Twenty years ago Nancy Kaye was selling AAA Motor Club memberships. Each InfoMinute ended with the referral activator "Kaye, key, triple A" with her hand pantomiming a key in an ignition. We no longer have to put a key in the ignition to start a car., but last week I was speaking with Kevin Ames on the phone and he mentioned "Kaye, key, triple A." Twenty years! He didn't call her Nancy, he used her referral activator.
Here are the referral activator rules:
Keep it short: No one remembers a three-paragraph mission statement when a referral opportunity pops up. A referral activator is just a few words or a phrase. Background Investigator Darrel Israel’s Referral Activator is simply “I get the facts.” During a conversation about prospective employees it’s easy to bring Darrell into the conversation by saying “Call Darrell. He’ll get the facts.”
Keep it positive: This isn't the time for self-deprecating humor or sarcasm. To offer referrals, people must have confidence in your competence.
Use it everywhere, all the time: Frequency and repetition are key. Use it in your email signature, your web profile, your voice mail message. Use it every time you make a presentation and in every piece of collateral material.
Cindy Miller of Bedrock Concepts “rocks the web.” How do I know? A friend of hers told me when we were talking about web designers. That’s referral success.
Ready . . . set . . . go make money ~ W!
Photo courtesy of Jim, the Photographer