I visited a networking group to advise certain members how to trigger more referrals in their 1-minute. After our conversation I compiled this article to summarise some of the ideas we discussed.

General

Remember you are briefing your 'sales team' to go out and find you suitable referrals each week - you are not asking for business from the people in the room (although that may happen as a by-product).

Structure

Top and tail your presentation with the same information each week, and vary the middle bit (the filling in the sandwich). Start with your name and company name and perhaps a 'tease' that gets attention. At the end, repeat your name and company name, with your catchprase or slogan as a memory hook.

Your ideal client

I find that many members are very good at describing what they do, but are not so good at asking for what they want. OK, all of us want clients that have big budgets, pay on time and don't mess us around! But requesting those clients doesn't make it easy for the people in the room to find you a referral. Instead, why not take one industry in turn from your existing client list, and ask for referrals to more of the same.

Synergies

You can also ask for referrals to people in the same industry as yourself - for example, as a copywriter it is always useful for me to meet other writers, graphic designers, web designers, printers, photographers, and others in the creative industry. Not because they will become clients of mine, but because we might have potential clients in common, I could add value to their service offering, and they could add value to mine. So who do you know that would be useful to have in your own network?

Be specific

A Facilities Manager was at a training session in Croydon, and he asked 'Who do you know that works in the Canon building in Wallington?' He knew they had an ugly old air conditioning system hanging out of their windows, and he knew he could offer them a better one. Someone in the room put up their hand, they had worked in that building for 15 years and still knew people there! The referral was made.

But do you think it would have worked if Steve had said 'Who do you know that needs new air conditioning?' or 'Who do you know that needs a facilities manager?' I know it's tempting to cover everything you do at every meeting, but if you ask for something specific, and change it every week, just see how the referrals roll in!

Trust and understanding

Testimonials and case studies sell you more powerfully than anything you can say about yourself. People love stories about people. So use your 1-minute to talk about what problem you solved for your client that week, what the solution was and what results you achieved for them. This technique gives the other members the confidence to refer you.

Be seen as an expert

How about sharing a weekly 'handy hint'? People learn something useful, it demonstrates your expertise and generates enormous amounts of goodwill.

Show don't tell

A picture tells a thousand words! So, if you have a product, then bring it along. Use a prop to demonstrate your service. Bring examples of work you have completed. This makes your presentation stand out from the rest, and visually demonstrates what you do.

Networking guru, Andy Lopata, tells the story of the IT expert who presented a red lacy bra and a can of oil and said, 'We provide support and maintenance!' He meets IT people all the time but has never forgotten her or her sales message!

Jackie Barrie is a copywriter, designer and marketeer who specialises in making complex information appear simple. She calls it 'writing without waffle'.

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