Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce hosts Your Chamber is Your Goldmine, sponsored by Moscato and Associates

Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce hosts Your Chamber is Your Goldmine, sponsored by Moscato and Associates March 10 9am - 11am, Tompkins County Chamber Office, 904 E. Shore Drive, Ithaca. Facilitated by David Makar, Referral Institute Ithaca $25 for Chamber Members $30 for non-Chamber Members Are you getting the most out of your investment of time and money in the Chamber? Networking is like mining for gold. You can strike it rich and find a vein, or end up with a few nuggets. Having knowledge of referral marketing turns the casual networker into a power networker. This session will help you: - Effectively network to get more referrals. - Interact with people in a way that builds positive word-of-mouth about you. - Measure your time investment and return from the Chamber. Don't miss this opportunity to get the most out of your Chamber membership! http://www.tompkinschamber.org/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=186116 Considering joining the chamber? Please contact Rob LaHood, Director of Membership, Events & Communications: rob@tompkinschamber.org or 607-273-7080.

BNI Cayuga Lake Connections - Visitor Day!

BNI Cayuga Lake Connections - Visitor Day! March 10 7:30am - 9am, Elks Lodge at 124 Coddington Road, Ithaca No Fee to participate in this visitor's day RSVP: Chapter Vice President Jackie Gartenman, 607-280-0286 or jackie_gartenman@yahoo.com Professions already filled in this chapter: Acupuncture Automotive Sales Bank Services Certified Public Accountant Chiropractor Dream Catalyst Financial Advisor/Consultant Fire Walk Leader General Contractor Interior Decorating Life Coach Massage Therapist New Home Builder Payroll Services Photographer Physical Therapist Property & Casualty Insurance Real Estate Agent Security Systems Web Design Are you looking to meet other business professionals to develop a strong referral relationship? This chapter is starting its 4th year this spring and is a great place to connect with other business owners who believe in 'Givers Gain!'.

BNI's Third Ithaca Area Chapter

BNI's Third Ithaca Area Chapter

March 10

8:00am - 9:30am, P.W. Wood & Son, Inc. (2333 N. Triphammer Road, Suite 5).
No fee to visit this emerging group.
RSVP: Dana Carruth at danacarruthacupuncture@gmail.com or (607) 592-9021.

One of the benefits of BNI is that when you join, you lock out the competition. You have the opportunity to network within a group of business professionals where no one in the room is directly competeing with you. Instead, each member has a vested interest in helping each other to achieve great business results. We call it 'Givers Gain'!

Check out this new and growing chapter any Thursday, including March 10th.

Professions already filled in this chapter:

Acupuncture
Bookkeeping

Financial Advisor/Consultant
General Contractor
Health Insurance and Medicare Insurance

Property & Casualty Insurance
Real Estate Agent

Skincare Products

Web Design

Networking: Tompkins County Young Professionals

February Networking Event for Tompkins County Young Professionals

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I just received an invitation to this networking event - do you have a business networking event you'd like to share? Email me at dmakar@referralinstituteithaca.com

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Please join the United Way of Tompkins County Young Professionals Initiative for our monthly networking and fundraising event! This month we will be at Kilpatrick's Publick House (attached to the Hilton Garden Inn) on Wednesday, February 23rd from 5:00-7:00pm.

A $5 to the United Way is requested at the door. Happy Hour specials all evening! Door prizes raffled at 6pm! Please click here to RSVP: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHRjN1NfRHVvcVpwbzNFdE4yR0d1Umc6MQ

Thank you to all who have attended one of our prior three events. Our last gathering, which was held at Silky Jones in January, was attended by over 80 young professionals and emerging leaders and raised over $400 to benefit the United Way! We hope to continue providing young professionals the opportunity to network while learning how the United Way of Tompkins County benefits us all.

Please feel free to invite other Young Professionals from the Tompkins County region! Need more information? Email: uwtcyoungprofessionals@gmail.com

Relationship based business development benefits all consumers

Imagine that every time you made a purchase, spent your own money, made an investment in your business, your health and wellness, or your home you knew and trusted the person who was providing the service. You knew they would go beyond customer service, because your were connected to them by someone you both knew and you both trusted. Would that make your business interactions better, more comfortable, and more at ease?

What is Relationship Based business development?

Relationship based business development is growing your business through referrals. Referrals are traditionally thought of as something you ask clients for and hope they know someone they can direct your way. In the Referral Institute we teach 8 sources of referrals. There are many people business owners have relationships with that they can support by referring their own clients and prospects and building strong relationships through giving.

Is Relationship Based sales a fad?

Relationship Based is the oldest form of sales. You need help with something for your house, your company, or your family - and you ask someone you know for advice on who to use. We may have strayed from this connection to the people we are asking for services from, but we can go back to having a relationship based on trust with the people we exchange our money for their services.

What kinds of business can be helped with Relationship based sales?

Almost any kind of business where you are spending a lot of money, or investing in your business, or your family, or your finances, or your health. Service businesses like financial planners, massage therapists, painters, web designers, and mortgage brokers are just the tip of the variety of types of businesses that rely on relationships with their clients and referral sources to be successful.

