Do You Want MORE Referrals?

Well, of course you do… warm referrals beat warm leads any day!

The REAL question is – how do you get MORE referrals without wasting time?  And how DO you find those quality professionals? You know, the ones who can pass you the MOST business and vice versa.

Let’s be honest:  there are countless networking groups and professional events out there, so where do you start?

That’s easy – you start where your ideal referral partners are.

By becoming a We&Co member, you will have access to your IDEAL referral partners while simultaneously:

1. Be able to track the referrals you receive from We&Co
2. Receive invites to member-only events
3. Expose your business to both member & non-member clients
4. Save time while making more money
5. Feel more confident and in control of your career & future

I am going to tell you a quick story that changed my life.  I was in or had visited every networking group available in my city.  I was in the “nouveau riche” groups, the “rough around the edges” groups, and even an “old boy” group or two.

With all this networking, you’d think my products and services would’ve been flying off the shelf!  But the fact of the matter was my sales were down and I was running around like a headless chicken, trying to be in all the places, in front of all of the people.

I was exhausted.

Have you ever felt like you put in 120% effort and only received 10% back?  

That’s where I was!

Then, to top it off, COVID struck.  Not only did professional networking come to a screeching halt, but I found myself stuck at home trying to

• Be a stay-at-home single mother
• Figure out a way to make money
• AND navigate the wonderful world of 7th-grade math. *shudders*

It wasn’t pretty.

By the time the quarantine started, I was fed up with networking.  Even hearing the word “networking” made me shudder!

There I had been, spending every free moment of my workday setting face-to-face meetings with professionals I’d met while simultaneously hitting every breakfast and lunch networking group I possibly could.  And while that strategy hadn’t been working for me, I was still showing up, talking about my business, and passing referral after referral to professionals I had met.

And then, weeks of silence.  The quarantine took its toll on many professionals, and I was no exception.  That’s when it hit me:  I want to network smarter, not harder.

I had been wasting my time and energy by networking in the wrong circles!

Walking into a room full of professionals, I realized that out of a group of 60, there were probably about 8-12 that could pass me referrals regularly and who I could pass referrals back to.  These would be professionals who had the same target audience but offered different products and services without any overlap.

With this realization, we got to work.  A couple of short months later, we launched one of We&Co’s first “Huddles.”

What is a “Huddle?”

A “Huddle” is a small group of 8-12 professionals who work together in a co-op setting to corner and dominate their market segment.  They do this by meeting twice a week for exactly an hour to discuss and strategize how to become that one-stop-shop for their clients.

“Huddles” were helping professionals do three things:

1. Save time
2. Make more money
3. All while eliminating professional frustrations and stress!

75% of customers either require or prefer in-person meetings,

meaning that you can lose clients simply by not meeting them in person.

What Professionals Should be in a “Huddle?”

The answer to this?  It depends on who your target audience is!  Theoretically, there could be a “Huddle” for every professional!  Even in super-niche markets!

For example, we have a “Huddle” that targets Veterans aged 55 and up.  The following members in this group specialize in the following:

1. A moving company
2. A realtor
3. A mortgage lender
4. A roofing company
5. A medicare specialist
6. A lawn care company
7. A P&C Insurance agent
8. A financial advisor

Together, they plan on volunteering at veteran communities and veteran events.  This doesn’t only help the members give back to the community, but it helps them get in front of their ideal target audience: veterans who are 55+!

Executives reveal that they’d lose 28% of their business if they stopped networking. 

What do you do in a “Huddle” Beside Pass Referrals?

Passing & receiving referrals is one part of being a We&Co member, but there are several other benefits to joining a “Huddle.” Keep in mind that “Huddles” meet twice a month for exactly an hour (talk about saving time, am I right??).  Every “Huddle” has a different strategy for cornering its market segment.

Taking a cue from our Veteran Huddle, they’ve put together a “preferred vendor” list and even a website so they are more easily found by their target audience.

The other things members do within the “Huddle” are the following:

1. Cover professional goals and hold each other accountable
2. Discuss who else could benefit the group (after all, the average person passes 50 referrals a year – adding one more person could greatly grow the group)
3. Troubleshoot industry challenges in a post-quarantine world
4. Strategize on how to become that one-stop-shop for their target audience!

The before-mentioned Veteran group isn’t the only “Huddle” we have, though.  We also have “Huddles” that target everyone from

• moms aged 30-55,
• residential real estate “Huddles,”
• “Huddles” that target the 55+ market,
• a few B2B “Huddles.”
• and more!

One of the top benefits of in-person meetings was building stronger,

more meaningful business relationships (85%).

How do I know if a “Huddle” is for me?

“Huddles” aren’t for everyone:  we learned that early on!  In order to become a We&Co member, there are a few criteria that need to be filled:

1. Have you been in your industry for a minimum of 3 years?
2. Are you interested in growing your book of business (obviously you are, otherwise you wouldn’t have found us)?
3. Do you operate your business with integrity and honesty, or do you sometimes “cut corners”?
4.  Are you able and willing to pass referrals to other “Huddle” members?
5. Are you humble, hungry, and emotionally intelligent?

If you are all of the above, then there is one last question to answer, and you won’t be able to answer it until you’ve visited a “Huddle.”  And that question is:

Are you ABLE & WILLING to refer to everyone in your “Huddle,” and is everyone in the “Huddle” ABLE & WILLING to refer back to you?

You won’t be able to answer that last question until you’ve visited one of We&Co’s “Huddles.”

Why is that last question so important to address before becoming a We&Co Member?

The answer is easy:  our mission at We&Co is to save our members time while simultaneously making them more money by putting them with their ideal referral partners.  Because the “Huddles” are smaller and more intimate than a typical networking group, we want to make sure that each “Huddle” upholds the sustainable success principle.

What is the sustainable success principle?  It encompasses four keys:  It has to be

1. Right for you
2. Right for me
3. Right for us
4. Right for all.

Success is not meant to be something short-lived.  It is supposed to be ongoing!  Take a look at nature, arguably one of the MOST successful systems known to man!  It is ongoing and ever-changing.

Apply that to your business and you may find that the same is true!  We&Co wasn’t the same it was over a year ago, and if we do things right, we won’t be the same a year from now!  Hopefully, we would’ve grown and evolved!  This is what we offer to businesses:  a chance to not only be successful but to maintain and sustain that success over a long period of time!

Coming back to your business, if a “Huddle” is only “kind of sort of” a right fit for you, it may be in your best interest NOT to join that “Huddle.”

For example, let’s pretend you are an accountant. POOF! You’re an accountant!

You visit a financial resources “Huddle” and the members include a banker, a financial advisor, an insurance agent, an elder law attorney, a travel agent, and a few other professionals.  Let’s pretend the financial advisor is married to a lovely lady who also is an accountant.

Obviously, unless she has a full book of business and isn’t looking for any more work, that financial advisor probably won’t refer any business to you.  Not that it’s personal!  It’s only natural to want to keep money under the same roof!  Personally, though, wouldn’t you rather be in a group whereby everyone is ABLE & WILLING to refer to you?

In summary, we live, love, and grow local businesses.  While it’s tempting to make as much money as we can, we won’t do it unless it is a right fit for all parties involved.

If you are interested in learning more about We&Co, in visiting a “Huddle,” or even in starting your OWN “Huddle,” click below: