I sell an event planning service in upstate NY. I’m not sure any event planner I know would let me borrow some customers. Suggestions?

Although my original idea about borrowing customers was not to get your competitors to send you business, it is certainly possible to get business from your competition. Many businesses and professionals refer clients to their competitors on occasion.

Why would someone send business to you instead of working with the customer themselves? They may have more work than they can handle. Or the client may not be a good fit for them. The client may need services they do not offer, be in an industry your competitor does not specialize in, not have the budget for their services, or not fit their client profile in some other way. Instead of simply turning the customer away, they want to be able to refer them to someone capable. That could be you.

Here are a few suggestions on how to make it happen.

Network with others in your industry. Get to know the people who are successful. More importantly, help them get to know you. If they are aware of what you do and the types of clients with whom you best work, they may be in a position to refer business to you. Join your industry associations and go to local meetings. Attend conferences. Join other groups to which people in your business belong. Be active and get to know the people who can help you.

Show your expertise. Demonstrate what you know and generate awareness by teaching classes, speaking to professional and industry groups, presenting a session at a conference, writing for industry publications, etc. This will get you on the radar of people who can refer clients to you—not only your competitors, but others.

Watch and listen for opportunities. Look for ways to create a win-win with anyone who could refer business to you, including your competitors. This means you need to recognize an opportunity when it presents itself. Someone else’s problem may be an opportunity for you. The idea behind getting your competition to refer customers to you is not just about them doing something for you. It is about you helping them in some way, too.

Stay visible. You want to be on your competitor’s mind when they have a situation where they might refer a client to you. To do that, make sure you have a high profile. Be active in your professional association and other groups to which your competitors belong. Do you send a print newsletter to clients and prospects? Add some of your professional colleagues to your list. (Note: Adding someone to your email list without their permission is spam, so do not send bulk emails without explicit permission.) Be the one who comes to mind when they need you.

Getting customer referrals from your competitors is just one of the strategies you can use to build your business. And many of the things you will do to get the attention of others in your industry will also make you visible to other influencers who can help build your business.

Testimonials are an effective buying trigger because they offer information about your product or service that you just can’t offer yourself. It’s like a personal recommendation, and it’s worth the effort to get quality testimonials and to use them.

How Do You Get More Testimonials?

The best way to get more testimonials is also easy: You ask for them. Are you afraid to ask for testimonials? Many people are. They think that it is pushy or self-serving to ask someone to give a testimonial. Or perhaps they are afraid that the customer will say no. In fact, most customers are happy to give testimonials; they just don’t think to do it.

when you have a good or bad experience with a companyshout it from the rooftopsw;associatesMaybe you When you have a good experience, you say thank you. the good news newswe’ll go on for hours aboutour positive experiences
So in order to get more testimonials you will have to ask. Start by asking your happy customers. When someone has just had a good experience with you, they will happily agree to give a testimonial.

Also consider also asking experts in your industry to provide a testimonial. Send them a sample product or offer a service in return for their honest opinion. Expert testimonials and endorsements are very effective because they come from someone people like and respect.

Be Prepared

You work is not finished when someone agrees to give a testimonial. Many people don’t know what to say in a testimonial. They do not know how long it should be or what they should mention and may feel uncomfortable writing in the first place. Consider being prepared with a pre-written testimonial they can use as-is or as a model for their testimonial. If they agree that they stand behind the information, they just need to provide a signature and a link.

An alternative is to write down the nice things they said about you, then polish them a bit to tighten up the wording and make them read well. Provide a copy to them for review and get them to sign off on the testimonial, verifying that it represents their opinion.

Ask the customer how they wish to be identified. The best testimonials include the full name of the customer, and some identifying information such as their company name and title (for business customers) or their city and state for consumers. When the identity of the person giving the testimonial is specific, the testimonial is more credible. This is especially true if the testimonial comes from someone with a major company or someone with a prestigious title.

