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Hey Tony & Fiona


Here’s an outline the ways I think I could work with you on a more intentional referral strategy - building on the great relationships and people work you already hold and do.

it would be awesome to work with you so anything else you need, or if you just want to talk anything through, then just shout!

Cheers
Dave

Referral Scope

In case video’s aren’t your thing……needless to say I would absolutely love to work with you guys.

I know I'd enjoy it and I know I would offer value as well, not least because you're so ideally placed to get value from this channel with your focus on relationships. My job would be to evolve that into something more intentional - still absolutely human at its core, just with greater commercial impact.

The main focus of what I've detailed here is around internal referrals, landing and expanding amongst your clients. But the concepts will absolutely work for all the exciting opportunities that you've got going on.

The detail we go into on these other areas will depend on the package you choose, but all of them will focus on having the right systems behind the scenes so that it's repeatable whilst developing the skills of you and anyone else in the team

Whatever package you choose, you can bolt on additional support - and if we get going this year then every package comes with an additional support session.

(there’s also real value in moving quickly here - Christmas is a great time for making introduction requests!)

Onto the proposal….

How Do We Work Together?

It’s hands on coaching, training & consultancy. All live sessions are high energy, highly interactive, and implementation focussed - not just theory. We’ll map out processes, agree positioning, decide on target lists - as much as we can do in session, we will. And all can be delivered in-person at your offices, online, or hybrid depending on where the rest of the team are based (and if they’re involved). I don’t just disappear in-between sessions though - this work is about implementation so you’ll have digital and phone support to help you keep moving when needed.
 
As well as the direct support you’ll also be provided with a comprehensive framework documents and accompanying worksheets, detailing each aspect of the either the partnership or referral framework. They’ll also be an action roadmap that details each individual action to take, either now or in the future. I provide you with a repeatable, scalable, process you’ll be able to replicate and build upon for any future channels or initiatives.

The Framework

Building a culture of referrals always has the same components, there just nuanced to each client - here’s how I see them working for you

  • I don’t think you’ll struggle with this, but we’ll work to understand any individual blocks around being pro-active in asking for introductions & reframe the mindset to remove ‘the ick’.

    Part of this is recognising the drivers of why people refer in order to be able to engage with them in a more meaningful and value based way. This is the part where I believe we’ll uncover some new ways at looking at referrals within your existing clients.

  • Looking at the range of people available to us. Identifying the low hanging fruit and discovering new opportunities for growth through people as yet untapped - especially with our newfound understanding of why they would want to help.

  • how to humanise your requests so referrals feels comfortable for all.

    You’ll learn the specific ways to make it easy for your would be introducers to refer you - all done in a completely human way (People refer you for what you do, not what you sell)

    We’ll look at simple ways to be super specific without being salesy - great for immediate introductions.

    And we’ll also discover your situational niches - the new way of looking at referrals that makes them all about solving problems not just sales funnels. This is the key to receiving consistent introductions to not only your ideal clients, but ones that are ready to use your services. 

    These will vary depending on whether we’re looking at internal referrals from within your existing or previous clients, utilising other external contacts, or building out your new content creator community.

  • Understanding the right time to ask (hint: it’s often much earlier than you think).

    Primary focus will be how can we take advantage of great relationships right now, but we’ll also work through your customer journey, starting from their first contact with you, to pinpoint the ideal times that referrals could be requested and highlight new opportunities to add value and create the ‘wow’ moments that facilitate introductions.

    Again this would need to be repeated for your community, and any other specific opportunities to build and leverage a network

    We’ll also look at the supporting messages and content that back up the personal requests to help build a culture of referrals both internally and with your audience.

  • The words we use are everything - for both us and the people on the receiving end.  We’ll work on the tones and tactics to use in each different scenario - both from an ongoing perspective, but also looking at specific campaigns that can be run for some quick wins (be that broadcast messages or personal contact).

    This is also where we look at the systems and processes that sit behind the human first approach. How are referrals being tracked, followed up on, and the culture embedded.

What are the options?

Here’ are 3 ways of working together, and each can have additional support bolted on where required (all costs plus VAT)

  • A half day workshop followed up with an accountability / support call that focuses on the quick wins closest to you.

    It’s an intense session, and here’s what we’ll cover

    Opportunity Mapping

    What are the potential focuses for referrals - is it new clients, additional work from existing clients, new podcast guests or community members?

    Contact Mapping

    Who’s available to us for requests, who in the team is best placed to make that request, and which opportunity are they best placed to help us with?

    Humanising Referral Requests

    Being specific is the key to getting quick wins, but often where requests never get made for fear of feeling pushy.

