What Are People Saying About Your Business? ~ Nanette Polito

This is a simple question, right?

Your assumption is they are saying great things and raving about all the good things that you are doing. Why would they say anything else? We all hope that and believe it! But, what are they saying, and are they even talking about you? Not talking about you can be just as bad as what they are saying! Then there is the second part, what are your referral partners saying about you? Let’s break this down.

A business person can’t ‘assume’ that they are always being spoken about positively. You probably have heard the saying of how a person who dislikes another’s service tends to tell more people about that, than when they love a business’s service. It is sad but true. I am living it right now! We have had some pretty bad customer service from a company and I can’t tell you how many people that I have told about it and how I would never use them again. Then while talking to one of my clients, the discussion came up about how she got an unsolicited testimonial (that is going to be the next blog). Isn’t that what the goal is? People talking positively about us even when we don’t ask. That is where great business can come from!

Here are some questions for you to think about:

Do you put out a survey after you completed the service?
Do you ask trusted people what they have heard ‘out there’ about your business?
Have you asked if they are hearing a different message about your business than they may have in the past.
Have you asked what people like or dislike about your business?
Have you asked for just some honest feedback? (It can be painful, however, it can help you in so many different ways!)

It is so important for you to keep your finger on the pulse of your reputation.

A service company that is well known in our community has had a fairly good reputation. However, in the past year or so, what I have been hearing ‘out there’ about them is that every time they come into a home their people spend the whole time upselling. It has become a huge turn off and more importantly, customers aren’t trusting them and are feeling they are overpaying. The customer is feeling like their best interest isn’t what comes first, it is the company’s bottom line. Not good. And when this message hits social media it is even worse! My thought is that this company hasn’t asked any of the questions above. They may have a lot of business and maybe don’t care. However, you need to care. No matter how much business you have, all that business could go away tomorrow. Losing clients and regaining their business can be a lot harder than keeping the business you have by knowing how your clients feel about you and adjusting to keep them!

Then there is the 2nd part to all of this.

That is what are your referral partners saying about your business? In every business, there are a group of people, who could be, clients, non-competing businesses, contact, sphere, friends, and possibly family, surrounding this business that can and should be able to easily refer them. However, for some reason they don’t. Many times the business owner/person is just frustrated because of the lack of referrals they are getting from this group when they feel like it should be naturally done. They blame others when they should be blaming themselves.

The reasons why they don’t:

We don’t teach others what to say about us.
We don’t teach them the message we want to get out there about our business.
We don’t teach them what to listen/look for to create the right conversation about our business.
We don’t teach them the right questions to ask.
We don’t teach them the fundamentals of what we do!
We don’t teach them who our ideal clients could be.

Ask your family if they can explain what you do, it will be eye-opening when they can’t. My husband worked for Toyota for 34 years, and one time when someone asked our daughter what her dad did, she responded: “He works for the CIA of Toyota, we really don’t know what he does.” Now, this was in jest of course. However, she couldn’t tell them more than where he worked and a very brief description that left more questions than answers. It became the standing answer in our family when people asked! If your family can’t explain it, the people who love us, how can you expect others to? It is all because we haven’t educated them.

If you want people to talk about you, you have to make it easy on them. Tell, them what you have going on, who you are looking for, and how they can help you. Trust me, you don’t have to give them a full course education, however, you need to give them some simple basics to run with. Use the ideas above to get people talking about you in the way you want them to! It will make a difference in your business and how people react to you.

Please share your ideas on this topic with us and help us all grow!

Kind Words from Happy Clients

Jason Bayer

J MAN STUDIOS

Nanette Polito's coaching was very educational and a tremendous asset to my small business. I not only learned the value of creating and building strong networks, but it also provided me with a system to track my process. The program also exposed me to the VCP principal (visibility, credibility & profitability) and how to best utilize this practice to build lasting relationships that were created among participants and the support I received from meeting weekly with other small business owners. I highly recommend Nanette!

Michael White

Referral networking is where it's at for marketing your business in today's world. Nanette Polito's programs and coaching will jump-start your abilities to achieve referral success. The best aspects of this course are engaging your need to get organized, get the best partners, and staying committed to the process. If you focus on this process, you will succeed in building your network's visibility, credibility, and profitability for you and your partners. We owe this to each other, in order to maximize our growth.

Gwen Pietzuch

USANA Health Sciences

I would highly recommend Nanette Polito's coaching. The material was pertinent to all businesses and really opens your mind to think creatively. I count the class members as colleagues and friends and will remember as I meet people "that I am always standing in the middle of a referral", not necessarily for myself, but for all those that I interact with via BNI and fellow classmates.

Christine Luken

Financial Lifeguard, Word Nerd

I cannot say enough good things about Nanette Polito! I enrolled in her program five months ago and am amazed at the results I have seen already. This class came at the perfect time for me because I was in the process of merging two businesses and trying to determine what my focus should be. Through the one-on-one coaching sessions with Nanette, it became clear what I was passionate about and where I should focus my energy. The subjects covered in class and the homework assignments have practical applications for my business. Within sixty days, I started seeing tangible results – connections, leads, and closed deals. At this point, the class is more than paying for itself. I’m excited to see my return on investment by the time class is finished! If you’re considering coaching just do it! You’re leaving a lot of money on the table if you don’t.

Scott Warner

Allied Van Lines Interstate

Before working with Nanette, one of my biggest challenges was networking and speaking confidently in front of a group of people. I didn't know how to market my business to my sphere of referral partners. By learning and understanding my 'Why', the reason for which I am in this career, I have learned how to effectively market my business.

What made me decide to invest in the program was Nanette's passion for seeing me succeed and watching other people's success from her programs.

