Ep #241: Noticing Referral Moments

Stacey Brown Randall: While I teach three major referral strategies every business needs, sometimes referral success is found in the ability to notice or recognize the opportunity right in front of you.

Hey there, and welcome to episode 241 of the Roadmap to Referrals Podcast, a show about helping you build a referral business. I’m your host, Stacey Brown Randall.

For today’s episode, I want to share another eavesdrop into the coaching sessions of my program, BRB (Building a Referable Business). This came up in one of our last sessions of the year, last year, and it is such a good reminder as we move into 2023 that I just wanted to share it with you all.

I introduced the BRB eavesdrop concept. I just used air quotes that none of you guys can see me do, but I introduced the BRB eavesdrop concept a few episodes back. You can check out the first one I did, which is on episode 233, which was being referred on social media.

And I shared a clip when I was answering a question from a BRB member in one of those coaching sessions. I shared a clip from that BRB coaching session on the episode.

So, if you want to go check out the first BRB or eavesdrop that I did, it was on episode 233. And of course, we’ll link to that episode in the show notes page for this episode as well.

And the show notes page for this episode is staceybrownrandall.com/241. That’s for episode 241, and Stacey has an “E.”

So, this is the second time we’ve done the BRB eavesdrop and I’m really loving the opportunity as I’m participating and leading of course, the coaching sessions, like those weekly office hours that we have inside BRB. I’m loving the opportunity when I hear something and I’m like, “Oh, that would be great to share on the podcast.”

Now, in full disclosure and in fairness, I’m not sharing a lot of the big teachable moments that happen inside BRB because that’s what the members of BRB are there for, that is what their investment is for, and that is why they are there.

But there are moments where we just talk about things that I’m like, yes, this could be shared with my greater audience and that’s you. You’re my greater audience, and one day, maybe, you’ll come and join me inside BRB, which will be amazing and I can’t wait for that day. But I want to make sure that you’re getting some of this goodness that we are talking about inside BRB.

Again, it’s just littles slivers. I think today’s clip for this episode is like six minutes. It’s just littles slivers, but they’re so good, they’re so packed with so much good stuff, but it’s also indicative of course, on you can imagine the other bigger conversations and lots more conversations we’re having on those weekly coaching sessions.

So, what I really like about the BRB eavesdrop clips is that you get to actually hear me in the moment live as I’m answering the questions submitted by my BRB members, and they’re business owners just like you.

It’s one of the main benefits of being in BRB. It’s your question asked by you with your context and your situation, but almost always the question and my answer is a benefit to all listening no matter that others may be in different industries than you.

So, this eavesdrop you’re going to hear is about a six-minute clip and it starts with a basic question submitted by Lori. Lori is the virtual assistant for a company called RevGrow, which does B2B, LinkedIn lead generation.

Lori is asking about how to count a referral, which is, as you guys know, a referred prospect. She’s asking how to count a referral that was received, but it was received the same referral from two different referral sources. So, the same prospect referred just by two different people, referred that same prospect.

So, I’m answering her question first in this clip as to how to count that. But after answering her question, which the answer I do give to Lori’s question will probably help you with your own tracking, so definitely take note of that.

But after answering her question, then the conversation continues as Catherine, another member of BRB asks another question, almost as if a follow up tack on question.

And just for you guys know, Catherine is a business attorney. So, it’s in answering Catherine’s question that I start discussing and we start talking about the importance of noticing ever subtle but very important referral moments.

So, I want you guys to take this in, take this clip, this information that I share. It sounded like a two-parter, asking about the tracking, and then the follow up question by Catherine as we dive into really the importance of noticing those ever subtle, but very important referral moments. Enjoy.

So, first up from Lori. Lori’s like, “I know the answer to this, but I’m just going to ask it for the benefit of the group,” which I appreciate you taking one for the team, Lori.

Lori said … and she wants to see if she had it correct: “When two different referral sources provide you the same prospect, how is that referred prospect counted?”

And so, her first thing she said was, “I’m only counting it once as one referral.” And I said, “Yes, that’s correct. You’re counting it once, you don’t count it twice. It wasn’t two clients that were referred, it was one even though it came from two people. But you’re going to give credit Lori to the other two people.”

So, it’ll both show up in there like, hey, Stacey referred Denise and John referred Denise, but Denise is counted once in your overall number of referrals received, but Stacey and John will both get credit.

So, when Mark writes the end of your reflection cards or beginning of your reflection cards or whatever it is, or just the thank you note for receiving that referral, both Stacey and John would receive a card, and both would receive that Denise’s name put into our end of year our beginning of year reflection card, so definitely.

And there’s nothing wrong when Mark follows up with those folks to be like when you’re following up with the person referred like Denise to say that, be like, “You are definitely somebody I got to talk to because both Stacey and John referred you to me.”

Like we want to always make that connection, be like “You are definitely someone who is important to talk to because some of my favorite people had both referred you to me.”

Like, you tell Mark to use that language in his follow up and also, it’s fine for Mark to tell … I’m talking about myself in the third person, it feels weird.

But also tell Mark that it would be a good idea to tell Stacey and to tell John, “Hey, actually Denise was referred to me by someone else too. I very much appreciate you both sending her to me, I hope we have a great conversation or I’m looking forward to scheduling our upcoming conversation.”

