Boost your business with the help of your customersHome > Free Business Articles > Boost your business with the help of your customersDon't let the next opportunity for others to help slip through your fingers! Being prepared with some simple requests can make a real difference in the success of your business. There are many ways your sources can help you promote yourself and your business: 1. They can provide you with referrals. The kind of support you'd most like to get from your contacts is referrals - the names of specific individuals who need your products and services. They also give prospects your name and number. 2. They can introduce you to prospects. Your contacts can help you build new relationships faster by introducing you in person to people they think need your products and services. They can also tell the prospect a few things about you, your business, how the two of you met, some of the things you and the prospect have in common, and the value of your products and services. 3. They can endorse your products and services. By telling others what thy've gained from using your products or services in presentations or informal conversations, your sources can encourage others to use your products or services. 4. They can display your literature and products in their offices and homes. If these items are displayed well - such as on a counter or bulletin board in a waiting room - visitors will ask questions or read the information. Some may even take your promotional materials and display them in other places, increasing your visibility. 5. They can distribute your information. Your contacts can help you distribute marketing materials. For instance, a dry cleaner might attach a coupon from the hair salon next door to each plastic bag he/she uses to cover customers' clothes. Including your flier in the middle of their newsletter is another idea. 6. They can publish information for you. Your contacts may be able to get information about you and your business printed in publications they subscribe to and in which they have some input or influence. For example, a source who belongs to an association that publishes a newsletter might help you get an article published or persuade the editor to run a story about you. Keep a copy of this list with you and add to it as other needs occur to you. Knowing how to match your needs with the right sources is key to obtaining the type of help you need. But remember - it's a two-way street. These support activities are also things you can do to help your contacts, promote their businesses and generate referrals. Helping your sources achieve their goals goes a long way toward building effective and rewarding relationships. 
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