Why Bother?

First of all let’s determine why you need to be considered an expert or the leading authority in your field if you are wishing to grow your business. I think the real response to this statement is, “Why would you not want to become known as the person who has the answers to any questions that may arise in your industry?” I can’t think of a single reason why you wouldn’t want to be the “go to” person everyone recognizes when faced with the need for a particular service or product.

Create an Action Plan

How can you let people know who you are and what you can do for them? Not only is it important that your niche business is known in your local community through networking channels, such as your local Chamber of Commerce or networking groups, you must create an online presence using everything the Internet has to offer. To achieve this outcome, it’s important to stay focused by creating a comprehensive plan for publicizing your expertise. Using the list below, prioritize which items will give you the greatest results for the least amount of time and effort and place them at the top of your list. Sketch out a plan that identifies how long it will take to accomplish the first several items on your list. Then create a schedule for completion and stick to it. If you are uncomfortable with certain tasks, consider outsourcing. See How to Start Outsourcing for more on this.

How to Demonstrate Expertise

The following actions are important ways to show that you’re an authority in your niche market.

1. Article writing: Write articles for your industry and have them published in trade magazines or other relevant publications. This is often the first step many consultants take. Having your name attached to a successful article will help give you creditability as your name will become familiar to your target audience. Articles should be written for both print and online publications and should also be used for self-promotion when creating a marketing plan.
2. Write a book: This is important. By writing a book on your subject you are automatically thought of as an expert. If it’s too difficult to find a publisher, consider writing an eBook or self-publishing.
3. Develop Information Products: These can be videos, special reports, audiotapes, etc. Do whatever it takes to get these products out there—they can be both free or charged for but they are important in establishing your expertise.
4. Be a Guest Speaker: Offer to speak at events – these can be done for free since it also gives you an opportunity of selling your book or info products.
5. Give Seminars: Teach what you know. If you have written a book or developed info products you will probably be in demand to teach others who want to do what you do.
6. Distribute Newsletters: These should be sent out regularly giving helpful information for your target audience.  Send them in the mail or through an email campaign, but be consistent and provide something of value.
7. Create a Website: Having a website that advertises your consulting business is an absolute must have. Include testimonials whenever possible, and get listed locally in Google if your customers are regional.
8. Blog Regularly: Use some of that material you used to write your articles and book and start blogging today.
9. Engage in Social Networking: By interacting through forums and social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn you can make a connection with your target client or customer.
10. Mentor: Consider mentoring new graduates in your field. This type of service is fulfilling and it can also serve to spread the word about your expertise.

By becoming known as an expert in your niche business area, you will establish credibility and reliability.  It’s up to you to ensure your name or business name becomes known through every method at your disposal and to make sure your brand has a positive reputation. Become the approachable expert everyone turns to when they need what you can offer and your business will automatically grow. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

It can be all too tempting for freelancers and contract consultants to limp along, hoping to sustain ourselves on existing client work and old standbys until the economy turns around. So is it realistic to expect a boon in new business? In a word, yes—with a targeted strategy and a little creativity:

1. Network, Network, Network

Yes, we have heard this one before, ad nauseaum and ad infinitum, but the power of ‘who you know’ cannot be underestimated. A few tried-and-true tips:

• Expand your network in non-traditional ways. ‘Who you know’ can include contacts from places of worship, schools and universities, hobby and interest networks, alumni associations and career placement offices in addition to former clients, colleagues and supervisors.
• Subcontract. Even if you prefer the ‘call the shots’ aspect of consulting on your own, consider subcontracting to a larger firm or consulting organization. Many consulting firms maintain an affiliate or subcontractor program through their recruiting departments. Registering with these firms/recruiters can help you fill in the gaps as your own client work ebbs and flows.
• Nurture your network. Stay connected to your contacts, even during the flush times. Sharing updates and new client success stories, and inquiring about your contacts’ recent work helps keep the lines of communication fertile during the lean times. Janet Borggren, a Chicago-based consultant has been freelancing for over 6 years. She offers, “(Be) the person your client wants to work with again. Being that person goes beyond producing great work. You have to nurture the relationship. It’s hard to impress strangers with your portfolio. Be someone your clients want with them in the trenches, and they’ll do your marketing for you.”
• Share the wealth: Pay your network back in kind. Pass along leads for projects or positions that may not fit your skill set or utilization. Make introductions between contacts across your network, offer recommendations to your colleagues on social media sites and suggest they use you as a reference should the need arise. Making yourself available to scratch others’ backs, helps ensure your own back never itches!

