APPENDIX

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Highground’s Principles of Business

This appendix is designed as a reference to help you implement the principles and concepts of The Referral of a Lifetime. The appendix contains the following material:

• Highground’s Principles of Business

• Highground’s Principles of Business Questions

• Your Perfect Client Avatar

• Letter of Introduction to Past Clients

• The Three Levels of Communication

• Confession Letter

• Highground’s Principles Goal Pages

• Magic Questions for New Contacts

• The Four Business Personality Windows

• Relationship Development Program—Suggestions

• Show Your Appreciation! Pledge and Policies Sample

• Highground’s Twenty Next Steps

HIGHGROUND’S PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS

These are the five foundational principles of the system. To find out more, return to chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

  Principle 1:

The 250 by 250 Rule. It’s not only who you know that counts, it’s who your clients and associates know that matters most.

  Principle 2:

Build a database and ABC it.

  Principle 3:

Just Let Me Know. Educate your clients about how you work and your value to them through regular, tangible actions performed.

  Principle 4:

Communicate consistently, personally, and systematically.

  Principle 5:

Social proof is a 24/7 sales force. Leverage your testimonials, case studies, and online reviews.

HIGHGROUND’S PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS QUESTIONS

These reflective questions are the starting point for deploying the philosophy and process. To find out more, return to chapter 1.

  Question 1:

Do you think there should be a distinction between your business self and personal self?

  Question 2:

Do you believe in the products or services that you offer?

  Question 3:

Are you willing to “stay the course”?

YOUR PERFECT CLIENT AVATAR

Your Perfect Client Avatar (PCA) is the combination of the best characteristics of the best clients you serve, your dream clients. By specifically identifying the characteristics of your Perfect Client Avatar, you can better educate your clients and associates as to who they should refer to you.

Describe the characteristics of your Perfect Client Avatar:

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LETTER OF INTRODUCTION TO PAST CLIENTS

This letter of introduction can be used to assign past and/or existing clients to a new sales or customer service person. To find out more, return to chapter 4.

Ken and Susan Turek

1007 Pacific Coast Way

Rancho Benicia, CA 92117

Dear Ken and Susan:

I want you to know how much I appreciate the fact that you chose our dealership to purchase your automobile from. I, along with the members of our team, want you to know that if you have any questions, any problems, please feel free to call us directly.

It is to that end that I asked our new manager, Paul Kingston, to work with you personally in the event you have any questions or needs. Paul is a proven professional and we are proud to be associated with him. He always puts the relationship first with everyone he serves.

Paul will be contacting you in the near future simply to personally introduce himself and answer any questions you might have.

Thanks again!

Warm regards,

T. J. Harrington III

President

Rancho Benicia Luxury Auto Park, Inc.

THE THREE LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION

The first level is the superficial level. It’s the level at which we make small talk and carry on polite topical conversations.

The second level relates to our professional lives. When we communicate from the second level, business connections happen, not personal connections. We interact with many people throughout our day from the second level and develop working relationships.

The third level is our transparent level, our authentic level. It’s from this level that we speak with our authentic voice. This is the level from which we can admit that we were wrong; we admit it and ask for forgiveness. When others hear us communicating from this level, they relate and are drawn to us. Communicating from our third level gives us the ability to connect with others professionally and personally.

CONFESSION LETTER

This confession letter can be used as the first mailing to those you have neglected to keep in touch with and now want to communicate with regularly. To find out more, return to chapter 5.

— PHILIP STACKHOUSE —

Liz and Keith Hentschel

119 Heath Terrace

Rancho Benicia, CA 92117

Dear Liz and Keith:

Recently my staff and I have taken the time to review our business and have come to the unanimous conclusion that the most important assets we possess are the relationships we have developed to date—just like the one we have developed with you.

I also confess that we have not been as proactive in our personal communications as we would have liked. It’s to that point that I want you to know we have taken appropriate steps to start communicating more frequently. Be it a newsletter, personal card, or follow-up telephone call from our office, please consider it the tangible evidence that we are putting our relationship with you first in our business.

In the near future, we will be communicating with you personally. Meanwhile, if you have any questions or we can help you in any way, please don’t hesitate to call us!

Sincerely,

Philip Stackhouse

HIGHGROUND’S PRINCIPLES GOAL PAGES

These goals can be used to plan your personal process. For guidance, see Susie’s completed goals.

GOAL 1: Identify your inherent talents, the things that you are naturally good at. Embrace your talents and make a commitment, in writing, to speak with your authentic voice.

GOAL 2: Select a goal date by which your 250 by 250 list will be completed and updated. Select the date you will have your new mind-set in action on a day-to-day basis.

GOAL 3: Determine the date your ABCed 250 by 250 database will be operational and in use.

GOAL 4: As appropriate, make a goal to begin communicating with others from your third level.

GOAL 5: Professionally brand your process with your or your organization’s own style, and then begin a proactive communication program to use in all that you say and do with everyone you know.

GOAL 6: Identify your Perfect Client Avatar’s characteristics. Set a goal date by which you start using the description of your PCA when communicating with others about the type of clients you serve and are interested in being referred to.

GOAL 7: Set the date by which you will have your Relationship Development Program and Show Your Appreciation! Program in place and operational.

GOAL 8: Set the date by which you will have acquired twenty-five testimonials and/or online reviews.

GOAL 9: Identify candidates and develop three case studies to use in your presentations that will handle your three most common objections.

MAGIC QUESTIONS FOR NEW CONTACTS

These simple questions will help engage you immediately with new people you meet. To find out more, return to chapter 3.

