Dan Sullivan: The Best Marketing Strategy In The World

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The best marketing strategy in the world is being referable: Your best clients and customers believe in you so strongly that they feel compelled to tell other people like them how great you are.

So how do you make yourself referable? Whatever your business specializes in, referability always comes down to four basic habits:

• Show up on time.
• Do what you say.
• Finish what you start.
• Say please and thank you.

Pretty basic, right? Kid-stuff, even. Yet a surprising number of entrepreneurs don’t practice these habits, and as a result miss out on all kinds of referrals for reasons they’ll never hear about. Conversely, when you make these habits a dependable part of your behavior, your clientele will refer you into bigger and better opportunities—and feel personally responsible for helping you become more successful.

Why do these habits work so consistently? Because they demonstrate your respect and appreciation for others. You hold other people’s time and expectations in high regard. You don’t take any client or customer for granted.

Many highly intelligent, charming, and skilled people don’t get new business because they’re also arrogant, erratic, undependable, and sloppy. Even if there’s every logical reason to work with someone because of their credentials or expertise, we’ll still always favor the person we like – and The Referability Habits are a reliable way to gain and keep that approval.

Practice The Referability Habits daily. Make them a part of your personal behavior, and you’ll continually be rewarded with new business opportunities. Make them part of your organization’s training, procedures, and culture, and you’ll raise everyone’s sense of alertness and responsibility.

With so many choices in the marketplace today, you can either race to the bottom and compete on price, or you can create a great experience. The Referability Habits are a great foundation for giving your clients and customers a first-class experience every time they interact with your business.