No More Whack-a-Mole

The other day, Tony Cooke, a friend of mine and a great leader, reminded me about the old game Whack-a-Mole in his newsletter. Have you ever watched someone play Whack-a-Mole? They stand  in front of the game and hold a padded hammer. The challenge is to whack the head of the moles as they pop up before they go back into the holes.

The longer you play, the faster and more erratic the moles pop up. It can get a little crazy.

Now the real question is: Have you ever felt like your business is like a Whack-a-Mole game? There you stand, just waiting for the next crisis to pop up and you only hope you're fast enough to resolve it before another "mole" sticks it's head up... and the next and the next.

Living from crisis to crisis can affect your sales and many times is the reason behind what we call, "the roller coaster sales process." It's hard to prospect for new business when you're busy finding solutions for current business. Many business people tell me that it's like a roller coaster, one minute they have more business than they know what to with and the next they are without leads or prospects.

You know what I'm saying? 

That is why the having a referral system is important. 

What is a Referral System? It's the process of predictably giving and receiving referrals based on a logical and specific set of predetermined and measurable actions.

Michael Gerber, who wrote The E-Myth, said, 

“Systems permit ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results…predictably.”

Here are three suggestions on how to get your own Referral System started:

1. Join a business networking group like Gold Star Referral Clubs and build referral relationships with other like-minded business people in your city.
2. Communicate on a regular basis with your clients and connections, reminding them about your referral program and any incentives that you have. I suggest using ConstantContact. It's a great way to track your referral partners and to send emails.
3. Seek out businesses that are natural referral sources for your industry and form referral alliances, like a fan club that recommends you on a regular basis to their clients and customers.

Finally, subscribe to this blog and let me help you develop your referral strategy. I can't promise to stop the Whack-a-Mole crazy times, but I can help you increase your business with referrals.