1. You signed up…now what?

Simple: Hit the “Getting Started” Link on the left side. That will take you through the steps to set up your system. Live support from a human is available to help (you should have received an email)

Keep in mind:

There are five key behaviors to getting referral business. We have designed ReferMe IQ™ to take care of all of them for you:

  1. Relationships must be asked for referrals
  2. You must incent your relationships to refer
  3. You must get your relationships to introduce you and share your compelling value proposition
  4. You must get the referral interested in your business
  5. You must create an easy path for the referral to request contact with you

With ReferMe IQ™, all five of these steps will be in place.

Here are the top three drivers that stack the odds in your favor for successful use:

  • Have the right expectations up front – commit to setting the system up properly and using it continuously. It takes time for your relationships to get in the habit of referring people to you.
  • Integrate it with your marketing plan and calendar – schedule time to use it and maintain it. It’s mostly “set and forget”, but you’ll want to keep an eye on it.
  • Don’t get discouraged if you get stuck – we are here to help! Use the website resources and contact us for any assistance you need

2. How does this system differ from a basic Auto-Responder? 

It differs and is advanced in two major ways. First, unlike a basic auto-responder, the system reaches out to your current client base and asks them for referrals on your behalf. Then, the system sends an email from your clients to their personal network recommending your business.  As the clients respond, the system sends those referrals and leads back to you for processing.

Simultaneously, the system sends a “thank you” to both your clients and the generated referrals and offers rewards and incentives (if you choose) for referring you. All this happens behind the scenes with the automated referral intelligence making your personal network and your clients a Salesforce working for you 24/7–priceless!

Second, the system reaches out to your personal network as referenced above. Asking for referrals can be awkward, and asking your personal network to do business can be even more awkward.  ReferMe IQ™ solves this issue with its personal network system that gets you doing business with your personal network without the awkwardness of face to face requests.

3. I’m new in my business.  Is this just for an established business?

No, the personal network system helps get you off to a fast start with those you know and then the referral system runs from there. Imagine the number of people your network knows that you don’t know. If you have 300 contacts in your personal network, and each of them has 300 people in their network, that’s a 90,000 potential clients only an introduction away. ReferMe IQ’s automated referral technology system helps convert this opportunity to your customer base–automatically.

4. Where do I start?

When you hit the Getting Started link, your first step will be to create your profile – it couldn’t be easier!  Required fields are your first and last name, company name, and Email address. Make your profile complete by including your address, phone number, website, and your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn information.

You can do this yourself, or delegate to anyone who helps you in your business. To assign a delegate to run your system for you, simply click the drop-down arrow in the upper right and go to My Account and put in the email address of your delegate.

Once you complete that, follow the order of each of the remaining steps and click on the help button anytime you get stuck.

5. How much time will it take me to set up and maintain the system?

It generally takes 1-3 hours for you or a delegate to set up the system initially. It is designed to “set and forget” so the only time you will need to do anything else is when you want to add/subtract contacts, change settings, or modify campaigns. You may also want to make adjustments based on your conversion metrics. Once you have set up the system, we encourage you to add a sample client, referral, and personal network contact to the system, using your email address, so you can test it out and make sure everything is working smoothly. Check it out on your computer and on your phone, so you can be sure all your messages look the way you want them to.

6. Now that I’m all set up, how do I email my clients, referrals, and network?

Great, you’re ready to roll! If you set up your campaigns and set the schedule for your emails – the emails will automatically go out as you have designed. You have the option at all times to send out emails one of 3 ways for each list – manually, sequence based, or date based. You can always change your mind at any time.

7. My email campaigns are underway…what’s next?

Behind the scenes, your customer base and personal network have become a sales force for you — generating leads and business 24/7. Clients receive emails that motivate them to refer others. Referrals receive emails from your clients encouraging them to do business with you. Your personal network receives emails that continuously keep your business in front of them. You can also drip mail on referrals to convert them to clients. Depending on what call to action your contacts choose, you may receive phone calls, emails, or even walk in business from contacts who have interest your business.

