I often get answers like “the restaurant business” or “the finance business” or “the motor industry”.

And while all of these might give an indication of what you and/or your company does, it still misses the point of what business you are in.

You see we are all in the people business!

And yet I see so many businesses that have staff that have no idea of this concept. The way they treat customers is appalling and often leads to customers going elsewhere, simply because the staff member – or sometimes even the business owner – doesn’t understand that they are in the people business. How hard is it to use someone’s name?

So here are some tips for both management and staff: -

1.    Get to know people by their first name – and use it every time! There is no sweeter sound to someone than his or her own name. And it shows that they are important to you.
2.    Give your staff some specialist training in “name remembering” – even make a game of it. Maybe even a prize for the staff member who gets 100%. And explain to them WHY you are doing this!
3.     Have all correspondence, including emails and e-newsletters addressed to recipients by their first name. Greetings like “dear customer”, “hi ………” and “to the recipient” are about as impersonal as you can get.

In the early 1980’s in Manly (Australia), a new restaurant opened up with an all-vegetarian menu. Not exactly mainstream. However, the two owners knew what business they were in. One partner looked after creating a fabulous menu. The other played host and greeted every customer at the door ascertaining their names. On your next visit, even if it was a month later, he greeted every customer by his or her first name.

No surprise that within 8 weeks of opening it was booked out Wednesday through Saturday, at least a 14 days in advance.

So, what business are you in?

And do your customers know? If not what are you doing about it?

When things get tight many SME’s pull back and take the conservative route in their business. No new ventures, no risks, no new markets - just “holding on until things get back to normal (if there is such a thing)!

Yet the experience of the Asian giant, LG, supports Robin Sharma’s proposition that getting out on “the skinny branches” is the way to go. When the GFC hit the world and all their competitors were “pulling back”, LG took the opposite tack. Whilst still acting prudently, they saw opportunity where everyone else saw risk. And it has paid off handsomely, particularly in the very competitive market of mobile phones where they have overtaken Nokia in North America.

So what can SME’s learn from this?

1. When things get tough resist the temptation to pull back, particularly in the area of promotion. Increase your marketing - particularly “word-of-mouth marketing” which is the most cost effective at any time.

2. Don’t let your competition define you! Too many people I’m business waste time worrying about what their competitors are doing, thereby diverting time and energy from their own activity.

3. Be an innovator! Be the first in your industry doing something totally different. Yes, some will laugh and tell you “that won’t work” - yet they also laughed at the Wright Brothers and Richard Branson and look at the result!

I encourage you to stand out from the crowd.

It has worked for me on more than one occasion and I am happy to show you how!

The Referral Master

However this week lets look at the concept of asking for “anyone”.

When asked who is a good referral for them many people will say something like…”anyone in the ………………. business”! Or on a similar track….. “someone in the …………….. business”!

In all my years of networking and the thousands of people I have yet to meet a person called “someone” or “anyone”.

You might say isn’t that being a little pedantic?

And if you think so, ask your networking group to name the specific people they think of when you ask for “someone” or “anyone” and see who they come up with – most times there are no names.

So what to do?

1.    Make a list. List all the specific people by name, title and company that you would like an introduction too.
2.    Make another list. List all the business categories where someone in that category would a potential client or source of clients.
3.    Start asking. When next you are given the opportunity to say who is a good referral for you, name someone on your list.

You will be amazed at the connections your network has if you just help them target exactly who you want to meet!

And in a recent article about an iPhone accident, David Bateson of PR company NewsBusiness writes about the same concept – having a product or service that people “just want”!

So what is it that makes raving fans out customers? And more to the point do you have any raving fans?

35 years ago when vegetarian restaurants were rare a young couple (john and Sue) opened one in Manly (Sydney, Australia). It wasn’t in the shopping strip, rather on the main road surrounded by office and industrial buildings. The name – Lentil As Anything!

Within 3 months of opening you couldn’t get a table without a booking except on Mondays. Of all the restaurants I have eaten in around the world I remember that one more than anything because they understood the “raving fan” concept.

