I love passing along great tips from others that share the same passion for great referral marketing. This one came from my BNI meeting just last week, and when I heard it I immediately thought, “priceless.”
Remember the 1986 movie “Ferris Bueler’s Day Off” starring Matthew Broderick? Broderick played Ferris, a high school teen, that decides to take the day off from school with his girlfriend and best friend. They spend a hilarious day together escaping from the Principal who will do anything to catch him playing hooky. There’s a particular scene at school where the Economics teacher is lecturing to a class. During his lengthy dialogue he intermittently asks, “Anyone? Anyone?” – but before anyone can respond he continues to lecture in his ultra-monotone voice to an audience of sleeping, drooling, and bored students.
The reason I bring this up is because there will inevitably come a time in your professional life that the designated speaker, for whatever meeting you happen to be at, will be a no show due to illness, traffic, or some other reason. When this situation presents itself, you need to be prepared. For someone is likely to say, “Is anyone able to jump in and be our 10 minute presenter?” Or as the Economics teacher asked his class, “Anyone? Anyone?” And you, being the ever-prepared and professional referral partner that you are, will raise your hand and announce, “I am!” Wow, will that turn some heads your way in admiration?
What does this mean? Well, do you have an updated Power Point presentation ready at your disposal if this situation arises? Do you have sales collateral with you at all times, and not just one copy? Do you have samples of your current work to show others should they ask? Take time today to prepare yourself for that amazing opportunity. Be the one to take advantage of all the free press you can get. Don’t leave it to someone else. It could be your competitor.
Keep it perpetual.