I am loving my business again. My job had become mundane. I have a new appreciation for my partners that I have been able to share with them.

The return on my investment in the class has been the confidence to network. Nanette helped me greatly with the play "It’s a Wonderful Life” this helped me with being heard from the back of the room.

Nanette taught me how to enjoy my weekly business meeting with my sales team. How to have a foundation for the passion in the business I am currently employed. Understanding how many people can be a referral partner's in your realm or sphere.

David Clegg

Social Sherpa

Over the last two years, my entire approach to sales and marketing has experienced a radical overhaul thanks in no small part to Nanette and her passionate teaching and coaching.

Through Nanette's curriculum and peppered with her own experience and wisdom, she has refined (and in some cases eliminated) the skills that I have developed over a 25-year career in sales and sales management.

If you had given me an examine and one of the questions read something such as, "Which are easier to close, referred leads or cold prospecting leads?" I knew the answer. However, I never knew how to get out of the cycle of HUNT | KILL | EAT. That may sound crude, but that is the sales process for most companies.

What Nanette taught, but more importantly, COACHED me to do was effectively build deeply committed referral partnerships. These partnerships have brought greater results than I could have ever achieved alone.

It's not rocket science, but it is a system that you can replicate over and over again. Then, once your referral partners start using the same system, you begin to experience the synergy of referral marketing.

Thank you Nanette for your investment in my business, but mostly for your investment in me.

RC Rogers

I have been in Nanette Polito's Class for the last 6 months. In the beginning, I couldn’t figure out why I do what I do for a living. After one personal coaching session, I now realize “WHY”. Finding out “WHY” completely changes the reason I wake up in the morning.
I encourage anyone looking to better themselves and make more money in less time, to contact Nanette.

Brian Arlinghaus

Arlinghaus Heating & Air

The mood at Arlinghaus Heating & Air Conditioning has changed from above average to “greatness.” Nanette made a huge impact on my business life which also affected my personal life. The changes are un-imaginable. I have applied the tools that I learned from Nanette Polito to the Arlinghaus team and we are able to set goals that are clear and achievable. I had never truly put together an in-depth business plan and now I have. It is our path to follow with purpose and direction. I have been able to polish our mission statement creating one that is true to the Arlinghaus values. It is mandatory that every time we have a team meeting the mission statement is read out loud. The team loves it, they believe in it and they want to be part of it. It is:

“Through Teamwork, we will achieve and exceed the expectations of our customers by providing the best quality solutions, products, and services provided by highly trained and integrity like-minded individuals. People don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care. Service is our passion.”

We now have weekly meetings with the installation and service departments. We are taking photos of all jobs and sharing them on a projector during the meeting. We then can collaborate to determine what we did correctly and what could have been done better. We refer to service manuals that are read aloud and encourage each team member to do some research at home. Arlinghaus has a standard to live up to and this tool helps us to achieve the best possible customer care.

Learning the skills to develop my company operating procedures and implementing them, has also affected my personal life. Because of the direction my business is now going, I have been able to enjoy much needed time at home with Heather and my kids with no stress. The payoff is tremendous!

So I am saying to you from the bottom of my heart, keep doing what you are doing because you have affected more than just my life, you have affected the lives of 26 Arlinghaus employees. They come to work with a purpose and they can go home in a great mood which affects their family life too. WAHOO!

Linda Austin, VanDyk Mortgage

Senior Loan Originator NMLS #1442497 OH MC #414969 KY

How quickly can you articulate to a lead or referral partner your “why” you are in business?
If it’s more than 60 seconds, Nanette Polito can help you communicate your passion clearly and effectively.

I have been fortunate that Nanette has coached me weekly. After only a few short weeks, small changes to my pattern of practice resulted in more leads, stronger referral relationships, and loans in the pipeline.
Nanette is genuine. She has a way to quickly establish rapport with her clients. Nanette relates to others based upon her various life experiences and helps them capture what’s best about themselves in order to monetize it and build a business.

I have attended several business meetings, workshops, and multi-session learning series that Nanette has held. She is an excellent teacher and an engaging speaker. Her classes are fun, full of practical tips and hacks that can be used immediately to get improved results.

I highly recommend hiring Nanette Polito as a business coach for your company and sales staff.

Nancy Piatt, IPR Group

Nanette builds relationships with you and your people to connect and communicate with them on their level (or personality)

Nanette teaches building relationships first and then work on the sale with potential clients.

Nanette helps me to get out of the comfort zone and make it so it's not so painful

Love my coaching sessions!!

Frank Littrell, ReMax

I cannot say enough good things about Nanette Polito. I have worked with her through some personal coaching as well as coaching with my Team and it has been great. Her desire to make everyone around her successful comes through her vibrant personality, but with a gentle touch. She's there for support, guidance, direction, tough-love, and a hug when it's needed. Okay, a hug even when it's not needed. If you're looking for a coach that understands human behavior and all personality styles and how to get along with them, you owe it to yourself to give Nanette a try. You will find a professional coach that will work hard to understand your business and guide you to greater success. Thanks, Nanette, for all you do for us!

Kirk Short, Wichita Home Team

Brian Adams, Seven Hills Technology

As someone from a non-sales background, a major concern of mine was finding the correct ways to talk about myself and my business. Nanette took a unique approach to work within my comfort zone and educate me regarding referral networking, quick "commercials", and targeted audiences. Working with Nanette has been a tremendous gain both personally and professionally, and her advice and expertise has helped in a variety of ways within my company, in areas completely unexpected at the time we began

We Will Work Our Way Through Together

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What Are People Saying About Your Business?