Enjoy these fantastic ReferralTopia Speaker REPLAY VIDEOS and the recording of NETWORKING SESSION #1 from the March 21st, 2024 ReferralTopia Online event. Also shown are pictures from the afterglow at The Fowling Warehouse in Ypsilanti! At the bottom of the page are the two ReferralTopia preview vidoes from the event registration page. We are looking forward to doing it again on October 3rd, 2024! To see the ReferralTopia landing page for the event, click here.
ReferralTopia is presented by Caerusnet Facilitated Referral Teams.
WHAT IS REFERRALTOPIA?
Join us for ReferralTopia: Professional Development & LIVE 1:1 Networking, a one-of-a-kind online event that will take your professional growth to new heights! Starting on Thursday Mar 21 2024 at 9:00 this event offers a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals from various industries. Meet Caerusnet members from across SE & Mid Michigan as well as other likeminded referral focused professionals.
At ReferralTopia, we believe in the power of networking and its impact on career development. Through our innovative platform, you can engage in live 1:1 networking sessions with industry experts, thought leaders, and potential future referral partners. Share ideas, gain insights, and build meaningful connections that can propel your career forward.
In addition to the networking aspect, we have curated a diverse lineup of professional development sessions led by enthusiastic speakers. You will have the chance to learn from experts in areas such as leadership, innovation, and personal growth. Discover new strategies, acquire valuable skills, and stay ahead of the curve in today’s competitive world.
Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to expand your professional network and enhance your skills. Register now for ReferralTopia: Professional Development & LIVE 1:1 Networking and take your career to the next level!
ReferralTopia is fueled by attendee donations and is proudly sponsored by Caerusnet Member and attorney J. Baron Lesperance – known as the Patent Baron – “Put A Lock On Your Ideas.”
Register Here! This event is open and we welcome all professionals to attend!
Note: 50% of all ticket sales will be DONATED to our non-profit beneficiary, Passing Along The Heritage.
Jump off the Zoom screen and attend the ReferralTopia In-Person AfterGlow at the Fowling Warehouse in Ypsilanti, Michigan and have a great time networking in person and walk away with some free ReferralTopia swag!
ReferralTopia 2022, the premier professional development and live networking event, organized by Caerusnet, will be happening this year on May 19th from 9AM-12PM on Zoom. Later that same day the ReferralTopia 2022 afterglow & Caerusnet member party will be in-person at Ginopolis SmokeHouse in Brighton from 4pm-7pm.
In this 4th episode of the second season of The Illuminated Conversations Podcast, coach Brian M Truskowski interviews Caerusnet founder, Steve Zyskowski. In this episode, Brian & Steve discuss his journey of transformation he undertook in 2008, when his world disintegrated, only to be rebuilt again. As an entrepreneur since the age of 22 Steven Zyskowski has a big heart for local small businesses. In 2008 he invented Caerusnet facilitated referral teams to help local small business professionals and service providers develop referral relationships within their own communities and become trusted resources. In the past he was a superhero comic book writer, has worked in banking and at one time owned his own mortgage company. No matter what he’s done professionally, Zyskowski has always been drawn to connecting people, leading teams to greatness and knowing the story behind what makes people tick.
Know of someone who needs help with direction in life, needs clarity or accountability? Brian can help! Visit: https://www.brianmtruskowski.com/
2008 was an unfortunately unforgettable year for most Americans and Mike Langford’s sales and marketing career was forged in some of the most difficult days of that Great Recession!
Listen in on this “So, You’re In Sales?” PODCAST featuring Caerusnet Members Mike Langford (Turtle Hut Internet Marketing) and Roger Burnett (Social Good Promotions) for a relevant discussion about how new entrants into the economy back in 2008 handled that challenge within the economic conditions of the time and the ways it has affected Mike’s willingness to take risk to achieve increasing levels of success today. This is especially relevant as history often repeats itself … or at least rhymes with the past.
Love the mechanics of selling? Looking for ways to improve your skills? Wonder how other successful salespeople manage their lives? Time spent listening to guests of the “So, You’re In Sales?” podcast will sharpen your ax and make you better at what you do. Be sure to check other the other treasures in the free library of podcasts found on the “So, You’re In Sales?” podcast. Follow, like and share!
Click the link below to hear the podcast!
How to Create a Killer One-SheetAt Rough Draft Solutions, we have officially declared February as the month of presentations! With one down and three to go, we want to share our excitement with you! And of course, give you the inside scoop on the topics we are speaking on.
