Six Parts Of A Referral Based Business (part 3)

Content: providing great free info

This is the second part in the 6 part series on how to build a referral based business.

I'm going to lay out 3 benefits to you for providing great free info to prospective clients and then give you some ideas to run with. Here are the 3 benefits you get with providing tons of free info:

1. Free is great – paid is better.
2. The “I owe you” syndrome.
3. Pre-sell your clients

Benefits Explained

#1.
When you provide great free info you create an idea in your clients mind that your paid information is better. If your client already benefits from the free stuff – they will benefit a ton more with the paid stuff.

When I'm sitting in on a meeting with a new client I give them everything I got. I lay out every last idea and every option available. I hold nothing back. I give my all. And more often than not I walk out with a new client.

The idea that you should give every idea instead of keeping some of the best for your paying clients is really counter intuitive. I thought it was crazy when I first heard it. If I gave my clients all my ideas upfront for free, why would they pay for them later on?

What I discovered was these new clients were amazed that I'd be willing to lay out all this great info at no charge. They felt if my “free” info was that good, then the paid for info had to be a lot better.

#2
When you provide a ton of great free information clients feel like they owe you something.

When I provide excellent information and even an initial free service I get overwhelmingly great response. Those clients end up becoming my advocates to every business they know.

I've heard lines like “With all you've helped me with, I really feel like I owe you something more.” And boy is that a great feeling. These are the kind of clients who work hard to find you referrals and who work hard to use your services.

#3
When you It means you did a really good job marketing. And when you have a client like this they are “pre-sold” on just about any idea you have.

When you provide great free info it's like priming a pump. You take time to educate your client about your product or service. Because they are educated about what you provide they better understand the value. They become more willing to buy and usually are willing to spend more money on their project.

The great part about this is they also become better referral sources. Since they are educated they can better communicate your value proposition to those they refer.

Ideas to think on

One of the best ways to provide a plethora of excellent content Is on your website. Your website is a great place to house your information and direct people to.

Here are some ideas on how to generate free content:

• weekly website article
• weekly email article
• Create an article based on discussions you have with clients
• Answer 10 FAQ's – 1 FAQ for every article... that's 10 articles
• Answer 10 SAQ's – (Should Ask Questions) … there's another 10 articles.
• Read a book related to your field and create 1 article based on every chapter. (What? you think I come up with all these ideas myself?)
• subscribe to nationally syndicated authorities in your field... they probably already have a blog or other regularly updated content.

These “free” articles are more than just free stuff you give away. They are marketing pieces for your business. It's a chance to express your Unique Selling Proposition and how you are able to solve problems for your clients.

When you dazzle your clients with tons of free information they will talk about your business. It's inevitable. They will sing your praises. People they know will ask where they got all this great info from... and you will reap the rewards.

See the rest of the series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

 ...Back to the Marketing Articles

DeliciousDiggFacebookMagnoliaSlashdotTwitterStumbleuponYahoo My Web

Your Comments

Click here to add a comment

Name:


Location:


Web site:


Email:


Rating:






Title:


Comment:




Please enter the Captcha code:

There are no comments to display

DeliciousDiggFacebookMagnoliaSlashdotTwitterStumbleuponYahoo My Web

 

...Back to the Marketing Articles