Tips from our Mexican Taxicab Drivers on How to Develop a Referral Only Business

On occasion, it seems that we are so overloaded with everyday tasks that we sometimes fail to see how simple marketing can be. The best advertisement for our services is our existing customers. Good customer service generates more word-of-mouth referrals and repeat business than 100 advertisements. So, when it comes to marketing, you don't need to have a large budget. You just need to focus on your customer.

Recently, I spent 10 days in Acapulco and Guanajuato, Mexico. During both legs of our wonderful vacation, I encountered Mexican taxicab drivers who had wonderful insights on how simple marketing can be. Both taxicab drivers indicated that referrals and repeat business were the secrets of their success. Their approach was simple - standout from the crowd, add value, and deliver as promised.

Here were their secrets to developing a referral only business:

Be the Best: To be the best, you don't need to have a huge marketing budget, the best connections, etc. Rather, you need to be committed to being the best. It all starts with with the right attitude. To succeed in business, you can't wait for business to come to you. You need to promote your business and go after it. It isn't good enough to say that you are the best. You need to show that you are the best and it all starts with great customer service. Both taxicab drivers understood that repeat business was a better revenue source than waiting at a taxi stand for the next call. To these two drivers, success and repeat business started with a customer-centric approach.

Be Honest: When you deal with the public, you must develop a rapport with the customer. It all starts with being honest. There is no sure fire way to destroy rapport than by simply saying what the customer wants to hear, misquoting the price or costs of a service, etc. Customers want to know how you are getting paid and the costs to them at the outset. When we first arrived, we were a bit jaded. We were waiting for the usual time-share, resort hustler-type approach. When our plane landed, we were set to meet our driver at the exit. We had a "helpful" person direct us to our driver only to learn that he was directing us to a counter to receive a sales pitch for another resort. Now, it may have been a great deal and the resort could have been fabulous. However, when we understood we had been snookered, the merits of the deal were meaningless and the sales pitch fell on deaf ears.

Add Value: In any business, it is important to provide a service with added value. In the case of our taxicab drivers, they weren't simply the safest drivers, the most likable drivers, etc. Rather, they added value. They weren't just drivers. They were tour guides and concierges who made recommendations on dining, shopping and sites to see. They explained the cost differences between shuttle services and their taxicabs or why using a concierge from the hotel to call a taxicab involved a fee split and was often more expensive than hailing a taxicab on the street. Simply put, they saved us time and money.

Exceed Customer Expectations: It is important to exceed expectations. When we got into the taxicabs, we expected to be driven from Point A to Point B for the quoted price. However, in Acapulco, when the taxicab driver arrived at the local market, he didn't simply leave. He offered to wait for no charge while we shopped in the local market. He suggested reputable vendors. Whether we went to the recommended vendors or not, he kept a watchful eye over us and intervened on occasion to negotiate a better price. Similarly, in Guanjuato, the taxicab driver could have dropped our bags at the curb at the airport. However, he didn't stop there. He insisted on carrying our bags into the terminal to the airline counter. It was this type of above and beyond the normal service that attracted our attention. won our repeat business, and generated more income (both in the form of repeat business and tips).

Communicate - Talk to Your Customers: If you want to have repeat business, you have to be willing to talk to your customers. Being prompt is not enough. Delivering a service at the best cost is not enough. You have to develop rapport with the customer. When you talk to your customers, you develop rapport. When you develop rapport, you establish a connection or bond and you increase loyalty. By developing a loyal following, you increase the likelihood of referrals and repeat business. We used the same taxicab drivers throughout the trip when they were available. However, these taxicab drivers would not have obtained the repeat business if they had simply remained silent and delivered us to our destination. Doing your job is good; but doing a good job and connecting with your customer is better.

Use Testimonials: As we talked to the taxicab driver in Acapulco, he explained his services and told some great stories. Now, I initially didn't believe all of his stories about his famous customers. During the conversation, he pulled out a 3-ring binder. In the binder, he had a series of letters from his customers from the average tourist to politicians, movie stars, etc. Well, if Kissinger and Stallone felt obliged to send letters of thanks, I thought we must be in good hands. The 3-ring binder with customer testimonials created instant credibility.

Make It Easy: Before we exited the taxicab, both drivers provided us with their business cards. In Acapulco, the business card included the estimated costs for point to point deliveries from our hotel. He had a box with pre-printed cards for each hotel zone. In Guanajuato (a smaller town), the taxicab driver didn't just give us his card. He left a note for us at our hotel that we received the next day indicating his direct telephone number and offering to drive us to the airport. He even suggested a timed delivery and offered to pick us up at a specific time.