This past Monday, Amanda presented to 38 small business owners at the Capital Area Small Business Development Center for their Marketing Mondays Lunch & Learn in Lansing. Marketing Mondays is a program SBDC has started that features a different marketing expert and topic every month. This program was created to give small business owners quick takeaways, tools, and techniques that can help them apply marketing strategies to their businesses and communicate more effectively with their customers.
During her presentation “Grab Their Attention with a Captivating One-sheet,” Amanda provided local business owners the tools they need to create a one-sheet that will enhance their marketing and promotional efforts. Today we’re going to give you the highlights of her presentation and explain what a one-sheet is, the anatomy of a killer one-sheet, and how you can use this tool productively for your business.
If you have no idea what a one-sheet is, don’t worry, you are not alone. This marketing tool is not well known and has historically been used by authors, speakers, and actors. But we promise, it is relevant for you and your business! In short, a one-sheet is a single-page document that showcases a specific product or service with the goal of promotion.
Think of a one-sheet as a brief snapshot of your business that includes the most relevant and valuable information for a specific target audience. One-sheets need to have a specific goal and call to action in mind (Are you trying to build your email list? Do you want people to download an e-book? Do you want people to set up consulting sessions?), utilize engaging content, and are more personable than standard business brochures.
The focus of a one-sheet is not to tell your entire story or summarize all of your services. It is a tool designed specifically to spark potential clients’ interests through a message that is clear, focused, and concise. Your one-sheet can be used to capture more clients, to show current clients the other services your offer, or as a tool for referral partners to use when they are recommending you. Push yourself to include value-focused content that is centered on the solutions your customers are looking for – not just content about why you’re the best in business.
You can’t grab someone’s attention with a document that is dull, uninspired, and filled with errors. You also can’t grow your business with marketing pieces that lack focus or are not created correctly. Here is an infographic to summarize the various elements you need to include for a foolproof one-sheet.
Incorporating these elements into your one-sheet will help you communicate your company’s credibility, what your business stands for, and what value you can provide others with your services.
Relatively easy and affordable to pull together, there are several ways to use your one-sheet. You can make it a downloadable PDF on your website, include it with reports, invoices, and proposals, or even bring it to professional events and presentations to give to colleagues and new business connections. At RDS, we give a stack of our one-sheet to our referral partners. That way, if they meet someone who says they need help with content, they have our handy-dandy information readily available.
Overall, a one-sheet can help your business enhance marketing strategies, connect with clients on a personal level, and heighten your brand experience.
If you’re looking for more information, are interested in receiving our free worksheet, or if you want assistance in creating one, feel free to contact us today!
By Steven Zyskowski
What’s the ONE major difference between belonging to a facilitated referral team and belonging to a Member-ran referral group? You know …. that’s easy! It’s having a professional facilitator as your partner in the referral team business.
Are you taking advantage of your partnership with your facilitator? The most consistent and highest performing facilitated referral team Members do. The teams who don’t take advantage of the partnership just aren’t as successful.
Example: I am always talking to the team Members whom I facilitate for about the importance of getting good visitor leads to me so I can help call on them to help market the team. In other words, I know the Members of the groups are busy professionals. However, I don’t want them to be so busy they don’t see how they can help.
Two weeks ago, a chiropractor, who has been a Member of a Brighton team I facilitate for a couple of years, recently sent me a text message with a photo attached of a flyer that was posted at a local sub shop. Trigger! The chiropractor knew that residential house cleaning was an open category on his team. I thanked him for the tip-by-text and promptly called.
I left a voice message for the cleaning company and shortly after, they called me back. Within a minute or two I explained how and where I had gotten their information and was given permission to email them a link to the Caerusnet website. They agreed they’d check it out to see if it was something they were interested in.
The following week I received a phone call from the cleaning company saying they visited the website and were very interested in visiting (yes, it pays to have smart website). They plan to attend an upcoming meeting in June. Of course, I followed up with Dr. Stephan to thank him and let him know his effort to get me the information was worthwhile. Hey may have a new Member coming to pass referrals to. And possibly one that refers to him at some point. Regardless, he’s taking ownership of his networking team.
That’s the value of a partnership. It’s called working together. Please remember Caerusnet when you are looking at business card display walls or when getting ready to attend a local networking event. If you aren’t comfortable inviting professionals yourself or feel awkward at talking to strangers, then let your facilitator know about those professionals you need help reaching out. We also appreciate knowing about noteworthy events we might want to attend.
Remember, Gods don’t wait for opportunities … they CREATE them.
by Steven Zyskowski
One misconception I am faced with from time to time is when one seems to believe there’s a limitation on the number of referrals a referral team can pass before the good referrals and relationships are all used up … and there’s no referrals left for anyone.