2. Offer your network something of value

Rather than reaching out to your network over and over with a vague message such as, “I am available for project work immediately,” offer your network something of value. Write and publish an article, then share it with your network. Join a panel discussion and share the recorded version. Attend a networking event and invite your contacts to join you. Offering insight, thought leadership or other points of value to your network:

• communicates your worth to the market
• emphasizes your ongoing achievements and connection to the market or industry you serve
• provides your network with direct examples of your skills
• and encourages your network to open and respond to your messages, allowing you the opportunity to communicate with your contacts regularly.

Ongoing ‘value’ communication will help to keep you top of mind, should an opportunity arise to consider you and your talents, without always having to say ‘Keep me in mind if you hear of something.’

3. Utilize technology to complete the ‘push-pull’ cycle.

Think beyond the ‘push’ communication process of online job/project searches and application submission. Job search sites are numerous, unwieldy and often a black hole of information input and output. While it is important to visit these sites and maintain a profile, searching and applying for positions online can be an overwhelming process, and can often feel fruitless. Consider using technology to ‘pull’ opportunities to you.

• Create and publish your own web site. Detail your talents, service and project success through inexpensive site build and hosting sites such as www.intuit.com or www.wordpress.com. Register your site with the major search engines and optimize your site so it is more attractive to spiders. Regular updates to the content, using keyword-rich text, can help to improve rankings.

• Post regular updates. Post to your blog and/or profiles on social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, detailing project work, recent successes, networking events you plan to attend, industry insight and other news about your work and services.

• Stay current. Subscribe to newsletters, blogs and other industry information sources to stay current on trends and to join online networking groups with similar interests and goals. Join network discussion groups and ask for ideas and advice from these contacts, in addition to your core network.

• Watch for trends. Stay abreast of events in capital project approvals within industry organizations. A major area of opportunity for consultants in a soft economy is to backfill or temporarily fill a project or position need associated with a capitalized project. Many companies are not able to hire a full-time permanent employee, but can justify the capitalized cost of hiring a consultant for part or all of a project’s duration. Use your network to target these opportunities and/or introductions to the department managers who may make these decisions over the next year.

The prospect of keeping the pipeline filled during difficult economic times can, indeed, be daunting. Tough times do call for tough measures – but a little creativity along the way can literally mean the difference between feast or famine for self-employed consultants industry-wide. Good luck!

Yet one of the biggest problems business owners have with blogging is they don’t know how to increase website traffic. A website that is not connected to any others, is like an island in the midst of a very large ocean.

Linking Strategies

Getting high-quality links to your business website or blog is an important way to get traffic. It also improves your Google ranking, which means your site will display higher in the list of Search Engine results. Obtaining these backlinks can be involved and time-consuming, so it’s best to develop a linking strategy for your business to keep you on track. Schedule tasks on specific days to accomplish some of the strategies discussed here.

Follow proven linking strategies such as the ones below.

Create Value

A basic premise for building backlinks to your site is that it must provide value to your audience. Whether it’s a site of technical tutorials or business advice,  it should be so compelling that other sites will want to link to your site. Here are some ways to create value:

• Add reviews to products that are relevant to your readers
• If you have enough traffic, add a forum so visitors can discuss topics related to your consulting business
• Provide content that is difficult to find elsewhere
• Teach how to do something related to your niche, or
• Write articles, white papers or eBooks of interest to site visitors and offer these as a free download

Write Articles for Other Sites

An effective way to build links is to write articles related to your consulting business. You can submit your articles to Ezine directories, which in many cases allow others to reprint your article as long as you, the author, is given due credit. You can also ask blog owners if you can write a guest post. Often bloggers are seeking more content and will oblige. Be sure that your business site url is clearly displayed on the article.

