In the word-of-mouth marketing world, someone who provides multiple and ongoing referrals is nicknamed an apple tree. The person who buys is the apple. Good analogy, right?
Well, enter my apple tree, an heirloom, Arkansas Black. It is a couple decades old. It didn't start producing till about 2 1/2 years ago and then by golly, it gave us so much that we didn't know what to do with all of the apples. Same last fall, only I think there was more fruit. We have given it minimal care, but it is protected from the winter's evil winds and is a tree that the grand girls love to climb. It
gets plenty of water where it is located.
Wow! My tree is just like a the business apple tree. It didn't produce overnight, in fact, in the referral world, I probably would have not gone the extra years to get to production. With people "apple trees" they are a long term project. They have to get groomed and talked to to develop the strong relationship before that first referral is ever issued. But if we stay long enough, the apples are so many that we just have to keep calm and enjoy the abundance.
2 comments:
Debby, I can relate to your story. Once the seed of your business is planted, it takes a few years before it starts to take hold and sprout, just like your apple tree. If the location of the seed is in the right spot and is nurtured, eventually it will produce. However, during the sprout and producing phase, there are the times when we wonder if our seed is good, the ground is fertile, and the cultivation is right. This is the phase where we tend to lose hope in our efforts. Nevertheless, when you have faith, faith prevails in the most uncertain of times.
It took a few years for my business to grow, my basic farming skills allowed me to realize this. As long as the seed is cultivated, it will stand the test of time. When the fruit of your efforts are ready, they will sprout and produce when the conditions are right!
Good point Deb! Especially when it comes to high level referral sources, they can't be hurried...just like my apple tree!
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