Phooey and totally untrue!
I can demonstrate my belief with easy math and this explanation:
Each referral team Member has access to a minimum of 250 people in their network (friends, family, work, church, associations, clubs, etc) … most of whom YOU don’t know.
A referral team that grows to 25 Members then has the capacity to connect you with a diverse audience of 6,250 people (each knowing 250). Think about that! When you give a Member Minute … your audience is really several thousand people …. not just the ones attending the referral team meetings. You’re ability to connect with and truly get to know, like and trust the other Members of the team (and likewise) will determine what percentage of these 6,250 people you will personally get to know by way of referral.
Your ability to make giving referrals an everyday part of your client interactions will also determine what percentage of these people you will gain access to.
Also, remember …. transition is always present on every referral team (Members quitting / new ones joining). The dynamic of existing Members leaving and new Members entering the scene also increases the number people you will personally have access to through your networking efforts. The number of contacts you will have access to through your referral team of 25 Members will increase to well over 6,250 people over time, as your team grows in size and as former Members continue to refer to you in the future.
Now knowing this, isn’t it worth the effort to continue to grow by referral and develop your referral mindset? The sky is the limit to the number of referrals a referral team can pass. Having the right attitude will determine the altitude at which you succeed. Allow yourself unlimited thinking and always do your absolute best when presenting yourself to the team. Many of the relationships created by way of the CaerusNet Referral Team System will last a lifetime and gain in relationship value, so stay connected.
I have about a zillion branding topics in my head I want to talk about, but I’ll save them for a zillion rainy days. Instead, I thought I’d give you some super sweet branding moves that should be simple to implement, so you can differentiate yourself from those poor saps that haven’t discovered this blog, yet. So, let’s get to ‘em!
I know, I know, you’re an entrepreneur! You need money! And you’ll run yourself into the wall doing every possible little thing you know how to do to get it!
I get it. I’ve been there. But the fact is offering too many things is a huge reason why business owners and entrepreneurs struggle from month to month. Look, I know the struggle’s real – I hate myself for typing that – and that you need to make ends meet, so I’m not suggesting you cease all the extra things you’re doing. I’m just saying that, when you brand and market your business, you focus on selling only one product or service – the one you actually give a damn about. That way, you’re setting yourself up to only sell that one product or service, long-term.
And, in case you’re not sure focus is where it’s at, here are a few links you’ll want to check out:
Chipotle’s stock price, from 2006 to now – click “max.”
McDonald’s, which has been selling far too many items, plans to streamline its menu.
Google lost more market share in “search” than it has in years. I believe that’s due to it putting its name on everything.
I suggest this for one reason: differentiation, especially if you do a lot of networking.
Look at the huge pile of business cards in your office. Now, go through them and try to remember everyone who gave them to you. Most people can’t, and those who can should probably be working in a lab somewhere. Or possibly being tested in a lab somewhere.
In that stack of business cards, there were a few with faces, but the vast majority didn’t have them. And that’s why you put your face on your business card. And don’t be shy because you’re not “photogenic.” I’m not exactly a pretty boy, and if you go to our website or Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Google+ accounts, you’ll see it everywhere. For better or worse. Which means it’s probably worse.
We conducted a study of the Fortune 100’s logos to come up with this theory. It’s not always set in stone, but it’s definitely something you should consider. And hey look, you can find our blog post about it here!
When we come up with a tagline, we use three things: 1) Leadership. 2) What you do. 3) A word for clients and potential clients to remember. Bonus points if you can give it some alliteration or make it rhyme!
It’s amazing the number of businesses we come across that don’t use taglines. Don’t be that guy!
With that typed, here’s what I mean by “limit social media.”
Avoid constantly updating them all. To be a real social media expert on a ton of networks, you actually need to do social media 40+ hours per week. Because I’m typing to gutsy entrepreneurs and business owners, I’m guessing you don’t have that kind of time to play on Facebook. So, my suggestion is this: focus on one social media platform. That way, you should get pretty good at it, and you’ll still have time to do everything else that consumes your work week. And, by the time you feel like you’ve really mastered that one platform, maybe you’ll be able to hire a social media expert to handle all the platforms you signed up for.
Remember, gang, branding is a long-term project. It takes a long time to get a brand going, but when it catches, it catches fast! Keep at it, and if you’d like to talk to us about helping you brand, feel free to get a hold of us at [email protected], or sign up for our newsletter on your way out of the site.
Have fun, and as always,
Stay gutsy!