So, definitely let them know because I think that only creates the environment for which other people are referring Mark as well as I am. It kind of creates that environment, that thought process with me, and it kind of creates it with Denise as the prospect knowing and we’re being reminded that, yeah, you were referred to me by multiple people. Multiple people think you need to give me your money. That is what multiple people think.

So, don’t say it like that. That was totally a joke, but that’s the ultimate idea there.

Catherine: Just to pop in, I was going to also say that a lot of times, like I know when I refer somebody, and this isn’t so much like business as like a hairdresser — like I’m always afraid that that person is like not going to be a good, referred person.

And so, I think that just if I know that somebody else has also referred the same person, then it really just makes me feel even more confident about like my own-

Stacey Brown Randall: Decision.

Catherine: Yeah, exactly. So, I think it helps that way too.

Stacey Brown Randall: Yeah. And so, here’s the thing too, and Catherine I would say … and I don’t know, I mean you’ve been in my world since 2016, so I don’t know what it was. I don’t know what Catherine was pre-2016 other than some horrible training you went through that you didn’t love, that’s like the one thing I know about you, pre-Stacey error, I guess I would say.

So, I don’t know if you were this way before that or not, but I also think the more we are on top of our referral strategy. and the things that we are doing to grow our referrals, it does make us more aware, which then can lead us to be more sensitive to what we are doing when we’re referring others, when in reality, we probably shouldn’t be that sensitive or that concerned.

And I would say that if you refer someone and you don’t know if it’s a good fit, you can always come around on the back end and tell the referral source … the person you’re referring to — not the referral source, excuse me, you’re the referral source in this example.

But tell the person, “Hey, I referred this person to you, I think it’ll be great — not sure this is exactly the type of client you’re looking for.” And then open the invitation for them to tell you who is the ideal client, because then, more than likely, if there’s the opportunity for them to refer you, they will flip the question back to you.

Like I know Catherine if you reached out to me and you referred someone to me and then you like … let’s just say you referred an attorney to me who just started her practice, she’s been in business six months, and you referred her to me and you were like, “I don’t know if this is the right type of person that would actually become part of BRB with us or maybe we just take one of your online programs.”

If you came around the back end and just said that to me, that would allow me to start a dialogue with you about absolutely I can help people let her in there for six months or their first year. Sometimes, they have the financial runway to join the group coaching program and that’s what they want, other times the right place for them to start is a self-study.

And so, from that perspective, it just also allows me the opportunity to like re-solidify that for you. And then let’s just say … like I don’t think I’ve ever known anybody in Maryland that needs a business attorney, so I’m pretty sure I’ve never actually referred you. I’ve given you promotion and stuff when you’ve been on the podcast but never actually referred.

And so, if I were in a position to refer you, it would allow me to say, “And hey, just remind me who are the best type of clients that I could refer to you?” It just creates that dialogue and ultimately, a lot of these moments and situations are moments you guys have to be aware of so that you can take advantage of them.

It’s like that opportunity to have one more conversation about referrals and you’re doing it from a place of like wanting to know the right information. So, it’s not like you’re like pushing it, you’re not forcing it, it’s there. I think more than anything, the situations are there, we just don’t take advantage of them, and have those ongoing conversations.

So, it’s always just have a pause and be like, “Wait a minute, if Stacey were sitting on my shoulder, what would she tell me to do to leverage or take advantage of this moment?” Or just shoot me an email and be like, “What would you do in this situation?” And I’ll answer you as fast as I can.

If you love hearing these BRB eavesdrops listening in on what we discuss and how I teach inside the coaching program, Building a Referral Business (BRB), and you kind of notice we like to joke around and have fun — then maybe it’s time for you to take the next step and check out BRB for yourself.

The first step is to submit an application to make sure you are the right fit for this coaching program. Not everyone is, and that’s okay. If you are approved, then you can decide if joining now is the right move for your business. But it all starts with you first, submitting your application.

Go to staceybrownrandall.com/referable to learn about everything you receive inside BRB, like access to the weekly Q&A sessions with me, access to the 18 plus referral strategies I teach, and customized roadmaps to follow throughout your time in BRB. And then of course, to be able to submit your application. Again, you’re going to go to staceybrownrandall.com/referable.

Alright, I hope you enjoyed that BRB eavesdrop with me answering Lori’s question first, and then going on to answer Catherine’s question, and then that wonderful teaching moment that we were able to have about noticing referral moments.

And I hope that it encourages you to pay more attention to the possible referral moments that you are having right now in your business, you may just not be paying attention to them.

When you notice a referral moment, you know I want you to tell me, so please let me know. Shoot me an email or message me directly on social media. LinkedIn and Instagram are the two best platforms. I seem to have those direct messaging channels under control and the other ones, yeah, it’s still not so great, let’s just say.

But you can always shoot me an email as well. If you’re on my email list, you get our weekly emails, you get information that we are sharing via email, then of course, all you ever have to do on that is just hit reply.

These show notes for this episode can be found at Staceybrownrandall.com/241. Of course, that’s for episode 241.

Alright, coming up next week is episode 242, and I’ll share what you should or could be delegating with your referral strategies, and what you should not be delegating or outsourcing with your referral strategies.

Until then, you know what to do my friend; take control and grow your business. Bye for now.