Industry Directories

Search for the authoritative directories in your niche or industry. Remember you want links from the highest quality sites. Then submit your site to these directories. Many directories have an obvious way to submit a url using a form. Others charge a fee. In some cases, you will need to email the webmaster and ask if he or she will link to your site.

Blog Directories

If your site is based on a blog using blogging software, such as WordPress, you can submit it to Blog Directories. After your blog has around ten posts, submit your blog to the major Blog Directories, such as Bloggeries, All Top, and others  specific to your area of expertise. You can also request to have your blog listed in the Blogroll area of some of the most popular blogs in your niche. If your blog provides value, blog owners are usually very willing to add you to their list. This is a good way to drive a targeted audience to your site.

With an email newsletter, you can broadcast your blog posts, send out information about industry events, provide targeted product and book reviews and so on. The key is to always be sure that your newsletter will be of interest to most of your audience. Experts suggest it is ideal if your newsletter is delivered on a regular but non-intrusive schedule, such as once a week or bi-monthly.

How To Get Started

To get started, first check out the email marketing services listed below. These are a few of the many respected email service providers that prohibit spam. The best email marketing services, as they are often called, have built relationships with large Internet Service Providers based on the fact that they do not allow spam. The ISPs know that these services use a permission-based model for building email lists.

Permission-based Marketing

In a permission-based approach, all potential receivers of your newsletter must opt-in or consent to getting an email from you or your business in their Inbox. This means business owners can’t buy a list of 10,000 email addresses and blast a newsletter to everyone. By going with one of the respectable service providers, your emails are more likely be delivered to the recipient than to end up in someone’s Spam folder.

How to Build a List

To begin building an email list, you’ll need to place a sign up form on your website. Email marketing services typically provide the html or javascript you need to place one in your blog’s sidebar or somewhere prominent on your site. If you’re not technically minded, you can outsource this task. Then you’ll need to encourage clients, peers and website visitors to sign up for the newsletter. Consider giving something in return for a signup, such as a well-written tip sheet, report or white paper.

Features of Email Marketing Services

Most email marketing services provide templates for making newsletters, tutorials on how to get started, and access to statistics so you can see who has signed up and how many are opening your emails. Two well-known email marketing services (who are also site sponsors) are reviewed below so you can compare their pricing and features. There are many other email marketing services that you can find online.

AWeber

AWeber is probably the most well-used of the automated email systems for sending out newsletters because it has all the features of an autoresponder, provides blog broadcasts, website sign up forms and allows as many lists as you’d like for the same monthly or yearly price. AWeber has an affordable pricing structure and provides a free “test drive” so you can check it out before signing up. For help services, they provide online chat, tutorials and live webinars. Go to AWeber site.

iContact

iContact also provides excellent service for setting up, sending and tracking newsletters, surveys, RSS feeds, autoresponders and other email campaigns. They have a guarantee to Internet Service Providers that their customers will not send spam and they terminate customers who do. iContact also has a free trial period. Go to iContact site.

Other Marketing Articles:
Social Networking: Turn Relationships Into Profit
Personal Branding 2.0

NPOs Have Unique Challenges

Unlike for-profits, an NPO cannot arbitrarily increase its percentage of spending on advertising and marketing when times get rough. People give to an NPO expecting their money to impact mission critical topics and programs, not to be used to generate more revenue. An NPO is expected to keep the percentage of its revenue used to fund staff positions, marketing and non-program related expenses to a minimum. Failing to do so could adversely affect its ability to attract future contributions.

Today, an NPO needs to be wiser and more efficient than ever. Factors such as appealing to the public because you have a worthy mission; demonstrating that the people you serve have increasing needs, or doing good work are unlikely to separate an organization from all the other groups with their hand out. More than ever, an NPO must demonstrate value, return on investment, and above all else, differentiation from every other group out there that claims to perform a portion of the same mission. Brand consulting to an NPO requires a mix of skills including organizational development, business strategy, human resources, board and volunteer development, and of course, marketing.