When you arrived John would greet every guest at the door – no matter what he was doing when you arrived. On your second visit he even greeted you by name having remembered you from your first visit. And when you left, John would actually escort you to the door and thank you for coming. Everytime!

Mind you it didn’t hurt that Sue was in the kitchen creating the most mouth-watering meals and accompaniments.

What can you do to create “raving fans”? Here are some suggestions:-

1.    Ask the customer what they want! If it fits with what you are offering, give it to them. Just because it isn’t “on the list” doesn’t mean you can’t “change the list”!

2.    Deliver what you promised – ALWAYS – and then give them one more thing that they don’t expect. I visited a restaurant in Rue de Huchette in Paris where the custom was a complimentary glass of chilled light wine as you sat down – totally free!

3.    Create an experience that literally “blows them away” – that is so far “out of the box” that you can’t even see the box anymore. Apple have this concept down pat. Remember the store where I bought my last MacBook Pro from where all the staff (all 22 of them) stopped and applauded as I left the store? That blew me away!

Let me know how you go at attracting your “raving fans”?

The Referral Master®

So Australia is to spend 200 million dollars (according to The International News) on body scan machines “to make our airports safer from terrorists”. Yeah right!

When are our leaders going to learn that you can’t stop terrorism – you can only deter it!

And according to Joshua Cooper Ramo in his book “The Age of the Unthinkable” most world leaders have yet to learn that we will not solve the terrorism problem with current thinking.

And Michael Boyd, president of aviation consulting company Boyd Group International, seems to concur in an article in Bloomberg Business Week -“we’re… reacting to a terrorist threat, not anticipating one”.

And what of the privacy concerns? If the machines have technology that blocks out “private bits” to cater for privacy concerns than what is to prevent terrorists using this loophole?

We are told that these images cannot reveal the naked body in its entirety, just bland computer images of them. Yet that appears not to be the case!

The UK Government has hit a snag as the introduction of these machines breaches existing laws relating to child pornography.

The Honourable Anthony Albanese MP tells us that this is just part of the Australian Governments’ better security initiatives.

In a recent article on the same topic, Kit Eaton, who writes for the web-based Fast Company, there is much to be feared from these machines.

The one group of people who will most benefit from these machines are the manufacturers.

One of the cornerstones of organisations like BNI and Toastmasters is the importance placed on recognition. And rightly so! I don’t know anyone who does not like to be recognised for things they have done well.

Yet it is a skill sadly lacking in the business world today.

Somewhere along the road of experience I learnt the skill of valuing others. Of recognising something in others that was worthy of praise… and then giving it! And here is where many of us let ourselves down and miss a marvellous opportunity to build better relationships.

An enduring memory of mine is a BNI chapter with serious businessmen in suits literally running out the front to get their 5 year pins. They wanted the recognition and were not afraid to show it.

So what are you doing to incorporate a recognition programme into your word of mouth marketing efforts?

Here are some ideas……

1. Find a way to capture birthday information and send a birthday card – it’s an old idea that the internet makes easy through companies like SendOutCards. Give me a call and I can show you how?

2. Phone a client and ask them to tell you one success they have had in the past week or month… and then send them a congratulatory card or present.

3. Write to 5 of your top clients telling them about the success of another client…… and copy it to that client.

One of the reasons many people do not acknowledge others is that they themselves rarely get acknowledged. Unfortunately this is exactly the wrong thing to do. The best way to start being acknowledged is to start acknowledging others. The law of reciprocity ensures that it will come back to you.

So if you currently don’t acknowledge people in a planned, positive and personal manner now would be a good time to start!

The Referral Master®

Yet I wonder how well you value your network?

Building a network of professionals who can refer you – a referral network – has enormous value. And yet some of us don’t really capitalize on that value.

Consider this? Every time you add someone to your network you potentially add over 60,000 possible contacts. A network of just 250 first class contacts can connect you directly to 50,000 people and indirectly to untold numbers.