Keep a copy of the customer testimonial for your files, even if it is only a couple of emails back and forth. Although I have never been questioned about the validity of a customer testimonial, I believe that it is important to have documentation.

How to Use Your Testimonials

There are some key places to position your testimonials. Obviously, you will want testimonials on your sales page. The testimonials will serve to support a prospect’s buying decision. Testimonials can also be used effectively on your home page or even your “About” page. Customer quotes can be effective when used in press releases, so you may want to use a full or partial testimonial in your next press release. You can also use them in your newsletter and and emails. You might even havea page on your website strictly for testimonials. Place the strongest and most compelling testimonials prominently where they’re sure to be read.

Don’t be shy! Get in the habit of asking for testimonials, then use them in your marketing to attract more customers.

Customers may or may not read your entire letter, but if they read anything it will be the P.S. Not an afterthought, the P.S. is so important it had to be added to an already complete letter. It certainly must be read! Or, maybe we have just been trained that the “good stuff” comes in the P.S.

Whatever the reason, research shows that your prospects will read the P.S. in your letter or email–so make it count. Put your call to action and your best offer there. Make it urgent–include a deadline. Then, watch the results pour in!

Godek’s theory is that when someone tries to buy the book (and it doesn’t show up in the store’s inventory) they will note that the book sold and will order replacement copies. While he can’t document how many books he has sold with this sneaky strategy, Godek has sold more than 1.7 million books.

There are two lessons you can take from this. First, freely give away samples. When Godek “donates” books to bookstores, the cost to him is minimal. But, it exposes the book to readers (and retailers) who might not have found it otherwise.

Second, don’t be afraid to try something a little “odd” if the risk is low and it might work. Don’t do something unethical, illegal or nasty. However, being creative can help you find ways to promote yourself which are inexpensive and fun. Just because no one has done it before doesn’t mean it is a bad idea. It just means you’re more clever than those other folks!

Oh, and a third lesson: I’m telling you about Greg Godek (and his book) because he not only created “reverse shoplifting,” but he told people about it. If you come up with an unusual way to promote yourself, tell others about it. You may get additional attention as your strategy is shared.

Unlike traditional direct mail packages, which may include a multi-page letter, brochure, return envelope and more, a postcard is simple. Recipients are almost forced to read it, because the copy is right there in front of them–not buried in text hidden in an envelope. Costs can be much less, too.

There are many four-color printers which can produce beautiful postcards cost effectively. You can have a postcard made from a photo of you, your store, your products or another good image. Or, get postcards made of your bookcover, your website, your logo, etc.

For the do-it-yourselfers, one simple method is to design a card which fits on one quarter of an 8-1/2″ x 11″ page. Take it to your printer or copy shop, and have them print in black on brightly colored card stock, then cut the pages in quarters. (You may save a few dollars by supplying the card stock. Astrobright or something similar works well.) Total cost for 1,000 postcards should be just over $20. In the U.S., a 28 cent stamp will get the card to its U.S. destination.

Keep your message short and simple when using postcards. You can’t tell a long story, so pique their interest, then tell them what action to take to order or to learn more, such as visiting a special landing page you have set up at your website. This is a good way to promote your website, an upcoming event, a sale, a new product, etc.

Keep it short, keep it simple, and make it easy for customers to get, read and act on your message.

Here’s how…

First of all, start working on your visibility today. The sooner you do so, the sooner you will have a group of raving fans. In the meantime, though, you can sell your products and services by borrowing someone else’s audience. No, there is nothing illegal, immoral or fattening about this. In fact, everyone wins!

The most important part of building your fan base is to start building an email list. Only add people who have chosen to subscribe. I use Aweber to maintain this mailing list. They make it easy to add a subscription box to your web site and start signing people up. Give people a reason to subscribe–a free special report, tip sheet, audio or other goodie they will value but that costs little or nothing for you to provide.