What about retail?

I love the idea of trusting my retailer enough to ask them for advice on other products and services. Does the person who sold me my office furniture have a recommendation for someone who can lease me office space like a commercial realtor? Do they have a relationship with someone who can steam clean the carpets or someone who sells office supplies? These businesses form natural relationships and can easily support one another with referrals at the retail store level.

How does this benefit consumers?

Consumers asking for advice from a trusted vendor (be it a payroll service provider, a life insurance agent, a life coach, or a public relations specialist) can know that the first contact with the needed service provider is opened by a relationship. The consumer has an ally when working with a new service provider. They no longer have to enter the business transaction on their own. Each time money is invested or spent there is a higher level of comfort and more ease in the transaction.

What do you do? Does it depend?

I work with entrepreneurial business owners from all over New York State. They all have a desire to help more people with their products and services. They are ambitious in their hope to grow their business.

One of the ways I consult with business owners is to help them develop an Emotional Based Marketing message. The components of an effective Emotional Based Marketing message are that it be clear, simple, synergistic, and consistent.

The Emotional Based Marketing message is the point of contact that gets passed from person to person when networking. We look at your word-of-mouth marketing message as a relay race. If you consider a relay race, the baton has to be passed from person to person to person to finally cross the finish line. Your marketing message needs to be clear, simple, synergistic, and consistent in order to be easily passed along this relay race. The last person to receive this message is a prospect – a potential client – and they need to know what it is that you do.

I was working with a fitness professional last week and when I asked her how she answered the question, “What do you do?” she said, “It depends.”

If she’s talking to a person who is stressed out – there’s one answer. If she’s talking to a mom – there’s another answer. If she’s talking to someone who is overweight – there’s a third answer. She tells people her work is fun. She tells them it is a dance exercise program. She tells them it is challenging. She tells them it is a workout.

When we turned the conversation to answering the question with an answer starting with “I help…” she had some new thoughts.

I help…people…feel better…about themselves…and achieve their health and fitness goals.

It could work – but is it clear and simple? Will it be easily passed along from person to person in the relay race of word-of-mouth marketing?

She said, “How about, ‘I help people feel healthier inside and out.’” I think that is a little closer, but does that touch your heart. Does that response touch your emotions?

We look at a lot of emotions that help charge us and move us in the direction of delivering a truly emotional based marketing message. Do you provide security or happiness or confidence of fulfillment? Do you prevent stress or pain or wasting time or illness? What do you do that connects to people’s lives?

She doesn’t just help people feel healthier – she helps people live healthier. We tried, “I help people live healthier inside and out.” We wanted to make sure it was clear and simple – so with a few more edits we landed on, “I help people live healthier”.

When someone asks her what she does she now has an answer. They could be a prospect or a referral source or a family member. They could be someone dealing with stress or they could be a mom or they could be overweight. Her answer now is synergistic with who she is as a fitness instructor. It is clear. It is simple. It will be consistent because everyone she talks with going forward will hear the same answer. “I help people live healthier”.

This always makes people respond, ‘How do you do that?’ and by then, they’ve formed a positive image of who she is and what she does because of her five word answer. Clear, simple, synergistic, and consistent are all you need to achieve your emotional based connection to the world.

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David Makar is a Referral Marketing Consultant with the Referral Institute Ithaca. He helps business owners work less, make more, and play more by helping them create Referrals for Life.

The Referral Institute Ithaca is a company region of the Referral Institute, the world’s leading referral marketing consulting, training, and coaching organization. It offers referral marketing training, coaching and consulting to individuals and organizations, and teaches business professionals how to harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing to drive sales and generate long-lasting, sustainable business growth. The vision of the Referral Institute of Ithaca is to improve the lives of all residents of upstate New York through changing the way business is done – from transactional to relational. David Makar works with business owners from Rochester to Westchester with a specific focus on Tompkins County business owners who want to learn the skills to create Referrals for Life.

For more information about the Referral Institute Ithaca, visit

http://www.referralinstituteithaca.com/

Remember the DYICE!

The DYICE!

Does Your Ideal Client Exist?

When asking for referrals - be specific to be terrific. The more specific you are, the more inspired we will be to find that specific person for you. Do you like challenges? Probably - since you are an entrepreneur. Here's a challenge for you. Think about who your ideal client is. If you had 10 clients like this - highly profitable and very easy for you to support - what would your business be like.

Does Your Ideal Client Exist?

I hope they do! Are they in the geographical area you are telling us to look? Maybe that should be a consideration of the specificity of the description.

What's the worst that could happen?

People will be looking for your best client. The one that pays you the most money and is the easiest for you to support. They will continue to look for this person until you ask them to look for something else.

What's the best that could happen?

People will introduce you to your best client. The one that pays you the most money and is the easiest for you to support.

We say Be Specific to Be Terrific. So continue to be terrific and tell us about your Ideal Client.

DYICE: Does Your Ideal Client Exist? We might not know if you don't tell us who he or she is!

Remember the DYICE!