Mediation and Networking

 

What does mediation and word of mouth networking have in common?  The answer is clients obtained through word of mouth referrals. Better yet are qualified referrals. Can a mediator succeed in regularly getting qualified referrals through a diverse business referral network? I’m finding out. I am a member of the Living Green Chapter of BNI.

 

A referral takes three people;

·         the giver (making the referral),

·         the receiver of the name of a person, and

·         the subject (the person needing the service). 

 

I have provided referrals and I’ve become the groups trainer.  Being on the leadership team raises my contact with the group and my visibility so that my colleagues can assess what I can do on a weekly basis.

 

How does my business network group work? In our chapter each of us gets 60 seconds each week to tell our business referral partners what we do, how we’re different from our competition and the type of client we are seeking.  We schedule one to ones to learn about the other members business and for them to learn about mine. 2 or 3 times per year I get 10 minutes to explain to the group what I do. I’ve been involved for almost 6 months now with very limited success.  There are still members who think of me as some kind of attorney. Let’s start with a list why I may not yet be getting referrals on a regular basis.

·         Perhaps I’ve not yet connected with my network and my network partners are not yet prepared to give referrals. They may not know what I need.

·         They may not have an objective standard by which to measure my performance. I don’t provide them with testimonials.

·         They may not have easy access to my ideal prospects.

·         I may not be breaking down my needs in bite size pieces they can use in making a referral to me.

·         They may have a concern with privacy issues. 

 

It is a lot easier for members of my group to make referrals to someone running a salon, fixing cars, selling insurance, or handling real estate. It is easy to assume that there is conflict in each of the areas just mentioned. However, even though we know each other fairly well members of the group have a hard time relating to mediation. Most people can relate to attorneys. Many have not been involved in a legal dispute. Most have not been involved in mediation. So, members of my group may not feel comfortable and take the step of suggesting mediation to a client who says they have a pending separation, divorce, a business issue with a client, a property dispute, because they just don’t understand mediation as a process. Think about it, they get their hair done, their cars fixed, they have purchased insurance, bought or sold property. They can relate to those activities. Not so with mediation.

 

So I am:

·         Developing and executing a system for getting referrals. Some steps:

·         Educating givers and explaining my client needs well

·         Providing focus and being consistent is what I’m asking for in terms of clients

·         Breaking down my client needs into bite size pieces they can work with in those instances where they learn of a conflict in progress or a desire to avoid and prevent conflict

·         Practice givers gain. Give referrals. Bring visitors. Attend the weekly meetings. Spend one or two hours on networking and referral development. Attend at least one other networking group meeting as often as available.

·         Develop and highlight testimonials.

 

I'll follow up with results over the next several months