While you are building your audience, you can find customers by borrowing audiences from other people and customers. Here are a few of my favorite ways:

Let another organization promote your event. Many years ago, I started presenting seminars in Houston through Leisure Learning Unlimited. They promote the seminars, handle registrations and payment, and provide a place. I show up and talk. We split the fees paid, and they get the lion’s share. But I get access to their audience: the hundreds of thousands of people who get their catalogs. You can also do this with non-profit organizations, colleges and others who have built-in audiences.

Let someone else sell your products. Sell your books, ebooks, audio products and more on Amazon.com and through other retailers. Get affiliates to sell your products online.

Joint venture with someone. Help them create a product that both of you will sell. When they promote it to their audience you not only get sales, you start building a larger audience for future products. Keep in mind that in exchange for borrowing their audience, you may do the bulk of the work in creating the product. The results can be worth it, though.

Get started now and create the success you want.

I entered my payment information and clicked submit. That is when the bad things started happening.

First I had to go through multiple pages of “one-time offers.” Each page was very long and took forever to load (even with my fast connection), and I had to click on the “No thanks” button each time.

Then I got email confirmations of my purchases. Purchases? Plural? Huh? I thought I bought one book for $9.95. But, no. The email confirmations showed that I also bought a group of products for $197. And that $9.95 product? I was charged $29.95.

I will give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that while I was clicking through all of those special offers, I accidentally clicked on the order button for the $197 product. The pages were loading slowly, so the buttons may have shifted as I was clicking. However, I did not intend to order it and did not want it. And I was not given the opportunity to confirm my order and just hit with a charge for $197. Their ridiculous order process caused the error. I verified that the price of the other item was shown on their website as $9.95, and took a screen shot.

The only way to contact them is through their help ticket system, so I filed a request for a refund of the $197 plus the $20 overcharge. This is where it really gets interesting.

The first response I got suggested that instead of a refund, they would give me three additional products that I also do not want. I said, no, I want a refund.

So the second response said that they had refunded the $197, but again offered an additional product instead of the $20 refund. They blamed a “technical error” for the overcharge. No, I want a refund of the overcharge, or I want the entire order canceled and my $29.95 refunded.

Still waiting for the next response. If it is not a refund, I will initiate a charge back through my credit card company. This is absolutely unethical marketing and customer service, and I will not allow someone to make a profit from me by using these kinds of tactics. The only reason I have not already done a chargeback is that I am curious about what they will do next.

This process has been inconvenient for me. But for many other people, it could be more than inconvenient–it could be expensive. Many people use debit cards, and they may not have an extra couple hundred dollars sitting in their accounts. Getting unexpected charges of $217 could cause them to overdraw their accounts and get hit with lots of fees.

Maybe this kind of sleazy marketing works. Maybe most people are fine with this. I am not. I am unsubscribing from all of this marketer’s lists and will never do business with anything he is involved with.

Just say “NO” to sleazy marketers.

You may think you’ve invited your customers. After all, you put up signs identifying your store, got a web site, placed ads, sent press releases, networked, put out fliers, etc.

Those things can let your customers know you exist, but to be effective they should include invitations to customers. That doesn’t mean sending actual invitations, it means creating a reason for them to come, and communicating that reason to them. I’m talking about giving customers a call to action.

First, make sure you know what you want them to do. Do you want them to contact you for more information, pay a visit, make a first purchase, make larger or more frequent purchases? Once you know what results you want, you can tailor a call to action which inspires that reaction.

Are you trying to build traffic at your physical or online location? Your communication might focus more on reasons for people to visit, and less on buying.

Have traffic that you’re trying to convert to sales? Encourage them to make a purchase by offering a limited-time discount, or something free with a purchase. Offer a guarantee.

Want business from customers you haven’t seen in a while? Entice them. Let them know what’s new. A hair salon changed ownership, and there were problems. Most of the stylists left, service was spotty, and lots of customers quit using them, including me. I got a postcard inviting me to come back and see the changes they made. While not saying, ‘Yeah, we stunk, but now we’re better,’ they told about their new amenities and offered me a special price on my next visit. I went, and was impressed. I’ll go back. They recovered a lost customer by inviting me to come back.

