Every small business owner, entrepreneur, and service professional knows the best way to get new customers are through referrals. Customers coming to you by a referral because someone they trusted referred them to you. Referrals will give you the biggest return over any other marketing method.

Getting referrals can be extremely difficult. Most people do not like to ask anyone for a referral. However most customers would be happy to make referrals, but if you do not keep your name in front of customers they soon forget about you.

The key for networking is to have a follow-up system for every networking event you attend. Somehow you need a system to keep everything straight.

Most people attend networking meetings and never follow up with the people they meet. Here are seven simple ideas to follow up successfully:

1. Send an email within 24 hours whenever you meet
   someone letting them know you enjoyed meeting them.

2. Mail a simple “nice to meet you” greeting card with 24
   hours.

3. Call them within a week and set up a coffee, lunch, or
   short meeting to learn more about their business and how you two can help each
   other. This meeting is more to learn about them then you telling them about
   you. Get their birthday so you can put it your system to send them a birthday
   card.

4. If by chance you did not meet in that week, call and
   set up another time to meet.

5. After your meeting, send a greeting card thanking them
   for their time.

6. Give them some kind of referral within 30 days. This
   does not have to be a person. This could also be an idea or a resource they
   can use.

7. After your meeting make contact again within 30 days. You are trying to build up a network that will last a long time.

Whether you attend a networking event every week or just once in a while, the key is how you follow-up! Use this little system and you will see amazing results.

If you have not tried our greeting cards system yet, request your free Gift Account today and send a few free cards on me!

I have been an entrepreneur for many years. During this time I have been exposed to numerous referral programs and systems. After all these years I have concluded that the number one method of getting more referrals is to simply develop a very personal and close relationship with your customers or clients through regular contact, so that when the time is right,
they will remember you for their own needs and will also refer you their
friends, relatives, and colleagues who need your help and services.

The best way I’ve found to keep in personal touch is by sending greeting cards. I’m not the only one who has discovered this.
Joe Girard used a little-known secret to become the most successful referral marketer of all time

Joe was honored by the Guiness Book of World Records for selling more crs than any single person in history, 12 times achieving the top vehicle sales in the world. In his best year he sold 1425 units. These units were all retail sales (no fleet sales). To learn more about Joe click here.

So what did Joe do to accomplish this? Greeting Cards.

Joe so believed in the power of greeting cards he employed two assistants out of his own pocket. According to the Detroit News. “Joe sent out nearly 13,000 greeting cards a month to his customers, celebrating everything from Halloween to Groundhog day.” Joe proved without a doubt that greeting cards inspire customer loyalty and motivate customers to refer their friends.

You can use greeting cards in your business to make sure your customers remain your customers, transform casual customers into loyal customers, and to convert new business contacts into customers, clients, or patients.

I was talking to a friend about different strategies to use to improve my business when he suggested I look at a greeting card system he uses. I at first didn’t even want to look at it. I have sent out thank you cards and notes in my business but I thought it was time consuming and expensive.

Being somewhat curious my friend had me sit down in front of my computer and he gave me a tour. When I saw what the system could do I got extremely excited. I saw the possibilities that this system could do for myself and for others! I couldn’t wait to get started.

Whenever I meet someone or whenever I do business with someone. I make a point of getting their mailing address and birthdate. I then put their information into my system and a week before their birthday the system reminds me to send a birthday card to them.

When I see the reminder I pick out a card from over 15,000 cards to choose from that I feel is appropriate for them. I can even make card if I have a picture I want to put on the front of the card. I then write a heartfelt message, select either my own handwriting font or use different font options, click a button and the card gets mailed.

Besides birthdays you can send cards to customers, clients, prospects, and friends anytime you choose to stay in touch with them. You can send a card monthly, quarterly, or twice a year with a single click of the mouse.

You can choose from over 15,000 cards or you can custom design your own cards for about a dollar using some unbelievable features. You then can set up a multiple-piece mailing campaign using a combination of thank you cards, holiday cards, cards sharing suggestions or tips that showcase your expertise, requests for referrals, or anything that will keep your name in front of the people you choose every month.

Every person who does business with you or that you do business with put their name into your
system and send your cards with a single click of the mouse. It’s as simple as that! The campaign system will merge their name into the greeting, will include your personal note with your own handwriting and signature, then addresses, stuffs, licks, stamps (with a real stamp) and takes it to the post office and mails it for you whenever you want it mailed. That is cool. You customer will receive hand-written, personalized cards from you with you lifting a finger!

If you would send a monthly campaign, this entire campaign will cost you only $12 to stay in touch with them for the year, without you lifting a finger. Or if you would send cards quarterly, it would cost you only $4. You get to determind how often you want to stay in touch, and you let the system do the rest!

Studies have shown that in most industries, sales are made after 7 contacts with your prospects. Yet the vast majority of businesses have NO follow-up system in place. What if you attract a new customer? They can easily go somewhere else if they don’t feel like you care about their business of if they just forget about you. Until now, follow-up has always been expensive and time consuming.

Yours In
Success,
Steve Jackson