Showing the Story Increases Public Awareness

Telling an organization’s story has become less effective. “Showing” is what moves people. Rather than telling the story of March of Dimes (MOD), those of us involved a few years ago in repositioning it focused on showing the results of wise investment in community programs, medical research, public and professional education. Showing mothers and their successful pregnancies through proper prenatal care helped to greatly increase the public’s awareness and understanding of MOD, resulting in more donations.

Working with the Alaska Wilderness League we adjusted its brand to better reflect how people living in the lower forty eight states were impacted by decisions made in Washington, DC relative to the use of land and resources in Alaska. The League dramatically increased not only its donor base and level of giving, but also drew more attention to its successful leadership of environmental issues and public policy on Capital Hill.

Enhance the Feeling of Personal Connection

To successfully brand an NPO it is critical the organization present itself in a manner that allows the target audience to say “I see me” and not merely applaud the good work being done. Whether as a recipient of services, helping to deliver services or programs, or taking action in some manner, people seldom want to give money to a cause where they do not feel a personal connection.

Among all the groups tasked with providing emergency services following Hurricane Katrina, only the American Red Cross (a volunteer driven aid organization) was recognized for performing up to expectations. The US government, state and municipal entities all fell short. Red Cross volunteers rushed to help, and other people identified with them, or were helped either directly or indirectly themselves. The Red Cross coffers grew as a result.

Finally, the National Family Caregivers Association, based in Maryland, made significant strides in distinguishing itself as one of the preeminent authorities on the subject of care giving in this country by shifting its strategy from merely supporting family caregivers to recognizing that nearly every adult American is, or has been a caregiver, will be a caregiver, or will be the one to whom family care is given.

* Giving USA, 2009

No More Interruption Marketing

In the old world of interruption marketing, we were required to interrupt and shout. Television commercials are always louder in order to grab our attention and interrupt what we are doing. That behavior is no longer necessary. Your community wants real conversation and valuable information that only you can give. The relationship is the focus of your new marketing efforts. This one shift in thinking is what is necessary to really take advantage of the social network marketing opportunities that are waiting for you.

Preparing Your Buyer to Take Action

Social media prepares your customers to take action once you have established a relationship. Think of your sales as a funnel. At the wide top of the funnel are people who have just come in contact with you and your product. They are mildly interested and so they join your community by signing up for your email opt-in list or maybe becoming your friend on Facebook. They get to know you a little better. If they continue to be interested in you and your product, they will move further into the sales funnel until they are ready to buy.

Some people will not move all the way through your funnel. That is okay. In fact, that is what you want, because those who leave are no longer interested in buying. Those who are still interested, remain in your funnel. So as you network and interact with your community, you are now only interacting with members of your community who are interested in you and what you have to say. The funnel allows you to sort out those who are interested from those who are not. This process brings potential customers who are interested in you and your product. This process of building relationships and bringing customers further into your funnel makes it easier for your community to say yes when you ask them to take action.

Social Media Eases the Way

For buyers to buy, they need to:

(1) Know you

(2) Like you and

(3) Trust you

Social media makes all three of these not only possible, but easier.  Your buyers will meet you on the networks. And once they’ve interacted with you for a while in a non-threatening way, they begin to trust you.  And here is a secret, you don’t even have to make sales pitches. All that is required of you is to invite people to your community and get to know them. That’s it!

You can start your social network marketing today. Sign up for Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn. Spend time connecting with people and learning how to use the network.  Then take this free access to buyers and pump up your profits!

Admittedly, it’s more art than science, but you can follow a few simple steps to ensure that the best of what you offer is highly visible—and memorable.

Step 1. Know yourself and what makes you distinct.

Look around you. How many technology consultants are there? HR? Financial? Strategy? That’s right, you are most definitely not alone. So avoid the urge to cast a wide net with all the services you COULD provide. Instead, focus on what you do that no one else can. Creating your own market beats battling for someone else’s market.

