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No matter how long you’ve been in business, one of the quickest ways to start getting referrals from your network and to get out there in a BIG way, is to start telling your Centers of Influence (COIs) what you’re up to in a face-to-face meeting. This can be in addition to sending them the introduction/update letter and can be either in a cafe or at their office (where they happen to have their Rolodex handy).
Centers of influence are people who like and respect you, and who come in contact with enough people on a daily and weekly basis to be able to regularly refer you to the right people. They are some of the most influential people you know, natural networkers who seem to know everyone, “bridgers” who love putting people together, just for the fun of it. (Sometimes we call these people “the mayor” because they just seem to know everyone!)
Just one meeting with some of these COIs over coffee or lunch (your treat), on a regular basis, will start revving up your reputation and referral engines. People will start hearing about you and you’ll get new clients this way quickly. It’s just another way to educate your environment about what you’re up to, but with very targeted individuals.
Dan Sullivan, The Strategic Coach™, describes Centers of Influence in an article on “Referability”:
“By focusing on relationships, you multiply opportunities for yourself and your business. The secret is to provide extraordinary service to an inner circle of high-quality clients and centers of influence. They, in turn, become marketers for you, through referrals to other individuals like them. By doing this in a systematic fashion, you will be able to create an unlimited high-quality market that is immune to the ups and downs of local and national economies.”
Your Client Attraction Assignment:
Make a list of the 20 most influential people you know. These are usually natural networkers who run into lots of people and would be happy to tell others about you when appropriate.
Call five of these COIs this week to set up coffee or lunch in the next two weeks. Do the same the following week, and so on. Educate them on what you do for clients, your system, and who your Ideal Clients are. Ask who they know that fits the bill. Collaborate, brainstorm, and of course, offer to do the same for them.
Repeat quarterly (and put it as a recurring appointment in your calendar). How’s THAT for a client attraction system?
Need help figuring out what else to do with your COI’s? You can get lots of ideas (with tons of assignments and worksheets, scripts, and templates, etc.) in the Client Attraction Home Study System™. It includes lots of crucial stuff to help you fill your practice really quickly. You can get your copy at www.TheClientAttractionSystem.com.
