Lately, I've been offering a new a la carte service of email mentoring -- which is essentially answering marketing questions without a full consultation. (If you're interested in that, email me at ilise@marketing-mentor.com). Here's one I got this week:
Question
One of my clients recommended me to another really good prospect that I would love to work with. They have my information and need a designer but haven't called. I asked my client if she was comfortable giving me the contact's information so I may reach out to them myself. She did, now what?
Answer
This is essentially a question about how to be more active with word of mouth. Because even when people recommend you, if you don't hear from the prospect, it does you no good! What can you do to proactively follow up on word of mouth prospects?
I would call and refer first to the person who make the connection. “This is (your name) and So-and-So gave me your contact info and said you were looking for a designer. I believe she even gave you my name. So I wanted to follow up and find out more about what you need and whether you’d like to see some samples.”
If you don’t reach her, you can also send the same message via email. Be sure to highlight what you’ve done for the referring client.
That was my answer...what would be yours? What have you done that's worked in this type of situation?
I always email. I'm hearing more and more people say that they don't want to be called unless there's a scheduled meeting at a set time. My email says that so-and-so made the introduction, and I wanted to follow up. I ask if there's a good time to call, or suggest that I'll be in the area in a day or two, and would they like to discuss over coffee? Most people will not turn down mid-afternoon caffeine, and I get a better sense of them in an informal setting than I do in a corporate conference room.
Great Blog and comment. If you have some feedback on what actual benefits and value you have provided for the referring person that they know, it may be good to mention this information in some way to the prospect to encourage more interest i.e.;
"This is (your name) and So-and-So gave me your contact info and said you were looking for a good designer. I believe she even gave you my name as she was very pleased with the quality and speed of services I provided and thought you might be interested in seeing how you can gain the same benefits for your business.
I wanted to follow up and find out more about what you need and how I can help you and whether you’d like to see some samples.”
Hope this helps,
Vince Golder
Goldnet Referral Marketing