How to Leverage Co-Marketing
Another way to enroll referral partners is to activate your LinkedIn connections converting these people from causal connections to active referrers for your business.
Everyone knows LinkedIn can be a powerful source of new business. However, most people have a ton of LinkedIn connections that just sit there idle, doing nothing for their business. The good news is that you can mine the acres of diamonds you are sitting on by activating your LinkedIn connections, so they introduce you to your perfect partners and prospects.
This strategy requires some research and preparation, but the results are definitely worth the effort. Especially if you serve business owners or provide services to businesses.
The LinkedIn Activation strategy consists of six steps:
- Research your contact’s LinkedIn connections and identify five people to ask them about.
- Invite your contact to talk on the phone or over lunch about their LinkedIn connections.
- Ask about their connections with a goal of getting two to three introductions or referrals.
- Thank your contact for the introductions and referrals.
- Reach Out to each referred person.
- Follow-Up with your contact and let them know how things went.
This LinkedIn Activation strategy can help you grow your network quickly. Just two introductions from ten people will bring you twenty new potential clients and/or referral partners. That’s one new conversation for each business day of the month.
Make Your Meetings Matter
Before meeting with someone you’ve never met, spend a few minutes researching them online. Check out their website, LinkedIn profile, and social media accounts to see what common interests you have. Nothing builds rapport faster than sharing your love for the same university, charity or football team.
When you’re meeting with your prospective partner, you always want to give value first before asking for anything from them. Focus on helping them achieve their goals. The faster and more effectively you do that, the faster they will feel like they know, like, and trust you enough to refer their valuable clients to you.
When you first connect, consider starting the conversation by saying,
“Thanks for meeting with me today. I’ve heard a lot of great things about you. You come highly recommended. The reason I wanted to meet with you is that I serve a lot of (type of client homeowners/business owners) who may be able to use your services. I’m hoping to learn more about you and your business so I’m referring you the right type of clients.”