This process came about by accident.

I was doing a lot of business with a trademark attorney, registering various words and slogans for my publishing business.

As our relationship matured and we became better friends, I began to refer clients from my marketing consulting practice to him for patents and trademarks — and the lawyer began referring his clients who wanted patents, but were without marketing skills to me.

The perfect alliance was born.

Here’s how you can discover and work the same type of plan…

A blueprint for developing referral alliances

1. List your strongest business allies and connections.

2. To identify which of your contacts you can most successfully “ally” with, list the businesses or types of businesses that can benefit from interacting with your present customers or people in your network you can influence.

3. List the customers or types of businesses doing business with your target allies and connections that you want to do business with.

The research phase is done — now it’s time to act on your knowledge…

4. Contact the target alliances and tell them your plan of customer or client exchange and referral.

5. Determine the groups where the players in your target alliance get together and join those groups. Someplace where you can network with and get to know your allies better.

A professional business group

A trade association.

A professional association.

A community organization.

(After you join you must attend regularly and participate. That begins to build trust.)

6. Once you determine that an alliance is feasible, agree on a method of cross-introduction that benefits all parties.

Three way meeting (best). Phone introduction (2nd best). Letter of introduction (least preferred).

7. Begin with a test or trial.

8. Stay in close contact during the test and report results.

9. Gradually increase the numbers.

10. Continue to monitor, report and thank.

10.5 Be referrable. You must have the full confidence and trust of your allies.

Jeffrey Gitomer, author of The Sales Bible and The Little Red Book of Selling. President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts Internet training programs on selling and customer service at www.trainone.com. He can be reached at 704/333-1112 or e-mail to salesman@gitomer.com.

r 2006 All Rights Reserved. Don’t even think of reproducing this document without written permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer 704/333-1112