Here are a few more examples of calls to action:

Hold an event, such as an open house, seminar or product demonstration, to encourage people to come at a specific time.

Send out coupons with an expiration date to create a sense of urgency.

Give something away to people who visit or contact you.

Institute a frequent buyer club. For example, after I get my dog groomed six times, the seventh groom is free. It keeps me coming back to the same place.

Encourage customers to invite their friends to do business with you. After all, an invitation from a trusted friend is great incentive. Reward both the customer and the friend–give them each a small gift, or have special ‘two-fer’ pricing giving a discount.

Don’t leave your customers wandering around aimlessly–invite them in!

Pierpont, one of the largest public relations and marketing firms in Texas, regularly brings clients and others together for a variety of events. Each is an opportunity to create connections among some of the 10,000 people in their contact database, and to strengthen Pierpont’s relationships with these people.

Every month Pierpont brings 20 clients or other contacts to their offices for a networking luncheon. The luncheons are designed to let attendees meet people they do not know and make helpful connections. Guests may seemingly have nothing in common but their connection to Pierpont, but lasting friendships and business relationships result. Everyone gets three minutes to talk about themselves, what they do and what help they need. Attendees are asked to do something for at least one other member of the group. That might mean making a referral or an introduction, recommending a book, or getting them involved in an event or organization.

In addition to the monthly networking meetings, Pierpont hosts other client events in their offices through the year. The largest event, attended by 175 people this year, is the annual First Taste of Turkey, held one week before Thanksgiving. It is an opportunity to thank clients, friends and supporters with an early Thanksgiving dinner, complete with all the trimmings.

Because the general manager of Pierpont’s Austin office is a wine aficionado, they started the Tasteful PR Series in their Austin office. About once a quarter they provide a program by a speaker, entertainer or artist, followed by a wine tasting. Invited guests get to mix-and-mingle, view an interesting presentation and sample a variety of wines.

According to Morabito, holding the events in the office is important. “My theory on it is that you want to get people on your home court, get them to your office,” he says. “I always tell people to make your place a shrine of who you are and what you do, so that when people are there they can look around and say, ‘Ah, these people are creative. These people are good at marketing and PR.’”

Look for ways to bring your contacts–clients, potential clients, suppliers, investors and others–together. Host a structured networking meeting or an informal open house where the people you know can meet each other. If you want to build your network of contacts, encourage each invited guest to bring a colleague with them.

Bringing groups of people together not only helps them to form new relationships, it enhances your bond with them. As Phil Morabito says, “When you set up a social setting, the conversations go to places they wouldn’t normally go in a business setting or meeting. You end up deepening your relationships with the people who are most important to you. And you can never go wrong doing that.”

We all want to get the attention of the bloggers who have huge followings, have feature stories written about us in major publications, and be on Oprah’s show. Some people and companies direct all of their efforts toward those goals.

The problem is that everyone is trying to get the attention of the biggest media. That means that it is hard to get their attention and even harder to get them to cover you. However, there are lots of other media that would love to have your story. Would you rather have 1000 people read about you on a few blogs, or 0 people see you on Oprah?

One of the most important points in Tara’s post is to reach out to the people who want to know about you. She sent out a Twitter message offering to send copies of her new book, The Whuffie Factor, to 20 bloggers. The people who responded are people who want to read the book, and are likely to review it. (At least one of them has already posted a review at Amazon.com.) And you never know who will read those reviews, or where they will lead.

There is nothing wrong with having big dreams and aiming high. Sometimes you can hit that grand target. But do not neglect other opportunities that can bring you results faster, and perhaps take you further.

So go ahead and submit your story to Oprah, and hope for the best. But don’t stop there. Contact local media, look for bloggers in your niche, and reach out to your social networks and beyond to spread your message.