8. How do I maximize my success with this system?

First, like any effective marketing system, the best results are achieved over time. Results can vary dramatically from month to month. Here are some things you can do to stack the odds:

  • Have compelling subject lines to improve open rates. Our templates incorporate best practices.
  • Wherever possible, personalize your emails. For example, you can add introductory copy to an email going out to a prospect you just met at an event: “I enjoyed meeting you last night at the event. It sounds like your business is really growing…”
  • Use this system to leverage other marketing investments you make. Upload your leads from all sources into the system so they can be part of the process. Just make sure that your lists are existing relationships with clean email addresses – not strangers! Leveraging existing relationships in a way that makes it easier for everyone – is the power of our system.
  • Talk to clients and customers about the system. Let them know that you are growing your business, looking for terrific clients like them, and not to keep you a secret.
  • Whenever possible, add links to value added content such as newsletters, birthday cards, relevant articles, invitation to events, etc.
  • Follow up quickly with referrals with the method they stated they prefer
  • Have an effective approach for your call and/or email.

9. What kind of results should I expect to see?

Conversion from emails to an expression of interest ranges from 1% to 8% depending on several factors including the depth of your relationship, how many times you drip mail to them, the authenticity of your messages and timing of life events for them. For example, if you email monthly to 300 clients that would be a total of 3,600 emails over the course of the year. Even at 1%, that would generate 36 new referrals!

In addition, this system not only brings in new customers, but it can increase existing client activity also. Your customers may often connect with you after receiving the email, because it keeps you and your business in their thoughts.

10. What kind of tracking will I get?

You know that nice looking Dashboard you saw when you started adding in your info? That’s where the data shows up, letting you know what’s going on with your clients, referrals, and personal network. Keep an eye on the Dashboard to track your activity and the results you’re getting. If your organization has a group set up, you’ll get enterprise level reporting as well. We will continually upgrade analytics for you based on user demand to provide you the visibility to customize your system to maximize results.

11. What else do I want to know about ReferMe IQ™?

Don’t forget to check out our Resources on the ReferMe IQ™ Website (Resource Center in top navigation)…that’s where you will find all sorts of useful information…blog posts, tools you can download to enhance your business, access to our video library – all kinds of things to help you grow! Look for other communications and updates on the Website and via email.

12. What if I need help or have questions, how do I reach someone?

Easy!  Use the help button in lower right, or give us a call at 888-512-3313 – we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have, and get you on your way to receiving quality referrals to grow your business.

13. Are there ways to reduce my costs by helping others?

Glad you asked! If you are a fan of ReferMe IQ™, we would love for you to refer others. Just click on the icon above the Dashboard tab that says, “Refer us and receive free months”. Follow the instructions to receive a free month for everyone you refer who signs up!

If you are planning to refer a lot of people, as many do, you will want to become an affiliate. Just click on Contact Us on Website and shoot us a note letting us know you’re interested in that, and we will get back to you.

14. What are the top mistakes that users make using the system?

The top mistake is when a user purchases the system and then does not use it.  This is like any other serious marketing system. It requires commitment to set it up, and use as intended. If you do that – this will work for you.

Another mistake we see occasionally is expecting immediate results. Though we do have users who see significant results with their first mailing, this is really an exercise of reconditioning. You are instantly re-conditioning yourself to ask for referrals and implement an effective system so no big deal there. What can take a bit more time is reconditioning your relationships to refer others. Our system accelerates the process through personalization, incentives, dripping value added content – basically helps you add continuous value, and build trust while asking in a non-threatening way consumers prefer.

Lastly, every once in a while we see users going back to old habits of unproductive “stranger marketing” and uploading lists of contacts with no relationships and bad email addresses. This can dilute results, can produce unacceptably high bounce rates and risk pausing your system. In addition, conversion is usually quite low.

Please contact us if you are thinking about uploading more than 3,000 contacts or if you would like to explore using our system in ways it is not intended.

We always appreciate feedback and talking with our users to learn more about your needs. It helps us continue to evolve our platform.