Ep.29 Stop Waiting! How to Actively Seek Referrals and Grow Your Business

Referrals are great—but are they enough to grow your business? John, Jim, and Kelly take on this common belief, discussing how businesses can be more proactive in cultivating referrals, both in person and online. Learn how LinkedIn can be a powerful tool in building relationships with referral partners and expanding your network. Plus, they touch on why even referral-based businesses sometimes invest heavily in ads. Get ready to rethink your strategy!

 

Show Notes

 

• Referral-Based Businesses: Kelly kicks off the conversation by highlighting the common belief that referral-based businesses don't need an online presence.
• The Waiting Trap: Businesses often fall into the trap of waiting for referrals to come without doing much proactively.
• Client Success Story: Kelly shares an example of a cybersecurity consultant who thought he was fully referral-based, and how LinkedIn helped him scale.
• LinkedIn Strategies: They discuss how businesses can use LinkedIn to build relationships with referral partners. Kelly stresses the importance of building a buyer persona for your ideal partners.
• Proactive Referrals: John adds that referrals don’t have to be face-to-face; they can happen through online channels like LinkedIn—making it essential for businesses to leverage these platforms.
• Paid Ads vs. Referrals: Jim highlights that even referral-based businesses often spend heavily on ads, suggesting that blending brand awareness strategies with referral marketing is important.
• Final Thoughts: The team concludes that while referrals are valuable, relying only on one channel isn't sustainable, and businesses should spread their efforts across multiple platforms.

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Concept of referral-based businesses
• Importance of proactive referral generation
• Leveraging online platforms, especially LinkedIn, for referrals
• Identifying ideal referral partners
• Building credibility through valuable content sharing
• Strategies for proactive outreach to potential partners
• Multi-channel marketing approaches beyond referrals
• Relationship between brand awareness and referral effectiveness
• Case study of a cybersecurity consultant's referral strategy
• Challenges faced by businesses in establishing a strong online presence

 

Actionable Strategies

 

1. Build Referral Personas: Identify who your best referral partners are and start connecting with them through platforms like LinkedIn.
2. Don’t Wait for Referrals: Be proactive by regularly interacting with your referral network and asking for introductions.
3. Leverage Online Presence: Just because you're referral-based doesn’t mean you can avoid social media. LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for referral growth.
4. Blend Referrals with Ads: Even if most of your business comes from referrals, ads help with brand awareness, especially in competitive markets like legal services.

 

Contact Us:

• Visit our website: RUInvisibleOnline.com
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/ruinvisibleonline
• Email us for more insights or to share your feedback: [e-mail]

 

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