She’s an amazing woman I met 8 years ago and she’s one of my closest friends.  We actually met because of a referral!!

We have loads in common and we both grew up in small towns where people knew and helped each other.

Jo sipped her wine and said “Hey – how many introductions did you do this week?”

I sipped my wine and said “I dunno – I think around the 15- 20 mark – I haven’t tallied it up yet. And you?”

She said “I’m about the same. It’s so much fun!”

Last year Jo won the North American Managing Director of the Year award for eWomenNetwork  and I was thrilled to be on the recent front cover of a national North American magazine.

We attract attention.  LOTS of it.

Want to know something WE DO ALL THE TIME and you’re probably NOT doing?

Want To Know Our Mysterious Method of Getting Referrals?

Simple.

We GIVE THEM.

Yep.  I consistently give Sales Diva introductions/referrals to all sorts of companies and people EACH WEEK and so does Jo.

It’s also something we both have done for YEARS.

We’re like matchmakers.   And when someone crosses my mind that I think should meet someone else…I email them both a short note introducing each other as well as saying WHY they should meet.

No one pays me to do it.  I just do it.  I also can’t be coerced into doing it for people and businesses I don’t know.  Sorry chickadee- it doesn’t work that way.

Here’s the deal.

If you’re not getting loads of referrals

I bet you HARDLY EVER GIVE ANY.

Here is what most people think.

They think…

“I referred her and SHE never sent me one person back! %$*&!

I’m NEVER giving her another referral again!”

This explains how most people don’t have a CLUE about how referrals really work.  (Gimme, Gimme, Gimmee is not a strategy in business.)

I know when I give referrals this is what happens:

• I help others.
• People feel relief as they trust who I connect them with.
• I position myself as an expert and resource.
• The Boomerang Effect will kick in sooner or later and someone (usually completely different from who I referred, will recommend me to someone else.

It takes hardly any of my time AND it also makes me feel good.

It’s one of the ways I generate referrals (trust me – I know loads of other methods but I’ll save that for another time).

The Rules Of Giving Referrals?

• They have to be genuine.
• They have to make sense.
• Refer those you know or you know they excel at their work.
• Don’t expect immediate gratification of a referral back.
• Once you’ve introduced people – it’s no longer in your hands.

My Bossy Sales Diva Advice For You This Week?

Make it a goal this week to introduce at least 5 people to someone who’s a great fit.

So there.

Love from your bossy Sales Diva,

Kim

P.S. I’m devoted to helping as many women entrepreneurs and women in sales as I can.  If you know of someone who would love to learn HOW TO SELL THE RIGHT WAY, then please encourage them to sign up at www.salesdivas.com and we’ll get them on the track to success!

I call or email my friends.

I say… “Hey Kathleen/Jo/Sue I need the best…

- new hairstylist who actually listens to what I want
- car salesperson who isn’t a cheeseball
-French recipe that is mind-blowing
-web designer who understands the internet
-video expert (that knows how to visually take off 10 pounds)
-place that sells jeans that takes off 10 pounds! (for the video of course)
-drycleaner who is environmentally friendly (I’m a tree hugger)
-etc, etc…

…that you can think of! WHO or WHAT would you RECOMMEND?”

I call it the GOOD GOSSIP NETWORK.

The wonderful thing about the Good Gossip Network is that you can benefit AND help in 2 ways.

You’re either the ONE everyone is GOSSIPING ABOUT.

Or you’re one of the people who are DOING the GOSSIPING.

It’s all good.

Something that drives me nuts is how few women actually understand that

THIS IS HOW GETTING REFERRALS WORKS.

So What’s The Simple and Easy Way To Get Referrals?

Oh you’d better sit down – this may shake you up a bit.

The best, most underused and definitely the most effective referral strategy I know of is…..

…to simply ASK for them.

I just heard your mouth drop open.

I kid you not sister.  You’d be oh-so-very-surprised at all of the business and referrals that would come your way if you SIMPLY ASKED FOR THEM.

Do you know that one of your customers also knows at least 50 other people who are just like them?  That means potentially 50 NEW CUSTOMERS for you.

