Graham McGregor: Which service businesses do you easily recommend?

Find a way to stand out from the crowd. Photo / Getty Images

If you sell a service here's a simple way to improve your referrals.

1. Make a list of at least two businesses you know who sell a service that you would easily recommend to many of your friends and colleagues.
2. Write down the reasons you would recommend each of these three businesses.
3. Then look at these reasons and see how you adapt some of these reasons for your own business.

Here are two examples to show you what I mean
Example 1: Paul Vujnovich - Harveys Real Estate

Paul Vujnovich is the owner of Harvey's Real Estate in Te Atatu, Auckland.
Harveys Real Estate in Te Atatu is a multi-award winning office awarded six years in a row with the title of New Zealand's "Most Productive Office" award for the Harveys & LJ Hooker network.

And they were recently awarded the "World Champion Most Productive Office" beating over 600 offices internationally.

Paul Vujnovich, who owns Harveys Real Estate Te Atatu, has been awarded four times consecutively the group's "NZ Franchise Owner of the Year", Harveys & LJ Hooker's "International World Champion Business Leader".

Paul has also been crowned with the network's highest accolade, the "Sir Leslie Hooker Award" for excellence in the real estate profession.

I love Paul's unique approach to business which is why I easily recommend his real estate business to other people.

First of all Paul cares a lot about his people and his clients.

I had a great example of this caring approach in March 2012 when I had a major accident on my bicycle after coming off at high speed down a hill.

I broke a number of bones including four ribs, my collar bone, my shoulder blade and others. And I was off work for a number of weeks while I mended.

(Luckily I made a full recovery with no long-term injuries.)

A few weeks before my cycling accident I had the opportunity to meet with Paul for the first time. When he heard about my cycling accident Paul phoned me and said "Graham what can I do to help you? Can I drive you anywhere, pick up anything for you? What do you need help with?"

I was shocked at this because I knew how busy Paul was and I was not someone he had known for a long time. Despite this he went out of his way to be nice to me. (Which made me feel valued and special.)

A few years later my mum's house needed selling so I recommended Paul and his team.

They did a superb job and helped my mum get an excellent price with minimum stress for her home.

I am convinced that this attitude of looking for ways to help people and be kind to them is a key factor in the amazing success of Paul's real estate business.

And it's a big part of why they do so well and have won so many awards.

Example 2: Jamie Tulloch E3 Business Accountants

Jamie has found that a good way to get potential clients for his business is to share some of the valuable knowledge that they have in charge.

Jamie does this two ways.

First of all he puts out an excellent Ezine each month that has valuable tips to increase business results. It also has tax tips and some fun trivia as well.

I've spoken to a number of business owners around the country who tell me they get this Ezine from Jamie and find it excellent. (And it's something I personally find very helpful to read as well.)

You can see a sample at this link.

Jamie is also happy to answer (at no charge) general business inquiries or queries that might come through via email.

If he can answer something off the cuff he will answer the same day to anyone who sends him a query.

And you don't even have to be a client to take advantage of this free service.

These two things allow potential clients to get a free sample of what E3 Business Accountants can potentially offer.

And it is responsible for their business getting new clients on a regular basis.

So how could you apply what Jamie and Paul do to make their businesses easy to refer?

• You might do small things to show your clients and potential clients that you really care about them.
• You could give valuable information at no charge to help your clients and potential clients to improve their results. That way they get a good idea of how you might be able to help them.

Summary

Now, you will have your own list of businesses that sell a service that you easily recommend to other people.

And I guarantee if you make a list of all the reasons you easily recommend these businesses that you will find some helpful ideas that you can adapt and use in your own business as well.

"You could be the next person to succeed if you choose to learn from successful people instead of being envious of them. Moreover, aren't they successful because they learned and continue to learn from others?" Edmond Mbiaka

Action Exercise

Make a list of two businesses who sell a service that you easily recommend to your friends and colleagues.

What do they do that makes them so easy for you to recommend?

And how can you use some of these ideas in your own business so you become easy to recommend by your own clients?

Graham McGregor is a Marketing Advisor and helps businesses who offer an expensive service to quickly attract ideal new clients. You can download his brand new 106 page marketing guide ‘The Expensive Service Marketing Solution’ at no charge.