Hi.

In Lesson #1 we talked about the importance of having a system to create opportunities for word-of-mouth referrals to happen.

In Lesson #2 you discovered my #1 referral generating strategy, the Super 6 Strategy.

The Super 6 Strategy revolves around identifying your core group of key influencers who could (and should) be sending you referrals.

The backbone of this strategy is your marketing communication plan.

What’s that? You don’t have a marketing communication plan?

No worries, I’ve done one for you. Read on.

The backbone of the marketing communication plan is the ol’ fashioned newsletter (yes, the physical newsletter that gets delivered straight to your doorstep).

The problem is, like most other forms of marketing I see, most people and companies do it completely WRONG!

Read: B – O – R – I – N – G

If your newsletter is boring or annoying it will be filed immediately (in the circular waste bin).

So how do you make your newsletter engaging so that your Super 6 will send you all the referrals you can handle?

Below you’ll find my 17-part recipe for creating a proven newsletter that is engaging AND gets referrals.

I can guarantee this is different from what every other architecture firm is doing.

My 17-Part Recipe For A Spectacular Newsletter

1. The Big Secret: If you can make the newsletter a communication tool for your community then your clients and referral partners feel they belong. Make sure they are featured in the newsletter.
2. Banner/Masthead: For a professional look, stick with your graphic designer. For the quick and dirty alternative, go to fiverr.com where you can get a $5 graphic design done for your newsletter.
3. Games: Include a puzzle or word search:  http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/WordSearchSetupForm.asp
4. Attention Grabber: Add a gimmick each month that ties in with your monthly theme. Cheap Chinese novelty items can be purchased from aliexpress.com.
5. Content: Use 40% industry content and make the rest novelty items and personality building.
6. Monthly Theme: Get yourself dressed as a doctor and include a syringe pen (from aliexpress.com for 50 cents) for impact. Month 2 dress as a cowboy and send a bullet USB stick. No one else does this. How much is a client worth each month? Are they worth a few bucks a month to entertain and build a community of 30? Yes.
7. Client of the Month: Everyone loves to see how others are using your stuff, plus it’s a sneaky chance to brag (without bragging) about results you can get. The client you feature will love the exposure – especially if you have developed a ‘cool’ community.
8. Photos with Famous People and Clients: Do NOT underestimate the power of name-dropping; frankly the photos don’t even have to be relevant just eye catching. PR consultants know that a good photo will get in the paper before a good story. Just ask Richard Branson…
9. Example of the Week: Feature one specific example of how you solved a client’s problem.
10. Competitions: Stage a competition in your newsletter. Any competition is good, especially referral competitions. Make sure to feature the winner so that people see others winning.
11. Question and Answer Section: Example: ‘Ask Uncle Richard’ – this reinforces your position as the ‘expert’.
12. Layout: Get your newsletter layout done professionally by your graphic designer. The quick and dirty alternative: send it to someone on fiverr.com.
13. Article by other People: It doesn’t get easier than this. Keep a file of interesting articles you can refer to or comment on or use. Easy.
14. Quotes: People love them and they are easy to find.
15. Include an Offer: Offer a small consulting service that solves a problem (pre -roject) or an educational report. These are easy ways to generate leads or for the referrer to pass on.
16. Be Personal: People connect with people. The cover story should always reveal what life is like living with you, a personal story.
17. Be Entertaining: There is no such thing as too long, only too boring. People will let interruptions into their day if they are entertained or educated.

HINT: You should never start your newsletter with a blank sheet of paper, wondering what to write.

Have a folder with newsletter ideas. As you see items you could adapt, copy or comment on put them into your folder.

Ok, so in summary, here is…

How you can create more word-of-mouth opportunities (and double your referrals in 60 days):

Step 1

Who is already regularly talking with your ideal target clients?

Which non-competing businesses target the same market as you do?

Who do your ideal clients go to for advice or guidance before they typically start a project or hire an architect?

The Dirty 30

Select 30 people (or categories of people) who COULD or SHOULD be referring people to you. You may not know all of them yet. Identifying these people will require a bit of research.

Step 2

Create a simple newsletter and send it to your DIRTY 30 selected above for the next 12 months. You can add or remove people from the list, but don’t have more or less than thirty. Make sure your newsletter follows the 17 points above for an engaging newsletter.

Step 3

God did not create heaven and earth with a newsletter alone. Call or meet one of these 30 people each week. Just one call or meeting per week. The goal is to clean the Dirty 30 to find the SUPER 6.

So how does this fit in to an overall referral system for your architecture practice?

At the beginning of this mini-course, I promised you a strategy for creating more word-of-mouth opportunities.

You’ve learned how you can target and market to your potential referrers using a marketing communication plan.

You’ve learned how to create an engaging newsletter that forms the backbone of this strategy.

Now you may be wondering, what are the othe parts of this system?

How do I make it easy for my referrers to refer?

How does this translate to more first-rate clients for my practice?

That is what we’ll be covering in Lesson #4.

The Grand Finale

Lesson #4 is a LIVE Online Master Class where you’ll discover:

• The painful truth on how clients can put the brakes on referrals – and how to instead accelerate referrals…
• How to ask for referrals in a way that is completely ‘under the radar’ – no one will even know you are asking them!
• The simple systems your firm must put in place to establish a “Referral Culture” – where the desire for clients to tell others about you happens naturally and on auto-pilot…