Start by slicing and dicing your talents against your client experience. Say you’re a training consultant. What special expertise can you claim? Do you design interactive web-based programs? Deliver high-energy sales training live? Are your best clients from a specific function, industry or segment?
Which sounds better—“I’m a training consultant” or “I help telecommunications sales reps double their sales in 6 months?”

Once you’re clear on how you are different, you can focus your efforts (think laser not shotgun) on the people who might hire or refer you.

Step 2. Align your stories, actions and visuals.

We humans are hard-wired to learn by story. And the most successful consultants demonstrate their expertise and results by telling exactly the right story for the circumstance. How compelling are your stories? Do they align with how you uniquely serve your clients? Can you tell them winningly at a moment’s notice?

If not, spend some time recalling—and practicing—your most memorable client experiences.

Your actions prove—over and over—that you are who you say you are. Are you high-touch? Then you better be quick to respond and thoughtful. Are you the subject matter expert? Then you want to be the first out with your take on a new bill or a bold new idea. Known for your integrity? Then don’t take referral fees from those you recommend.

And of course we all know that one great visual is worth at least 1,000 words. So in addition to weaving great visuals into your work, pay attention to how you dress, walk and enter the room. It matters.

The critical piece here is alignment: your stories, actions and visuals must tell a consistent, compelling, unique story.

Step 3. Put yourself out there.

Once you’re clear on how to position yourself—and have the client stories to back it up—put yourself where your targeted clients spend their time. Focus on truly connecting with them. Provide value in your unique way every time you interact so they can experience working with you. When it’s time to discuss a possible project, they will already be sold on you.

Why restrict your circle to those you already know? Use social media—LinkedIn is a natural for most business consultants—and explore other platforms where your potential clients are spending time and open to business connections.

Write a blog—just don’t make it all about you. Give your target clients tips, ideas or your unique take on pending issues. Think hard before launching a newsletter—most are boringly self-promotional and beg for the delete key. Ask yourself, what can I give my clients that they value and don’t receive from anyone else?

The bottom line is this: You can make yourself unforgettable and literally grow your practice exponentially. It requires exceptional clarity on who you are, fine-tuned alignment of all that you do and deep engagement in connecting with the right audience.

You’ll also like these articles:
Attract More Prospects In 30 Seconds Or Less
The Secret Of Personal Branding 2.0

TLAC: In a time when people are overwhelmed with information, why is personal branding important? Doesn’t it add more noise into the system?

Dan: Personal branding is the only way people can filter information these days. When people have heard of your brand, the probability that they will follow you and read your information is much greater. Personal branding is the formula for how individuals can differentiate themselves and become known to their audience.

There is a lot of noise online right now and there will be much more as mainstream society gravitates there. The online world is where business is taking place and where families, friends and co-workers communicate. Noise typically forces us to work harder, smarter and invest in ourselves and our careers, so that we stand out from the noise. Consultants should care about personal branding because they are selling themselves before their company. People hire consultants that they’ve heard of, that have credibility and that can solve their problems.

TLAC: Many consultants are consumed with their work and with keeping up to date in their field. They don’t feel comfortable promoting themselves-it seems too egotistical. What do you have to say to them?

Dan: If you don’t invest in building your brand as a consultant and marketing yourself online, then other consultants will do this and become more successful than you are. Visibility creates opportunities is what I’ve always said. Personal branding is egotistical, but if you focus more on the customer or the reader than yourself, then you can draw people into your brand and then sell yourself. It’s all about having a balance between promoting yourself and giving value to your audience. For instance, on Twitter, I recommend that people tweet advice or quotes eight to ten times, before they tweet about their own accomplishments or products.

TLAC: If consultants begin to think of themselves as a “brand,” how can they identify what their brand is?

