Let's face it, it's great when more people show up to do business with us, but it's also disappointing when you we out that they're not really your ideal prospect.
So what are some strategies for generating qualified referrals so that when they show up, you're both thrilled to have found each other and the referral is eager to do business with you.
Get clear on who you want:
The very first step would be to get clear on who you want as a referral. For example, if you are a CPA, and you ask others to send referrals to you, how do you describe your ideal referral? The description has to be so clear that the person referring others to you can easily identify who you're looking for. So instead of saying "Anyone looking for a CPA" it may be clearer to describe the specific person and also the problem you solve for them. For example, "Solo entrepreneurs who are struggling with their business accounting."
Make it easy to refer:
In my opinion, one of the easiest ways to have someone refer to you is to have something that you offer for free. It's much easier to tell someone to "Hey, I just had the best experience with my CPA, and she has a free consultation/free report/free tip sheet on ... that's really valuable. You can get it by..." If the referral shows up to get the free offer, they're obviously interested in your topic or area of expertise which qualifies them for your services.
Connect with someone who has your clients:
For example, a photographer can collaborate with a bridal store and send referrals to each other. You're providing very different services but to the same type of client. The bride/groom shopping at a bridal store is also in the market for a photographer. So when you refer business to each other, the referrals are very qualified.
Make it systematic:
There are several ways to generate referrals for your business and there's one key to getting qualified referrals consistently. That is to make it systematic. Making it systematic means creating a process within your business flow that is tied to generating referrals. There can be more than one system as well, depending on the ways in which your clients come through your business.
So, for example, a house-cleaning business can send a thank you card to their client and the card also suggests or asks for a referral. It's systematic because it happens reliably upon completion of a service or, say, every 3 months. And you can even add an incentive such as $20 referral bonus or discount for each referral received. Or you can send the same referral coupon out each time you invoice a client - again, making it systematic.
It is called star mural painting and it is all about turning people's bedroom ceilings into a night time planetarium of stars. It is possible to earn hundreds of dollars for each ceiling you paint all for just a couple of hours of pleasant work. This makes it the world's easiest painting business.
As a matter of fact anyone who is a teenager or even 70 years old could easily own and operate their very own star mural painting business. The average star mural takes less than an hour or two to complete and goes for around $250.
Just think if you did two star murals per day for a whole week? You could earn $2,500 - $3,000 in just one week! This is serious income and the market is endless as well.
More advanced star scenes that can increase your profits per job include shooting stars, small galaxies, UFOs, space battles, the Milky Way, etc.
The market is wide because of the fact that everyone loves the idea of sleeping under the stars at night and almost everyone has several bedroom ceilings in their home. Many homes now have game rooms or home theater rooms also.
A star mural ceiling is invisible during the daytime but at night the stars magically come to life when the lights go out. This gives the illusion of actually sleeping under the stars outdoors.
My wife wouldn't part with our bedroom ceiling. It has the Milky Way stretching forth across the night sky plus several of our favorite constellations that are seen all night long.
Can you imagine what kids would think if they saw a ceiling like this? Do you think they would want one just like it? How about mom and dad? Many people like stars on their bedroom ceiling because it sets a romantic tone.
Again, a basic star mural costs about $250 on average and will only take someone an hour to two hours to complete. An advanced star scene can go for as much as a thousand dollars or more.
The best way to get good at creating stars on ceilings is to get good at making your own demo posters to show to interested people. Seeing is believing and once they see one of your posters they will eagerly write you a check then and there on the spot.
You can easily start with kids rooms. As you get better at making these amazing star murals you can do more advanced star scenes for teens and adults and charge premium prices.
Also, star murals can be created during the daytime and offers you a chance to make as much as $2,500 - $3,000 per week and MORE working just part-time hours. Again, this is one of the easiest and most profitable small business opportunities to start.
Both Allison Babb & Lee Cusano are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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Lee Cusano has sinced written about articles on various topics from Acid Reflux, Painting and SEO Search Engine Optimization. Lee Cusano has owned his own successful painting business for over 16 years. He has also helped many others to start their own painting businesses. To find out more about the. Lee Cusano's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.