Your Contact Sphere(s)
Evan Carmichael has posted an excellent article by Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of BNI, about contact spheres.
A contact sphere is a group of industries or professions that share common or overlapping target markets and who work well together to serve those markets. As a copywriter, for instance, I naturally work with web developers, marketing consultants, graphic designers, and other key players in the advertising/marketing/PR realm. It’s easy for us to pass referrals to each other because we all have a role to play in a client’s overall marketing campaign.
That’s the most obvious contact sphere for my business, but if I use my imagination a little I quickly come up with other spheres of common interest, such as:
Business-to-business. I write for corporate and entrepreneurial clients, so new companies and companies in transition (expanding or changing their product line) are a natural referral for me. These companies need marketing writing, of course — but what else might they need? Office equipment, telecom systems, a new or better shipping resource, a banker, a new piece of real estate? As their writer, I’m now in a position to refer them to all of these professionals, and vice versa.
“Trusted Advisors.” I consult with my clients and advise them on what kind of writing will be most effective for their needs. They don’t shop around for a new writer from project to project because they’ve grown to trust and depend on me. Such clients often prefer to keep a tightly-knit cluster of “go-to” experts close at hand, both in business and in their private lives. An attorney, a chiropractor, a CPA, a loan officer — these professionals develop a trust-based relationship with their clients, so a referral from them can be counted on as good advice. And by helping my clients find such trusted advisors, I’m offering a huge added value as a contact and building my own bond of trust with the client.
Those are just a couple of examples of spheres that pay off for me. What about you? What contact spheres can you construct for yourself that will create tremendous new referral opportunities for your business? Grab a pen, draw some circles and think about it!
