This article is a 3-5 minute read. You can read through the bolded bits if you’re short on time and still get the gist of it on the fly.
A few weeks ago I came across an excellent smartphone app called Referron which works on iPhones and Androids.
In this post I talk about how Referron fills a critical gap in the referral process like no other tool I’ve ever come across. It does this by revolutionising the personal referral process while a person is out and about and still provides comprehensive analytical reporting around referrals.
Have I piqued your interest?
Read on …
Have you ever been in this situation?
The Referral problem
You were out and about with a friend and wanted to tell her about this great place you’d been to last week; or about this great blog you follow; or this job that might be just the right fit for her but.
But there was a problem: you didn’t have the details of that business, blogger or employer at hand.
So you make a mental note to go home and dig up those details and send it to her that night but never get around to it.
It then became one of those million things you meant to get around to doing that was knocking around in your head driving you insane.
This happens to me more than I’d like to admit and I find it frustrating.
Frustrating because it niggles at me.
It’s really nice to be able to share a good idea or opportunity with someone that matters to me. Not being able to act on these impulses leaves me with an incomplete feeling.
Like I’ve let the team down.
I think it’s because we’re social creatures and thrive on the success of others as much as our own.
The solution
Recently I came across a smartphone app called Referron that addressed this problem head on.
I was so impressed with this product that I accepted an offer to become a (commission only) partner.
Referron is built around the idea that your best referrals are through trusted, known individuals – those that champion you and your brand.
The key benefits:
Not Missing Out on valuable referrals to my business (in this case my blog)
Right now I’m almost certainly missing out on referrals because there isn’t an easy way for my readers to refer to my blog when they are out and about.
They are talking about me or my blog but don’t have an easy mechanism easier than email or SMS) to pass all my details on with a few clicks of a button.
Even if they did go to the trouble of passing on my details via SMS or email it’s impossible for me to keep track of who made the referrals, who they referred to me and what patterns are occurring across multiple champions of my blog.
OK … so this is where referron comes in.
This smartphone app paves the path for referrals from my champions with a few simple clicks on a smartphone and enables them to act on their willingness to take action in that moment.
My champions are speaking favourably about me or my business venture…. and Referron enables me to be part of that conversation.
Grow Credibility of the referrer)
Referron works for the referrer too.
As a referrer it enables me to refer excellent products or services to my peers.
Products that I believe in.
Better still, the smartphone-friendly interface facilitates the referral right there and then – in that very conversation.
I believe that successful referrals are driven by emotion (and human connection) and seizing the moment in a relevant conversation with a referral is integral to building relationships.
It also enables me to connect with two people who I know I can help today. There’s no need to wait.
From the referrer’s perspective, this goes a very long way in building credibility with people within their circle of influence.
Measurement and Management of Referrals
Referron gives me an insight into my top referrers, tracks their referrals, gives them feedback and helps me discover the true lifetime value of that referrer.
In The Tipping Point, Malcom Gladwell wrote about the Connectors and Mavens of ideas and brands. Who are your Connectors and Mavens?
Referron helps you identify them so you can nurture these relationships.
Is Referron right for you?
To all the Bloggers out there
Let’s say you find content on the Productive Insights blog very shareworthy and you want to refer it to a friend at lunch tomorrow.
You can do this via Referron with just a few taps on your phone and could provide a special page of great content just for your target audience – in this case your friend whom you’re meeting for lunch. Pretty nifty.
Better still, wouldn’t you like to know who’s been speaking favourably about your blog so that you can ensure that they continue to do so?
Referron makes it possible to track the champions of your blog and enables you to extract analysis about these champions and their lifetime value to you and your community.
As a blogger looking to reach out you can start right now!
To all the Employers out there
How do you recruit your A-team?
Let’s say you’re a startup that needs to recruit 20 people now, how would you do this?
Going through a recruitment consultant will cost you hard-earned earnings or funding You’d also need to do much more due diligence on the employees to ensure you build the right culture in your team.
Now let’s revisit the same situation with Referron on your side.
You would use the app to empower your investors, advisors, customers and existing team to source your employees. Source the best candidates via the people who you trust and who know you and your startup best.
This app makes the hiring process a lot less stressful given the transparency of communication in both directions. A trusted contact that’s common to both parties allows for more openness in the negotiation process.
The increased transparency is always going to result in a better hire.
If you’re an employer you can start right now !
To all the Brands managers out there
Every business aims to build and nurture their brand advocates.
Wouldn’t it be good if you could keep track of your champions so that you can keep them informed of your latest and greatest offerings?
Wouldn’t you like to make sure you give those champions every reason possible to continue speaking favourably about your brand that they are already captivated by?
Referron provides a useful tool in capitalising on that conversation by empowering the champion of your brand to refer your brand and your latest offerings to a friend in that very conversation … right there and then.
Are you looking to promote your brand’s visibility?
You can do so right now by connecting with me here !
Concluding comments
Referron’s mobile friendly interface, its simplicity of use and it’s ingenious ability to track referrals with great analytics makes it a great product. I’m thrilled to be a part of the Referron movement. I hope you will be too.
