For success in generating referrals, it's crucial to know your sources -- the members of your word-of-mouth team. To that end, there are five things that are critical that word-of-mouth marketing teams should know about each other.
These five things are not mysterious secrets; they are facts we are exposed to every day, but often pay little attention to because we are not aware of the benefits we can accrue by sharing them. I call this sharing the GAINS Exchange:
*Goals *Accomplishments *Interests *Networks *Skills If you know the GAINS categories and use them effectively, you can strengthen your relationships, create strong organizations, and live a more rewarding, productive, and enjoyable life. This is also a two-way street. Not only should you know these things about others, you should share with them the same information about yourself.
Goals Goals are the financial, business, educational, and personal objectives you want or need to meet for yourself and for people who are important to you. They could be problems you want to resolve or decisions you need to make, either immediately or down the road.
Whatever they are, you need to define your own goals clearly and specifically and you need to have a clear picture of the other person's goals. Indeed, the best way to develop a relationship is by helping someone achieve something that's important to her. If you do, she'll remember you when you need help achieving your goals. You'll become valuable sources for each other, and your relationships will endure.
Accomplishments Some of your best insight into others comes from knowing what goals they have achieved, what projects they've completed, what they have accomplished both for themselves and for others. Accomplishments, whether as student, employee, organization member, parent, friend, sports fan, or neighbor, tell you more about a person than any number of intentions or attitudes.
People like to talk about the things they're proud of. Engage your referral sources in casual conversation; encourage them to talk about their accomplishments. Sharing your accomplishments may lead to fortuitous surprises, such as a mutual interest, or connection that can be beneficial for both of you.
Interests Your interests can help you connect with others. People are more willing to spend time with those who share their interests or know something about them; if you and your referral source share many of the same interests, it will strengthen your relationship.
Passions are your most important interests. A passion is something you love to do, something you could do all day long without encouragement or compliments from others.
Networks A network starts with any group (formal or informal), organization, institution, company, or individual you associate with for either business or personal reasons. You have many networks, both formal and informal.
As the saying goes, "It's not what you know but whom you know" -- and to that you can add, "whom the people in your network know.” As you share your networks with others, you will build relationships faster--relationships that lead to business opportunities.
Skills The more you know about the talents, abilities, and assets of the people in your referral base, the better equipped you are to find competent, affordable service when you or someone you know needs help. Think about what you do and identify the special skills you have; exchanging this information will help business relationships grow as well.
To summarize, getting to know the people you want to help you generate word of mouth for your business will result in your ability to reciprocate. This, in turn, will create a synergy of giving that won’t ever stop! What a great way to build your business. Using the GAINS Exchange is a fun and valuable way to take your word-of-mouth marketing to an all-new level.
Called the father of modern networking, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author and Founder of BNI (www.bni.com the world’s largest business networking organization. His latest book, Truth or Delusion can be viewed at www.TruthorDelusion.com. Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company (www.referralinstitute.com He can be reached at misner@bni.com .
G A I N S in Word of Mouth Marketing - To learn more about this author, visit Ivan R. Misner's Website.
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Ivan R. Misner
(Visit Ivan's Website)
Dr. Ivan Misner is the Founder & Chairman
of BNI (Business Network Int'l.). BNI (www.bni.com) was
founded in 1985. The organization has over
4,200 chapters throughout every populated
continent of the world. Last year alone,
BNI generated millions referrals resulting
in billions of dollars worth of business
for its members.
Dr. Misner’s Ph.D. is from the University
of Southern California. He has written
eight books, including his New York Times
best seller, Masters of Networking and his
#1 bestseller, Masters of Success. He is
a monthly columnist for Entrepreneur.com
and is also Chairman of the Board for the
Referral Instititute - a referral training
company with trainers around the world.
He has taught business and social capital
courses at several universities and is on
the Board of Directors for the Colorado
School of Professional Psychology.
Called the "Father of Modern Networking"
by Ecademy.com and the “Networking Guru”
by Entrepreneur magazine, Dr. Misner is
one of the world's leading experts on
business networking and has been a
keynote speaker for major corporations and
associations throughout the world.
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