How to Get Leads & Referrals

A lot of us go to leads, networking, meetup, BNI, chamber or other groups that business people gather at to get to know one another and maybe get business from. We all hope for some good leads and maybe a great referral, but we don’t know how to ask for them.

When you attend, have a clear idea of what you want; not everyone or every business can use your service. In my case I would let people know that I’m looking for non-profit organizations and ministries that need to mail out to their people monthly, whether it’s their monthly newsletter, other information or solicitations. We can handle the printing, inserting, addressing and mailing of their materials.

The more specific, the better. You should even tell people what key phrases to keep an ear open for. For instance: “our newsletter always seems to go out late, we don’t have the time, we can’t get enough volunteers to get our mailings out on time, we don’t have the manpower or knowledge to say in contact with people.”

When you do get a lead or better, a referral, remember to thank the person who gave it to you, let them know the outcome and that you appreciate their help.