that can service the referral you should seek one out. When you double your referral partners you can triple the referrals you receive and give.
When you are in this support position, your role is to be ready to help your referral partner. In volleyball you are ready to receive a pass from your player. In referral marketing your role is to receive a referral from them or to give them your expertise or give them a testimony to help them succeed with the referral they received.
The second position you take is when the ball is being served to you and you yell “mine!†This is the ball you know you can return. “Being specific is terrific!†You know this referral is meant for you and you are ready to return the ball.
You have two positions to choose from; you can hit the ball over the net and score or you can pass the ball to another player and they can return it and score. We do what is best for the team. In referral marketing when you choose to receive a referral, you do two things. First you serve your new client with your expertise and second you see if you can pass the referral to another player. BNI calls this “Givers Gain!â€Â©
“Givers Gainâ€Â© to me means; I create a three way win. My customer or contact wins because they have their needs met in a way that I could not personally do except through the power of a referral. My referral partner wins because they have a new customer because of my referral. I win because I have two people that absolutely love me and want to send me referrals.
This article was inspired by BNI Director Consultant Brand Kopp