In conclusion, it doesn't matter if you're a taxicab driver or real estate agent, the simple fact is that your business depends on relationships and if your clients and customers aren't staying with you for the long haul and referring their friends, there may be a flaw in your system.

At PREA Signature Realty, we believe in focusing on the customer and want to be your Realtor for life. We want your business and your referrals. If you a looking for a customer-centric, value added approach from the person representing you in the purchase or sale of your home, please contact Ryan Shaughnessy at PREA Signature Realty at 314-971-4381 or by email to Ryan@PREASignatureRealty.com.

Staying Motivated and Achiving Outrageous Success in 2009

When you start a new job or take a new position, you often start with a great explosion of positive energy. However, when the activities performed at the outset don't generate immediate results, it is hard to stay focused, to keep on point, and to remain motivated. Here are some tips shared by my business partner, Michelle Silies, with our sales staff:

Develop a Vision and a Plan:

• Ask yourself the basic question - Does your vision and actions determine your success? Or, do you let circumstances dictate your success? Once you accept personal responsibility for your success or failure, you can develop the winning attitude necessary to stay motivated and succeed in sales.

• Develop a vision and a plan for what you want to achieve in 2009. Before you set goals, analyze what did and didn't work for you in 2009. By doing so, you can develop a plan with goals that focus on your strengths and seeks to make improvement regarding your weaknesses.

Look for Progress (Not Perfection):

• After you develop your vision and start working on your plan, establish personal and professional goals in writing for 2009. Goal setting is extremely important. Otherwise, you are letting circumstances such as market conditions dictate your success. By setting annual, monthly, and weekly goals, you take ownership of your success or failure and become accountable.

• Start each week by reviewing your goals. Constantly remind yourself of your goals by writing them on a white board, putting them on a laminated card in your wallet, list them on your PDA, etc. By reviewing your goals, you stay focused on what is important and you achieve greater awareness of what may be distracting you or impeding your progress towards achieving your goals.

• After you have set your goals, create action plans for all goals with specific completion dates. Place these dates on your calendar. Track your progress on tasks, review your plan, and make adjustment.

Change Your Environment:

• Eliminate clutter. Start by clearing your work space or desk of clutter. Develop a filing system whereby you eliminate clutter by placing items in a short term file on your desk for immediate review, file it your file cabinet, or toss it in the trash. When you finish your office, tackle your car and then your briefcase.

• When you feel overwhelmed, stressed or simply have a mental block, get up and out of the office. Walk in the park, get a coffee, or visit with family and friends. Get some fresh air, sleep, exercise or whatever you physically need to rejuvenate you. The important thing is to take a break and then start with a fresh look at the problem.

• Take a look at your work environment. Ask whether your work environment is holding you back. Some people thrive in a loud and chaotic office or can multi-task and work from home while managing kids, dogs, etc. Others need a quiet, clutter-free environment.

Establish Your Support System:

• Ask your sales manager what his or her priorities are for 2009. Don't assume you know what the priorities are.

• Contact your customers and thank them for their business. Ask for referrals. Take an interest in your customers, stay in regular contact with them, and offer your services to them as the life needs change.

• Find a networking, mentor or similar group. By sharing experiences and exchanging ideas and participating in such a group, you develop professional relationship that will give you a sounding board for improving your sales and business skills.

• Don't try to do everything yourself. Outsource small or even large project. Consider hiring a virtual assistant to handle the things that you don't have the time, skills or inclination to handle.

Improve Your Sales Skills:

• Remember that it is physically impossible to be good at everything. Whether it is sales skills, search engine optimization or some other aspect of your real estate business, hire others to assist you in improving your skills. I strongly believe that new real estate agents should invest in their future by hiring a sales coach to guide them through their first year in business.

• Allocate thirty minutes a day to reading or listening about your profession. I strongly believe that new real estate agents should invest in a professional sales library to learn more about how to sell, how to manage their time, and how to manager their business.

Acknowledge Your Good Fortune:

• When you start questioning your success or start to bemoan your personal situation, remember that everyone has faced personal challenges in their life. Review the life stories of historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln and other to discover how they failed before they succeeded. Examine your life and be thankful as there is always someone less fortunate than you are.

With the right motivation, right plan and right attitude, you can take control of your future and be as successful as you want to be. Success requires self-discipline and action. No one ever achieved success without working hard. So start on the path to success today.

PREA Signature Realty is a full service brokerage and consulting firm in Saint Louis, Missouri, providing sales management services to real estate developers and owners. For more information on our sales management services, please contact Ryan Shaughnessy at 314-971-4381 or by e-mail to Ryan@PREASignatureRealty.com.