So what things are you doing to value those first level contacts?

Here are some suggestions:-

•    Acknowledge them genuinely – the world is in dire need of more “acknowledgement” and recognizing people for their accomplishments with an acknowledgement goes a long way to building a relationship. Simply sending a birthday card puts you in the top 5% of relationship builders.
•    Be aware of opportunities for them – very few things build loyalty and appreciation more than giving one of your network contacts a referral. And it doesn’t have to be for business. Given that your contacts have personal lives as well referrals can be for any aspect of their lives.
•    Share valuable information – make sure you look out for – and share – information that may be of value to your network. Marketing tips and ideas are the best. Newsletters that are focused on the recipient rather than the sender are an excellent for this purpose.

A great referral network is like a bank account. If you invest in it by regularly depositing (in the form of acknowledgement, sharing and referring) you can always make a withdrawal when you need it. A 1st class network may even allow you to overdraw occasionally!

We suddenly think of all the reasons why an idea won’t work because change moves us out of our “comfort zone” and into unchartered territory. Suddenly we are in areas where we have no reference point, no statistics and research, no proven assumptions.

Yet it is in these places that startling things happen and often, real progress is made.

Consider the report in the latest issue of Virgin Blue Airlines Voyeur magazine, which highlights the American state of Utah. In June 2008 they introduced a 4-Day Week for all government employees. Not optional – mandatory.

A revolutionary change if ever there was one.

Can’t you still hear all the “change resisters” saying……“it won’t work”!

Yet 18 months later it has proved to be a huge success. Here are just some of the benefits:-
•    Reduced energy consumption by 13%.
•    Reduced carbon emissions equal to 2500 less cars on the road.
•    $6.4 million transport savings into commuters’ pockets.
•    Stress rates and absenteeism down.
•    Productivity and service quality up.

So what changes have you considered and then been talked out of. And even more importantly, what changes would you now introduce?

Why not hold a think tank on what changes you could make to improve your business?

The Referral Master®

•    Attend as many events as possible – more is better.
•    Get as many business cards as possible – 20 or 30 is excellent.
•    Exchanging cards will get you business so take plenty.

Yet all of these (and many other myths) overlook one vital aspect. Networking is about people and people like to feel valued.

Fast pace and quantity may work well with “speed dating” but it certainly does not work with networking.

Networking is about making a connection, something you don’t normally do in 60 seconds.

So it amazes me when people say “networking isn’t working for me”. Very often the thing that isn’t working is the person doing it.

To make your net works you need to do the following:-

1.    Set a goal for each networking meeting – I suggest a maximum of 5 good connections.
2.    Have a follow-up plan…. and do it. Plans without execution are just vacant words.
3.    Turn those “networking connections” into “real relationships” by investing time and remembering each one is a person, not a number.

For more tips on making your Net Work, go to my website – there is a wealth of useful material to help you grow and develop your network.

The Referral Master®

I am sure that if we asked their competition they would say exactly the same thing. So where is the difference?

In today’s marketplace giving your customer things like “great customer service” just doesn’t cut it anymore. In fact, if you think about it, that is what the customer paid for!

So how do you go about “standing out from the crowd”?

In New York City the Naked Cowboy certainly understands this concept. What amazing brand recognition he has created simply by doing something no one else had done. In an often “bland world”, he stands out from the crowd for all sorts of reasons and has gone on to create a worldwide business.

So here are some tips on creating an image that is DIFFERENT from the competition:-

•    ask others for ideas – form a think tank or mastermind group just for you – in 2005 mine resulted in the idea of International Networking Week
•    be outrageous – bland never stands out and fear of what people might think will defeat you – imagine the Well Dressed Cowboy V The Naked Cowboy
•    get a mentor/coach – they will give you new ideas and reasons not to reject ideas outright - that will ensure you stay the same

A guideline for all ideas could well be “has someone done this before in exactly the same way”? If not then try it!

The Referral Master®