Imagine what would happen if professional athletes didn’t bother to aim before taking a shot.

It would be a disaster. 

And yet, this happens all the time in the referral network world.

Just like in sports, referral network success requires you to aim if you want to hit your target.

We call this customer targeting, which is just a fancy way of saying that you know which customers to see and how much time to spend with each customer.

Customer Targeting is also the #6 Key Success Driver in our series on the Ten Key Drivers of Exponential Referral Network Growth.

Here are the answers to some of the most commonly asked customer targeting questions.

How do I know who to call on?

Start with what you know.

• Who is already referring to you?
• Who has expressed an interest in referring?
• Who do you already have established relationships with?
• Who would you like to establish a relationship with?
• Who is nearby?

Use that information to begin building a customer list.

You can also purchase customer lists from state or specialty medical boards if you want to go that route. It’s usually pretty inexpensive but some are better than others at keeping the data current. 

Oh, and never underestimate the power of Google in building your list.

How often should I visit?

Visit referring practices every two to six weeks.

My personal preference is every three to four weeks; just often enough to stay top of mind without being annoying. 

(Speaking of annoying… If you’re not bringing value to your referring partners, you’re wasting their time and that will get annoying.)

How do I know when to visit a customer?

As you are building your list, keep track of office hours and days off so that you know the best times to visit each practice.

Following a consistent call plan will also help you know when it’s time to see an office again. For me, I like to divide up a territory by geography and focus on a different area each week.

Where should I focus my time and energy?

Spend the majority of your time where there is the most opportunity for relationship development and referral growth.

For example, someone who is BFF’s with your competitor isn’t going to be as likely to change their referral habits quickly.  

But…

Persistence pays and you never know when something might change.

It’s important to maintain a presence in every potential partner practice and treat every office with the same courtesy and respect. Eventually, you may win that non-referring practice over.

That is the goal after all…

Winning the hearts of referring partners and their patients. 

But to do that, you first have to know when and where to aim. 

If you’re wondering where to aim or have questions about your customer targeting plan, give us a shout.