    There are 5 key ways of being specific in who we’d like an introduction to, whilst it still feeling completely natural - like asking a favour from a friend.

    We’ll uncover these, and work on the exact words to use along with when and how to use them.

    Campaign Planning

    This is where we finalise who’s being asked for what and when. Putting the planing from the first part of the workshop into place with the learnings from the referral request training.

    We’ll set actions and ensure everyones ready and excited to go and implement.

  • Building cultures of referrals so that everyone customer facing has the skills & confidence to ask for referrals, and the business has the systems and processes to support this.

    3 x ½ day sessions backed up by outside of session support & follow up meeting to ensure implementation.

    Strategy, Systems, Process

    Looking at the existing set up, identify areas of opportunity, and any issues that may need resolving. We’ll deep dive into the systems, processes and structure required to make this an ingrained part of your lead generation strategy that feels like an extension of the work your already doing.

    Skills Workshop

    Highly interactive session with anyone customer facing where we work through the framework to to build the Culture of Referrals that can have a huge impact.

    A chance for people to work through their challenges, share their ideas, and come away with practical skills they can start using right away.

    Like the one off workshop above we’ll look at 5 key ways of being specific with immediacy, but we’ll also be able to take time to work on situation niching, a great way of ensuring a consistent flow of introductions.

    We’ll also have the time to work through the ‘when’ in much more detail.

    Campaign Planning

    Having had the time to absorb the skills session take a deeper dive into planning out specific outbound referral campaigns, both digital and in person, brand led and individual, to ensure the momentum built in the workshop follows through into action and ultimately results.

    We’ll have more time to work on the exact words to use with each contact or opportunity so that everyones is confident and excited to get going.

    Follow Up Session

    Hour long online session where everyone can feedback on any successes they’ve had, share challenges, and support each other in embedding best practice.


    (cost can be split over 3 months)

  • All the support provided above, plus an additional 10 hours of support.

    This can be used for a mix of broader additional team feedback sessions (great for the cultural piece), or to work through specific opportunities in more detail - like your content community or the upcoming US conference

    All backed up by additional digital support over the extended time working together.

    (Cost can be split over 5 months)

Next Steps…

I would LOVE to work with you at Collective Content, so it’s as simple as either talking through the options, or picking one and setting a date. You can let me a know a good time for this by dropping a message to dave@collaborationjunkie.com or call on 07904 330628.

Want a bit more information? Testimonials and a bit more about me is below

Testimonials

  • Steve Vale - Commercial Director Of Plann3d Solutions

    When I first started working with Dave at the start of the year, my immediate goal was to not have a dip in work during the summer months.

    8 weeks later with £100k of new work in, that I put wholly down to the mindset shifts and practical applications Dave has introduced, and my goals shifted.

    I’ve not had to do anything drastically different to what I was doing before, just make subtle shifts in my behaviour and language to be more intentional about referrals with my network.

    As I’ve built momentum with the conversations I’ve been having, the connections and results have just snowballed.

    And the work brought on has typically been with the clients that I want to be working with ongoing.

    I can already see how this is going to bring the consistency our business needs in order to scale, and I’m now looking at how partnerships and referrals can help me attract more of those ideal clients rather than just filling my pipeline.

  • Rod Bailey - Chief Visionary Officer at ExecutiveSurf

    If I had a dollar for every time someone said to me one of these; "Why bother investing in a consultant to help you bring in high quality new business through partnerships and referrals?" or "That's so obvious isn't it?" or "Don't you do that already?" or "Is that even a thing?", then... well I wouldn't actually still need to be in business...

    Thanks Dave Plunkett and the folks at Collaboration Junkies. In just a few months, you've opened our eyes to a whole new world of opportunity, plenty of exciting prospects and some fully signed up new clients. I think you're on to something.

    ExecutiveSurf - hooked on Collaboration junkies

    ps. the answers to those questions: 1. Because there's a big ROI, 2. Yes but when did 'obvious' get a free pass into marketing strategy? 3. A bit, but blindly, making it pretty unproductive, 4. Yes, but don't tell anyone about it.

  • Tom Hadley - Founder of Sufu Marketing

    Dave Plunkett is one of the most valuable businesspeople I’ve met in the last few years. He has deep specialist knowledge, a fantastic network and, most importantly, a deep empathy with people and a passion for helping them succeed.

    Undertaking the Kick-Ass Collaboration Programme from Collaboration Junkie has achieved three things for Sufu that, even as an experienced founder who is a decade into my journey, I was struggling to achieve alone.

    1. Targeting - I was able to see past some deeply embedded misconceptions about who my most valuable partners were, why, and how to redirect my focus. We all have blindspots, Dave removed mine.

