Building Power Partners

Business Tips for Bath and Kitchen Refinishers

In this article, we will discuss how to build a referral network of other professionals in your community. This includes realtors, electricians, plumbers, and carpenters. You will learn that the key to receiving a significant number of referrals is to give out even more. You will learn the principle that givers get. You will learn how to establish those relationships and how to nurture them, so they help you build your business for years.

Referrals Are a Great Way to Build Your Business

Whether you have been in business for six months, six years or sixteen years you know that the best kind of leads you can receive are referrals, especially warm referrals from clients and friends. The reason referrals are so valued is two-fold: they create an introduction to a potential customer, and they also include a testimonial about the quality of your service.

Referrals improve the efficiency of your sales efforts in several ways. Your close rate on referrals and introductions should be much higher than any other type of lead. Referrals are also wonderful because typically you will reach an agreement more quickly. You will also frequently get paid more money for the same work. This is true simply because the great credibility you have established with one person is passed to the person you are referred to.

Referral Strategies

There are many different strategies to increase the number of referrals you receive. One of the best ways to build a steady stream of referrals is establishing partnerships with other building trades professionals. It makes a great deal of sense for these businesses to be power partners and refer business to each other because they do not compete. A plumber can easily refer an electrician because they don't work on the same systems. A roofer can introduce a lawn care company because they don't work on the same things. In the same way, the work that you do to create beautiful bathtubs, floors, counters, and kitchens is often complementary to many other trades.

There is a very large network of complementary building trades in your marketplace. Many of these businesses are calling on the same customers that you are seeking. Power partnerships are a great way to build your business without spending a lot of money on marketing.

Who Are Good Power Partners?

The best power partners for you in your market are professionals and tradespeople who are working inside the house, including house flippers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, remodelers, and property management firms.

There are a couple of reasons why these trades are the best. First, they are inside the house, and they can see the condition of the bathtub, bathroom floors, and counters. They can readily identify when a homeowner or resident has pain or a desire to improve the look of their house.

The second reason these trades represent good power partners is that typically you may be helping them to serve their customers or make their own work more effective. In the case of house flippers or Realtors, your quality work is helping them sell a property and make their own money.

Become familiar with the full network of home service firms in your area. Any of them could be high-quality power partners for you.

How to Build a Power Partnership

It is important to understand that building a power partnership is building a relationship. The first step in any relationship is building familiarity and trust. If familiarity and trust are not built, it’s unlikely these partners will ever refer you.

The best way to build familiarity and trust is to meet face-to-face with the power partner. Reach out with an e-mail or a phone call to introduce yourself. Then suggest a 15-20 minute face-to-face meeting at a time and place that is convenient for them.

If they agree to the meeting, you will put it on the calendar and e-mail them the calendar invite. The invite will include a brief agenda so you can learn more about each other. Consider using something like this:

Initial Power-Partner Meeting Invitation Email

Barney,

This note is simply a reminder about our plan to meet on Tuesday at 9:00 AM at the coffee shop on Main Street downtown. I look forward to learning about you and your plumbing business.

I will share information about my refinishing business, including several photographs of my finished projects. I look forward to a terrific conversation.

Hopefully, by the end of our conversation, we can decide if we should talk further.

Thank you

Betty

Meeting the Power Partner

When you initially meet with the power partner your sole objective is to build credibility and trust.

Greet them warmly. Share your business card or brochure about your business. Begin the meeting with an expression of appreciation for them taking the time to meet with you. You may have a few minutes of warm conversation about common friends, connections, and interests.

Follow that warm opening with the suggestion that each of you talk about yourselves and your business. Encourage them to go first. Ask how that got into the business and how they’ve built and grown it since then. While they are speaking, be authentically curious. You're asking questions to understand their story and how they got to where they are today. This is very important. As you show authentic interest in them and their business, their trust and respect for you increases.

After they have completed their story, share yours. Talk about how you started your business and why you started it. For each of us, the story about our “WHY” will connect us to the other person emotionally. It is quite likely that their why could be similar to yours and that may become a bond.

Talk about how you get projects and work with clients to complete them. You may show a few pictures of your finished projects. Your pictures are an integral part of this credibility building.

Be a Giver First

The single biggest reason why power partnerships fail is that partners fail to deliver quality leads and opportunities to each other. There are two primary reasons for this failure. The first reason is at least one of the partners is not a giver. Those relationships end quickly

Givers create referrals. Givers spend time and energy cultivating their network to find connections and introductions for their partners. Givers give referrals.

The most important thing you can do when establishing a partnership with a good power partner is to be the first to give referrals and introductions. Even when you are first reaching out and attempting to schedule a meeting with a good power partner you should already be identifying people in your network who would be worthwhile introductions to your new partner.

In the best scenarios, you know someone who needs their services right now. When you are the first one to give a referral or introduction to a good power partner you immediately become highly credible. It is the single most important thing you can do to ensure that the relationship is productive. Give first.

A second reason folks do not give referrals is that they don't know how to introduce you. Perhaps they don't know what a good referral for you looks like. You can help by teaching them who makes a good fit for your services. You can also give them a simple blueprint for how to introduce you to those people.

Two strategies are helpful here; Either way you do this, it teaches the other person who an ideal prospect would be for you

1. Identify General Categories of People: The first strategy is to bring a list of examples of the kinds of people that are ideal introductions for you. These can be property managers homeowners, realtors, or anyone who would be a powerful center of influence or a direct customer.

