Search Results for: blog asking for referrals

Ask For and Nurture Referrals

Sure, sometimes new customers and clients fall out of trees or present themselves on our front door without our having to do much at all—but it doesn’t happen very often. What is more likely is that we have to work for our new prospects and customers and that means asking for those referrals and then nurturing them along until they are ready to become full-blown customers and clients. Asking for referrals can be the hardest part for some people. You may feel as though you are being pushy or “too obvious”—but this is the way business works. It does not … Continue reading →

Asking for Referrals

One of the best ways to grow your business and increase your marketing efforts is through recommendations and referrals from your current clients and customers. Sometimes, this happens spontaneously without much effort from you, but often gathering referrals takes some effort. Are you interested in finding out better ways to ask for referrals? Here are some suggestions… Make it easy for current customers to give you referrals or make recommendations about your work. You can do this by providing materials that they can pass on to their friends and families or offering incentives for passing the word along. Some businesses … Continue reading →

Prenatal Care FAQ

Q: I’m pregnant! How long does it take to find a OB/GYN or midwife if I do not already have one? A: It depends on how much research you want to do. I would start with referrals from friends, and then I would call and talk to the nurses to ask their opinions. I found my OB/GYN through the recommendation from a nurse at his clinic (where there were multiples doctor’s practicing) who said he had great bedside manner. She was right! I researched and called around for a few hours over the course of two days before I found … Continue reading →

When Your Friends Have No Idea What You “Do”

I had to chuckle a week or so ago when I was talking with a couple friends and one admitted that she had been asked by a mutual friend just “what exactly” I do. She admitted she was at a loss for words and couldn’t really figure out how to explain it. It seemed funny to me because I realized that I couldn’t really tell someone exactly what she does either—she works for the government in a cubicle and I think I know the general whereabouts of her office but that is about it. Here I write about the importance … Continue reading →

Should You Consider Professional Mediation?

Do you find attempts at negotiation and conversation with your ex-spouse or your child’s other parent deteriorate into screaming matches or you are just unable to come to agreements about parenting and custody issues? Are you having a hard time getting schedules worked out or keeping the lines of communication open between one side of your child’s family and the other? Are you still trying to come up with a workable parenting agreement? If there are still unresolved issues and problems regarding parenting your child, then you might want to consider bringing in a professional mediator to help you with … Continue reading →

Do Turn-Over Rates Affect Your Home Business?

Although you may be a small, one-person home-based business, your efficiency and operations can still be affected by a high turn-over rate at vendor, client, and partnership companies you may work with in your business efforts. What does it mean for you and your business when you work with companies that do have a high turn-over with employees. Most businesses are relationship-dependent. We form relationships with our customers and prospects, but we also form relationships with the companies who provide our equipments, supplies and other things we need to do business. If you are in a consulting industry, relationships are … Continue reading →

Looking and Open for Leads

Leads for your home business can come from anywhere and everywhere–not just traditional sources or referrals. Are you staying open and aware and keeping your eyes, ears and mind open for possible leads to help grow your business? Individuals who are used to working in sales or running businesses that rely on a steady influx of customers and clients train themselves to look for leads and ask for referrals. That can seem a little aggressive to those of us who are new to running a home business. But, you’d be surprised all the unusual and unexpected places that leads can … Continue reading →

What About Cold Calls?

Does the thought of making cold calls make your palms sweat and your stomach bounce? Just the abrasive sound of the term “cold call” can make many a home businessperson cringe. However, if you are determined to build your sales business and grow your prospects and contents, it may pay off to have cold calling strategy and develop some skills for reaching out and making contacts. Cold calling doesn’t mean that you have to pick up the phone book and start calling random people. In fact, this would be an incredible waste of time and your ego and efforts would … Continue reading →

When to Take “No” for the Answer

Were you taught that a good sales person never takes “No” for an answer? In fact, sometimes “No” is just the answer you should hear and absorb and move on to more productive work and prospects. If you are working with a potential client or customer and they are resisting and hesitant, how can you tell if you should continue to pursue and cultivate, or take that “No” and move on to someone and something else? There are times when a potential customer’s “No” may not mean no forever. Some of these prospects can be persuaded, nudged and generally “sold” … Continue reading →

Should You Get a Financial Planner?

Financial planners are not just for exceedingly rich folks–many actually specialize in working with small business owners and entrepreneurs, or individuals who are at the beginning or middle years of their careers. Have you been wondering if you need some help planning your financial future and making sure all your “ducks are in a row”? Here are some suggestions for evaluating whether or not you’re ready for a financial planner: If you are in business for yourself, you may not have a definite retirement plan. Other individuals I meet who are working to build a business may have dumped the … Continue reading →