    2. Process & Systems – Dave has the “how” of partnerships down. You don’t need to worry that partnerships mean creating a lot of documentation, Dave has done the vast majority of the work for you, you can just tweak them to your needs.

    3. Getting to work – The last value working with Dave has given me is simply the ability to make me move the dial for myself! He is as adept at working with people who are unsure and need nurturing, as he is with people who are confident and need challenging. He gets you to get it done!

    I’ve already started to achieve tangible outcomes from my work with Dave in terms of securing valuable mentoring roles, getting content co-creation opportunities with valuable partners and improving my commercial outcomes through better pricing and negotiation.

    Collaboration Junkie is a difference-making partner for B2B businesses who want to grow.

To see our full range of case studies and testimonials click here

  • Ryan O'Keefe - Founder, Jago (Personal Brand Agency)

    Before working with Dave life was good, people enjoyed working with Jago and we would get referrals.

    But I knew we were not uncovering the full potential of our clients and their networks and felt uncomfortable asking for referrals, it felt a little ick.

    As a previous salesperson in large organisations, referrals were ingrained into us, but for some reason running my own business things felt different, that was until we engaged Dave to help us.

    Working with Dave invigorated me with referrals and highlighted the potential of such a simple concept such as referrals. It was all about considering when and how we would ask for referrals.

    We have been doing NPS scores for the last few years but never really acted upon the high scores we received, until recently.

    Over the last few months we have had a handful of good referrals and two of the referrals turning into business, one worth £20k and one worth £23,450, both with potential more lifetime value.

    Considering where we ask for referrals is key but also sowing the seed right when we onboard new clients has been a game changer, showing our cards in terms of how we work and grow our business.

    It is so much easier to close a piece of business that has come from a referral and guess what? They tend to be great clients as well. What's not to like about that!

    Thanks Dave!

  • Phil Bacon - Founder, Bacon Marketing

    Working with Dave immediately identified a new angle and a range of people we hadn’t yet approached.

    1 email later and we’ve banked £34,00 in work for this year, and have another 3 opportunities in the pipeline based off of referrals from people we hadn't tried to engage in that type of way before


    This is the difference between doing it yourself or working with someone who really knows their stuff.


    EDIT: 11 months on from our workshops Phil’s now on £82k banked with more in the pipeline

  • Sarah Mols - Director of Outside Ideas

    Before working with Dave I would have said that we were in a pretty decent place for referrals, we've organically developed relationships where referrals naturally happen.

    But it's random, not consistent at all. When a lead does come in, it's more of a bonus lead, less of a planned, intentional and thought through part of our lead generation.

    Since working with Dave, I realise how much more opportunity there is out there for us, and how we haven't made it easy for others to refer into us.

    I now have tangible, realistic - and exciting - steps and goals to work toward to create a strong and consistent pipeline of pre qualified leads coming through to us (how amazing is that!?).

    Dave is a 'Big Thinker', he helps you shoot for the stars, with high level, strategic planning. But he's also hugely practical and realistic, and will support you in creating and taking the steps you need to implement a referral strategy that works. He's also a thoroughly nice guy, and a pleasure to work with.

    If you're looking to increase the amount of leads coming into your business, with a trusted and expert advisor, who 'gets people' and knows how to craft sustainable and impactful relationships - look no further - talk to Dave.

  • Over the course of his career, Dave has developed hundreds, if not thousands, of partnerships. From growing his own membership organisation to 2000 members almost entirely through referrals and strategic partnerships, to providing access to the SME market for global brands such as Regus & Volvo, reaching nearly 1 million business owners along the way.

    Dave's previous business was a customer engagement agency that helped connect business services providers to their target market by working with organisations that already had a community of their audience. Facilitating all the marketing support to make sure the right quality of leads were provided at the right time, in a way that added value to all concerned. Whether it be with big brands or new start ups, tailored introductions or prospects at scale (we delivered over 10,000 digital marketing leads to Yell over a 2 year period) we offer experience of lead generation partnerships from both sides of the coin.

    And not all that experience has been positive. We learned as much from the mistakes made or witnessed as the successes. We've learned the hard way so you don't have to.

    In 2020 (pre COVID) Collaboration Junkie was born. Helping ambitious business owners leverage their credibility to get high quality leads, on a consistent basis, from trusted 3rd parties - making Lead Generation an enjoyable process!

    Over the last 5.1/2 years we've worked directly with well over 100 business owners and their teams, the majority being in the agency space. Our sweet spot is successful brands looking for their next stage of growth - leveraging their brilliant reputation within their chosen sector to build exciting partnerships, and a culture of referrals within their teams, that means introductions from both partners and clients scales alongside the business.

    Want to know a bit more about Dave as a person? Click here!