             Wilma Flintstone
          Flintstone Refinishing

My Ideal Introductions or referrals

• Where: Within 50 miles
• Who:
  • Property managers
  • Residential Realtors
  • House-Flippers
  • Apartment managers
  • New Homeowners
  • Plumbers
  • Electricians
• How: Introductions by email or phone with a brief personal recommendation are wonderful.

2. Name Specific People: If you have access to their LinkedIn connections or know who is in their network, find 10 people they are connected to who would be excellent introductions for you. Create a list of those people.

      Wilma Flintstone
Flintstone Refinishing

People, you may know whom I hope you can introduce me

• Adam Smith; Property manager
• Sally Sunshine: Residential Realtor
• Harry Finn: House-Flipper
• Albert Man: Apartment managers
• Harriet Homer: New Homeowner
• Peter Pipes: Plumber
• Elle Sparks: Electrician

How: Introductions by email or phone with a brief personal recommendation are wonderful.

Introduction Email

Once your power partner has agreed to make an introduction, make their life easier by providing an introduction email template. This is an email sent from your power partner to both the referral and you, introducing you to the referral. It also includes contact both recipients’ contact information. The beauty of this is that you have relieved your power partner of the need to write it out themselves. Here’s an example:

Introduction Email

Written by Wilma for her Power Partner Betty, for Betty to send to Barney and Wilma

Barney and Wilma

Although Barney and I have known each other for a long time I was recently introduced to Wilma. Wilma has a wonderful home improvement business focused on refinishing. I have seen pictures of her work and they are beautiful. Wilma does wonderful work.

Barney is a dear friend who has a wonderful house in the Slate Estates development on the south side of town. When I met with Barney recently, he mentioned that he and his wife were considering some upgrades to their house.

When I remembered the wonderful refinishing work you do, I decided it made sense to introduce you to each other. It’s always a pleasure to introduce two outstanding people to each other. I think there may be an opportunity for the two of you to work together

I have included contact information below for each of you and encourage a conversation to determine common interests.

Barney Rubble
Rubble Electric

123 Main Street
Anytown, IL 90010

Barney@Rubbleelectric.com
(847)555-0987

Wilma Flintstone
Flintstone Refinishing

456 Oak Street
Springfield, IL

Wilma@FlintstoneRefinishing.com
(847)555-3210

Good luck
Betty

Establish a Regular Rhythm of Meetings

Once you have established that you can be effective power partners, you may consider establishing a regular meeting to discuss referrals. Many successful power partners meet over breakfast or lunch every 30 to 60 days. Others simply schedule a routine phone call.

The Protocol for Referrals

There are certain best practices when handling referrals you have received. These reassure both the person who gave you the referral and the person you are referred to that you are highly organized and professional. They will help you get more referrals from this partner and increase the likelihood of success with the person to whom you were referred.

• Quick Response. Reach out to the referral very soon after you have been introduced or when the referral was given to you.
• Thank Them. Thank the person who shared the referral with you. You can do this either by email or phone call. Your gratitude is a great reward to your referral partner.
• Meeting: Arrange a meeting or an initial conversation promptly.
• Treat Them Like a Client. Treat this potential client with the same attention and respect you show the person who gave you the referral.
• Post-Project Thank You: Send a longer thank you note to the person who shared the referral. Do this after the project is completed or even if the referral decides not to work with you. This shows respect and gratitude to the person who provided the referral.

Referral Response Email

Sent by Wilma after she received the original Introduction email from Betty

Betty,

Thank you for this wonderful introduction to Barney. I appreciate your kind words.

Barney,

Betty had some very nice things to say about you and your house in the Slate Estates development sounds amazing.

I have been providing refinishing and remodeling services for kitchens and baths for over eight years. I have worked in a large number of wonderful residences and high-end hotels and apartment complexes throughout the area.

Since I don’t yet know what projects interest you, my suggestion is for us to have a 5 to 10-minute phone conversation. At that time, I can explain more about what I do. You can share your interests in terms of projects and we can determine if we should meet.

Please call me on Friday on my cell phone below and we can discuss the next steps.

Thank you

Wilma Flintstone
Flintstone Refinishing

456 Oak Street
Springfield, IL

Wilma@FlintstoneRefinishing.com
(847)555-3210

Tracking Your Referrals

Remember to keep track of both referrals sent and received in a log or a spreadsheet. Remember, you do not do this to “keep score”. But you’ll want to know if you have sent several referrals to someone and never heard back or if they never reciprocate.  If that happens, you may want to reconsider sending more potential business their way.

You can also track them to track goals. You can have a goal for the number of referrals sent to others, for instance. If you share more strong referrals with others, you’ll likely receive more in return.

Other Best Practices

• Maintain Quality Reputation: Maintain a very high professional reputation in the marketplace for service, quality, and integrity.
• Build a Referral Circle: Some service providers have a monthly breakfast for four or five like-minded or friendly service providers to meet, share stories, and share referrals.
• Be an Advocate These are important relationships. Be a consistent advocate for your power partners and they will do the same for you.

Conclusion

Receiving referrals from clients and others is wonderful. It is important to realize that there are specific strategies to cultivate more referrals in your market. Establishing a set of strong relationships with power partners is an excellent way to build your referrals – and your business.

It is also essential to understand the proper professional protocols for referrals. The single most important activity you can do to increase the number of referrals you receive is to give more referrals to others.