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I was the almost 50 year old professional completely shut down and hopeless as I realized that going ‘digital’ with my business wasn’t an option...it was a stark reality. I was an analog coach and consultant in a suddenly digital world .
How was I going to take my decades of experience helping people get referrals by developing relationships, sharing stories that got shared and then realizing massive sales growth...on social media ? I had no idea.
In fact, my target market couldn’t even use social media like everyone else?!? Financial Advisors were prevented by regulation and the dreaded word “compliance” from using the social media channels powerfully and that meant there wasn’t a way forward. Thank God I was wrong. You might be in the same spot as I was and you really might be feeling that way if you are an Independent Financial Advisor staring at the latest compliance guidelines/draconian rule sheet.
Thanks to some great friends and mentors and a burning passion for the enduring power of word-of-mouth...no matter what the technology is...I was shown a better path and I am going to share it with you right now.
Advisors (and anyone else in sales quite frankly) you can use social media more effectively with less stress by doing something crazy: Promote other people
That’s right...you are going to ‘get’ by ‘giving’ and the reason you can trust it is that its a system...not an impulse. This isn't a casual mantra or a simplistic creed. Giving works, big time, in referral based sales if you have a measurable system that is authentic and predictable. Enter the Predictable Referral System.
Ready to get profitable? If so, its time to set the foundation for the entire game.
Step 1 is to do one simple thing. Make a list of the 5 business people/clients that you need to be successful going forward. Then give them each a call and tell them you want to help grow their business and you need their help. Explain that you want to use Social to promote their business and talk about why they are so valuable for their clients. This isn't another service like Angie's list...you are only recommending individuals and specific companies and you aren't charging for it. Don't give out a coupon...tell a story.
Related: What Sales People Want Instead of Joining Referral Groups!
I guarantee you that you will get business from this one step. These folks, that you already know, are going to appreciate you more and will as a direct result remember you more which equals...referrals. Guess what else? Your friends and clients will enjoy reading real stories about real people that are doing real things instead of that absolute garbage that is 'compliance approved' that makes you wince when you see it on your feed.
You can share, all day long and with complete freedom...on your personal page anything you want as long as you are talking purely about another business person and without any direct benefit to you.
I want to hear from you all and if you read this and it interests or resonates with you please comment below and ask any questions or tell me stories about how you are doing this in your life. Giving produces more than taking. #notareferralpredator
If you are a successful Independent Financial Services professional I make my living helping folks like you improve your performance and as a result change your life and community for the better. In addition, I am blessed to be able to offer keynote speaking on valuable topics like "How to instigate transformation in the culture of organizations ready to grow." Other engagements feature coaching with sales leadership, tightly focused training on referral based sales and consulting strategically with executives on organizational change.