1. What is it you do?

2. What do you like most about that?

3. If you could start over, knowing what you now know, what would your day look like?

4. What is the single biggest hurdle that’s preventing your business from moving to the next level?

And here’s a bonus third-level follow-up question to use whenever you choose:

5. What is the biggest single hurdle holding you back from achieving your goals personally or professionally.

THE FOUR BUSINESS PERSONALITY WINDOWS

The four personality types are expressed in two words. The first word, on the left of the hyphen, represents how people see you and who you are naturally. The word on the right of the hyphen represents your natural tendency in business relationships.

Relational-Relational
Relational-Business
Business-Relational
Business-Business

Relational-Relational

The relational-relational person is one who only thinks of relationships with others—how to help them and how to be liked or even loved. These people rarely think of the business ramifications of their actions, or if they do, they will justify them immediately in some relational way. So the second word has to be “relational,” too.

Relational-Business

When meeting people, the relational-business person is truly interested in the relationship, but when the talk turns to business, this person will begin to think strategically.

Business-Relational

The business-relational person doesn’t seem at first glance as interested in a relationship as much as in pure business, but this person will develop deep relationships after the business is established.

Business-Business

This personality type is simply the opposite of relational-relational. Business-business people normally have a hard time with relational principles and the concepts of this system until they justify in some purely business way the time spent with those they’ve affected—which they always do.

RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM SUGGESTIONS

     January

New Year’s Greeting Card

  February

Quote Keeper Card

      March

Personalized Newsletter

        April

Springtime Card

         May

Memorial Day Card

         June

Personalized Newsletter

          July

Fourth of July Card

     August

Quote Keeper Card

September

Personalized Newsletter

   October

Quote Keeper Card

November

Thanksgiving Card

December

Holiday Card

SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION! PLEDGE AND POLICIES SAMPLE

We pledge to show tangible evidence of our appreciation for our clients, associates, vendors, and colleagues—regularly, without fail. We put the relationship first!

• All frontline employees are given a quarterly budget of $500 to utilize as they see fit to say thank you to clients and for customer-service-relation-stressed situations that require immediate attention.

• The company and its team members recognize all standard gift-giving days throughout the year but pledge to go above and beyond the call of duty to become creative and produce lasting impressions through extraordinary customer service and “appropriate” tasteful items of value.

• Every referral given is recognized immediately, tangibly, and personally the day it is given.

• Every referral is recognized immediately with more tangible and personal items the day the referral generates new business.

• Extraordinary service by vendors and associates is recognized immediately, tangibly, and personally with appropriate recognition.

• All team members pledge to recognize each other immediately, regularly, and tangibly when character, integrity, and excellence have been demonstrated.

HIGHGROUND’S TWENTY NEXT STEPS

1. Trust and embrace your God-given gifts and abilities. Be transparent and speak with your authentic voice.

2. Finish your list of initial names. Call and verify addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses.

3. ABC all the names and then select a contact manager or CRM system. Make sure you have the ability to set custom ABC fields and groups to easily manage.

4. Research and select an online print supplier for cards and other print communications, and select a trusted contract database professional or virtual assistant that can manage your mail and print service. Outline your twelve-month Relationship Development Program. List the program tasks needed each month to deliver without fail.

5. Take the time to list the characteristics of your Perfect Client Avatar. When writing copy for advertising or selecting gift suppliers, do so with your Perfect Client Avatar in mind.

6. Select one or two online catalog companies to help you develop and deliver on your Show Your Appreciation! items. Make sure you can integrate your database with the companies you choose so your gifts can be processed without difficulty.

7. Purchase personalized thank-you notes. Immediately send them after every meeting upon gaining permission to add the person to your database, receiving a referral, or to simply say thank you.

8. Finalize your Show Your Appreciation! Program. Set an appropriate budget for yourself and frontline personnel, referral gifts, and standard holiday gifts in addition to your communication program.

9. Be mindful of the three levels from which you communicate. Practice moving from the superficial to professional and transparent levels when appropriate to do so.

10. Send your version of the confession letter to your database.

11. Put in process the steps to acquire twenty-five testimonials and/or online reviews (social proof tipping point). Identify your three case study candidates to separately handle the three major objections you experience when presenting your product or service.

12. Develop a plan to follow up with everyone in your database. Ask for birthdays (not years) and anniversaries if appropriate. Enter them into your database.

13. Set personal meetings with your As and explain your new philosophy. After you’ve asked them what you can do for them, ask who else they know that they think you should be talking to about your services.

14. If you want a larger sphere of influence, adopt a database. Call everyone on your newly adopted list and ask permission to start communicating.

15. Educate everyone on your team about how your philosophy and process works. Incorporate the principles into your culture.

16. Call all the people who “make money when you make money”—primarily your vendors and associated businesses that can serve your clients. Explain how your program works, and ask them if they want to join your cloud-based referral team to reciprocate referrals.

17. Lead and recruit a cloud-based referral team and, like Philip did, print out the pages listing your team members and create your own cover for a printed referral team directory to use in your presentations.

18. Incorporate into your initial sales presentation how you put relationships first and what the value is to your clients. When you deliver on your promises, follow up with clients and ask for their referrals.

19. Use your newfound “hall pass” and make a scheduled call to everyone in your database at least once a year. If you have developed a birthday card program, make the call after you have sent out the birthday card, calling to say “happy birthday.” Ask how you might help the person and ask for a referral or an appointment if appropriate.

20. Always, always ask what you might do for the person you call and always, always remind the person that your business is built on the good opinion of others. Then always ask for a referral.

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