And yet most satisfied customers only refer 3 people.  Why?

They weren’t asked to do more.

They weren’t thanked for the people they did send.

So your Diva Dare this week is simple.

Contact one of your favorite customers, the one who ADORES YOU and say…

“As you know, most of my customers come from referrals from other customers. I appreciate this so much!  I’m holding a promotion this month that you may want to help us with and be able to give your friends a BIG FAVOR too!”

Make sure its worth passing on to the Good Gossip Network and make sure you thank them when they do recommend you.

It’s as easy as that.  (Don’t be a chicken)

So there. (And make sure to let me know on my blog how many referrals you’ve asked for this week!)

Love from Your Sales Diva,

Kim

P.S. I’m devoted to helping as many women entrepreneurs and women in sales as I can.  If you know of someone who would love to learn HOW TO SELL THE RIGHT WAY, then please encourage them to sign up at www.salesdivas.com and we’ll get them on the track to success!

 She has a wonderful and FREE (gotta love it) gift to pass along.

 She has a limited time offer of her 2008 ebook :

“The Best of the Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week of 2008″ ebook, which you can claim at:
http://tinyurl.com/Bestof2008Tips

 Dive into it – as you’ll love Joan’s PR tips!

 So there.

There is a resource out there for you that applies to all types of business.

It doesn’t matter whether you own a retail store, have an internet based business or you are in the service industry.

 And this resource is FREE.FREE. FREE.

However – you’re probably NOT using it.

What is it?

 You guessed it – THE MEDIA.

So Why Aren’t YOU Sending Newsreleases  

To Your Local and National Media?

Easy.  You’re:

• Scared to.  ” Me  – ON CAMERA – forget it!”
• Insecure.  ” Why would they want to hear from me??”
• Unsure of what to do.  ” What topics would they want to know about?”
• Worried you’ll look or sound stupid. ” I might screw up my words!”
• Thinking they might throw tomatoes at you.  (They won’t!)

One of the BEST ways to attract attention to your business is to get into the media.

And 2 of the best resources that I have used are 2 incredible ladies:

1) Joan Stewart. The Publicity Hound www.publicityhound.com

2) Jill Lublin.  Promising Promotion. www.promisingpromotion.com

Both of these ladies offer fabulous free info on their ezines, have wonderful teleclasses etc and blogs.

 Trust me – I’m a woman who worked in the Canadian national television media for 15 years – if you want MORE MONEY – you need MORE MEDIA attention.

 So there.

Something I definitely learned as a kid was that “Nice Girls Don’t Brag”.

We’ve all been taught that bragging is a nasty thing. 

The problem?

This belief extends into adulthood and it makes you uncomfortable sharing your accomplishments and credibility.  In fact, you feel like you’re naked on a stage!

 Nice Girls DO Brag!

Well – I prefer to call it Self Promotion!

In selling – your customer buys from the person or company who feels the:

 “LEAST RISKIEST”.

 So you guessed it – they are looking for credibility – how you can BACK UP what you sell.

I was a national award winning salesperson for one of Canada’s oldest national television networks.  I write sales articles internationally for women entrepreneurs and women in sales.  I’ve worked with the WNBA and Office Depot (to name a few) and I’m sought after by the media.

 And on average, after my clients have worked with me – they DOUBLE THEIR SALES.

 Is that bragging? Nope.

 That’s fact.

In my world – bragging is when you are blabbing about a bunch of things your client has no interest in.  It isn’t relevant to them in any, way, shape or form.

 Self-promotion is when you can weave what you do and who you HELP (which is what selling is all about anyway) – into your marketing, presentations, one on one meetings with your customers etc.

Have a look at what I use to self-promote myself at the bottom of every article I write for international web sites:

Kim Duke, The Sales Diva, provides savvy, sassy sales training for women small biz owners and entrepreneurs. Kim works with clients internationally, showing them The Sales Diva secrets to success! Sign up for her saucy and smart FREE e-zine and receive her FREE Bonus Report “The 5 Biggest Sales Mistakes Women Make” at http://www.salesdivas.com/

Remember – you CAN be a nice girl and self-promote!

So there.