Dan: Everyone in the world is a consultant, but most don’t think of themselves as that because they work for a company or they’re a student. We all work for ourselves first ahead of any company. As a consultant, you are a brand and your own company. Your brand is two-fold: your self-impression and how others perceive you.So, the first thing you need to do, is think about what your real strengths are, what unique value you bring to the marketplace and what you’re most passionate about. If your passion is aligned to your expertise, then you’ll want to focus your brand in that direction. Then, you want to ask people what they think you’re best at, whether it’s your manager, another consultant, your family or friends. If self-impression equals perception, then you’ve branded yourself properly.

Branding is about positioning. Being a marketing consultant or a financial consultant isn’t enough anymore. You need to carve out your own marketplace, just like a company does. For instance, I’m a personal branding expert for Gen-Y. I’m the only person on earth that positions himself in this fashion. I call this a personal branding statement, where you dictate what you do and who you do it for (your audience).

TLAC: What are some of the top strategies that a person can use to differentiate his or her brand from others in the same field?
Dan:

1. Think about the font, colors, logo, professional picture, personal brand statement, mission, vision, and attributes that you want your brand to have. Make sure they can’t be replicated and that no one is already using them.
2. Gain expertise outside of your normal days work by volunteering and taking on new and exciting projects.
3. Get endorsements from well-known consultants that have more years of experience than you have.
4. Create a business card with your picture, blog address, Twitter handle, etc.
5. Attend every networking event in your industry that you possibly can.
6. What online strategies do you recommend for promoting an independent or small business consultant?
7. Claim your full name as a domain name at GoDaddy.com and build a website or blog around your expertise and what you have to offer.
8. Go to Knowem.com  and search your full name on the top social networks and then build profiles on them.  I recommend Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn as a good foundation at first.
9. Comment on every single blog, discussion forum, respond to tweets, Facebook status updates and other social media platforms in your niche.
10. Start a blog around your brand and commit to 2-3 blog posts per week.
11. Film a three minute or less video clip of yourself giving an introduction to….yourself!  Put the video on YouTube and embed it on your website or blog.

TLAC: What do you see as the downside to promoting oneself? What should we watch out for?
Dan: If you promote yourself too much people will be turned off. It’s like a salesperson calling you at dinner every night for a week. You would probably call the police on the person!  In the case of the Internet, you can easily opt-out of following someone on Twitter or defriend someone on Facebook, if the person is too promotional.

If you become a content producer and provide value based on your expertise over and over again, then you have “permission” to sell to your audience. If you don’t sell, you can’t make money, of course. People are very understanding of direct sales, as long as it’s a “soft sell” and you’ve developed a relationship with them through content.

Related Article:
How To Develop Your Unique Personal Brand

“So, what do you do?”
This is one of the subtlest and most difficult questions in business. And it doesn’t matter if you are answering it in person or on your website. We all know that average website visitors take less than 2.9 seconds to decide if they’ll stick around. Guess what? It takes less time in person.

Oh, people don’t actually leave. We’re all too polite. We just judge and label you inside our heads before you even open your mouth. If you say to me, “I’m a mortgage broker,” I immediately think, “I’ve got one (or, I know one.) I don’t need you.” And the rest of the conversation is a polite waste of time.

Intrigue Your Prospects

So what’s the fastest way to turn listeners into prospects, and prospects into clients? It might surprise you to learn that describing what you do is the exact opposite of what you should be doing. There are eleven critical strategies to intriguing potential prospects to the point where they will feel compelled to ask you for more information. Here are three techniques that are critical to attracting more business.

1. Talk Numbers

Show them the monetized, quantified results you have produced for others, in the first or second sentence. Monetizing is key. Only 5% of business people even use the technique, but it’s one of the most powerful business tools there is. (Monetizing means translating your results into money.)
Remember that we are conditioned by our culture and by the media to listen for numbers. They have meaning for us. If you do not use numbers you will not speak in the language your prospects are, subconsciously, waiting to hear. Here are some examples.

“Jim, what do you do?”
BEFORE: “I sell insurance—middle market only. We sell property casualty and employee benefit products.”
AFTER: “I discover between $10,000 and $30,000 my clients didn’t know they had in 60 minutes or less.”
Who would you rather talk to?

