Dec 10
8
I LOVE LinkedIn and really don’t waste my time searching for services. Why is that? Well people LOVE to give referrals and to help out other professionals.
So one day, I needed a Chimney Sweep for my house. I sent an Inbox message to a Geographically targeted group of my LinkedIn network. Within minutes, I had several suggestions of Chimney Sweeps I could use. In addition to referrals – there were actually “raving fans” of the companies (people who spoke highly of their service from a personal viewpoint). It took minimal effort on my behalf and knew that I would be getting excellent recommendations.
I have used this technique to find Doctors, CPA, Handy Men, IT Services, Apartments for my friends, etc.
Why does this work? Well people LOVE helping other professionals out. I mean – what’s a better gift than providing more business for their contacts.
What I do watch out for ~ Referral Groups. Just because somebody pays money to be a part of a referral group, does not mean they provide good service. In fact, I sometime find that members get complacent and might not provide the best service. In addition, I know that members get “credit” or are required to provide a certain number of referrals to stay in good standing within their referral group. So I usually qualify my request, asking for people that they have personally hired.
Have you used a technique like this or do you have a success story you would like to share? What are your thoughts.
