The
phone rang.

It
was Gerry chuckling and asking, “How much are you paying these people?”
He
was doing due diligence on a strategic marketing project. He had asked for
references on the contract, which will help determine a new direction for his
multi-million dollar operation.

The
references I‘d provided had all spoken highly of me.

But,
then, why wouldn’t they? Each is still a close  friend. Each has
actively sought my advice on more than one project. Each has had concrete
results. And each has seen me deliver more than I promise.

It’s
expected that a business reference will laud your talents, your work habits and
your professionalism. They are supposed to support your search for a better
position, the next contract and that chance to showcase your capabilities.

Do
yours? Take this simple test to see if you’re reference ready:

[
] Yes [ ] No               Have you established ongoing rapport with your references?

[ ] Yes [ ] No               Have
they worked with you or seen your results more than once?

[ ] Yes [ ] No               Have
you delivered the desired results?

[ ] Yes [ ] No               Have
you gone beyond the desired results in some way?

[ ] Yes [ ] No               Have
you cleared with them the possibility of being a
                                   reference
for you on the spur of the moment?

Do
your references meet those qualifications? Are you ready with names and numbers
of folks that you trust to sell you? Can you just tell that prospect who to
call with no fear of what they’ll say? Can you provide that information without
prompting your references?

If
you can answer yes to all those questions then you’ve trained your references.
If not, here’s how:

1.     
Do great work. Always deliver more than
you promise and make sure that your promises are very specific. Gary told me, “My conversation with Gerry was about how I’d helped double their
income and how now, two years later, the recommended techniques and
technologies are still working.”

This
applies whether you’re a coffee barrista or run the local dry cleaners. Doing
the job well gets you repeat business.

2.     
Do it again. If you’re good at what
you do you’ll be asked to repeat your performance when:

§        
Your reference moves to another company

§        
Your reference starts a new division or group or section

§        
Your reference is selected to turn an operation around

§        
Your reference needs your expertise on another problem or
situation

Pete,
another reference, and I first met when I was the acting COO of a direct
marketing firm. We built a promotion for his company that resulted in their
best quarter ever. Two years later, Pete called to have me come in to do a
complete contact management audit of his company. And, he asked me to assist in
the introduction of their new product line. You don’t get that kind of repeat
business without delivering on promises and developing ongoing rapport.

Whether
you toil at the local auto lube or you’re a management consultant this applies
to you. People come back for good service and they send their friends… but only
if they’re sure you’ll treat them just as well.

3.     
Get to Trust. The single most important
element in building any business is Trust. You must trust your instincts, your
sales people, your staff and your customers. You must trust your references to
say the right thing. They must be sure that you won’t involve them needlessly.

Melanie,
the third reference I’d given Gerry, is a CEO and not a shy retiring kind of
lady. Melanie said, “I quizzed him on his selection process, pointed out some ways he could
improve it and explained how a competitor’s background would make them
shortsighted…all in about five minutes.” Gerry advised, “She spent most of her time
talking about character, getting to the heart of problems and providing honest
answers… whether they are liked or not. He told me that her final comment was:

“If you’re
gonna bet the company, bet it on someone who gets results.”

That,
in simple terms is how you want your references to describe you… as the one who
gets results.

They
will, without prompting, if you meet the objectives you’ve set, can repeat your
success and have become an esteemed member of their team.

Jerry Fletcher is an expert at common sense marketing strategy
Schedule this Networking Ninja to speak to your company or organization.