Don’t worry if you can’t monetize your results, you can quantify them:
“Susan, what do you do?”
BEFORE: “I help women get fit and healthy.”
AFTER: “I teach women how to lower their body fat by up to 25%, and achieve their ideal weight in 6 months or less.”

2. Leave Them Hungry For More

Always leave them hungry for more. This is actually based on research. The ‘Zeigarnik Effect’ tells us that people remember incomplete information far longer than complete information. Therefore, refrain from giving all the details. When you have satisfied all your prospect’s questions, you have taken them out of curiosity and intrigue, and put them back in control.

They are then free to forget you—even if you have something they need but don’t want to spend money on right now. Leave your listener intrigued and just a little unsatisfied; they are far more likely to come back for more.

3. Raise An Emotion

You know that people buy on emotion. The primitive, emotional brain of your listener (the part that buys) is interested in only one thing: what you can do for them. You’re not selling them yet, but you do want them to buy into you. So in your initial conversation, raise an emotion. Emotional information goes into the limbic system, and stays there far longer than data.

These are just a few techniques to provoke interest, emotion and intrigue. Reframing the conversation will completely alter the initial image of who they thought they were talking to. Your new message will do more than get them curious. It will bring you more respect, status, and most importantly: more business.

Make It Easy To Get Recommended

Now think about the people you refer to others. What is it that makes it easy for you to recommend their products or services? If you were to make a list of the reasons, you’d be off to a good start for learning how to get them for yourself.

I’m always looking for referrals so I’ll go first. I refer people who are:

• dependable
• professional
• trustworthy
• honest and honorable
• …and who I like.

For example, I have a colleague who takes care of my IT needs. He meets all of the above qualifications and then some. I refer him to people that need IT help because I know that he is really good. He’s proven that in the three years he’s worked for me. Plus, he’s a member of my chamber of commerce and I like referring fellow members. One more thing—he’s super nice, and I like referring nice people.

Now what about how to get those business referrals? Here are some tips that have worked for me—and 90% of my business comes from referrals.

Top Ways To Get Referrals

1. Network

Network online—using social networking tools like Facebook or LinkedIn. And offline—at networking events, professional meetings, outings, etc. People need to get to know you if they are to refer your services. And while I’m a huge fan of social networking online, I like meeting face-to-face at some point.

If you’re not comfortable networking alone, look into joining a leads group. These are generally based upon sharing referrals with one another, and most major cities have them.

2. Ask

Too many people don’t. Whether it’s fear of looking like business is bad or that you might be turned down, you could be missing a lots of referrals if you don’t ask. It can be as simple as saying to a client “If you’re happy with my services, I’d love any referrals you might be able to give me.”

The same applies to colleagues and friends. Let them know you’re looking for more work. They may think you’re so busy that you don’t need any. If you feel better giving something in return, you can offer colleagues a referral fee and clients a freebie of some sort—$100 off the next project you do for them or a free hour of consulting.

3. Write articles

While this is a more roundabout way to get referrals than networking, writing articles and submitting them to online article sites like ezine.com, trade publications or other sites helps get your name out. You should also post articles on your website or LinkedIn profile.

How do articles generate referrals? It only takes one person to read your article, like it enough to dig up some info on you and refer you to a colleague who might need your services. In fact, this article you’re reading came from a comment I made to a question in a LinkedIn group.

4. Arrange speaking engagements

Chambers of Commerce, neighborhood organizations, industry associations—all of these groups have professionals come in and speak at lunches, breakfasts and meetings. It gives you a chance to share your expertise and lets people in the audience get to know you. It’s also a lot of fun (assuming you like to speak).

5. Volunteer or do pro bono work

Volunteering in your community is a terrific way to meet people. And it’s a “win-win” as well. You’re not only helping an organization (a school, a shelter, a needy children’s program, etc.), you’re building relationships with others in your community.

You don’t have to run out and do all of these at once. Pick one or two things to work on and see how it goes. Just remember the part about being nice. People really do like doing business with people they like.