The Referral Engine

If you own a small business, by this book:  The Referral Engine by John Jantsch. If you know somebody who owns a business, buy it for them and make a new friend.

Social media, and more importantly the public expectations that the new media fosters, has fundamentally transformed successful business practices.  For example, individuals are demanding greater authenticity and integrity from companies, and expect to be treated with increased respect and care. 

One principle has remained unchanged.  Small business owners still believe that the best form of advertising is Word of Mouth, and these owners are correct.  Social media is Word of Mouth on steroids, providing individuals with a unique opportunity to refer a business to vast numbers of people simultaneously.

Company owners intuitively recognize the wisdom of having an effective referral system, yet struggle to attain one.  Two thirds of small business owners believe that over half their business comes from word of mouth referrals, yet 80% of these businesses have no established system for generating referrals.  They lack an authentic and systematic strategy to stimulate conversations, collect leads, educate prospects or convert referrals into customers.

John Jantsch can help fill this void.  He seems like a regular guy, as the video below indicates.  But his book is brilliant.

When I first began reading The Referral Engine, I phoned one of my clients and said, "You're going to be a multi-millionaire.  I'm reading a book that is perfect for your business".  The same could happen for the new friend that you make when you give him a copy of this book.

Thanks for sharing 163 seconds of your day,
Smitty