One of my contacts got in touch with me over social media and said, “There’s a friend of mine who needs your expertise, and your name came first to my mind since we have been discussing a similar business situation. I know that you can consult their firm. They want to get in touch with you. Shall I give your contact to them?” Sounds familiar? It’s Referral Marketing!
It’s traditionally called “Word Of Mouth”. It’s one of the most powerful methods of getting projects for your organization, getting work as consultants, or building credibility for your startup. In any long-running endeavor, building credibility or getting projects/work takes time. You can pay attention to a few things to increase your chances of getting visibility and getting referrals.
Let’s get started with some basics of how to do the same. We will then look at how do that with Software Testing being in focus.
1. Build/update your skills
Almost every field is getting disrupted because of digital transformation and information technology. It’s absolutely important for you to be updated on these new skills. Make time every day to incorporate learning into your schedule, so that you are in an advantageous position of clarity and confidence in your area of expertise and influence. Get yourself certified on these skills so that your customers appreciate your knowledge depth and recognize that you know the topic well.
2. Put your skills to use
It’s not sufficient to just learn the topic, it is important to practice those skills on a regular basis. Oftentimes, existing projects or work assignments won’t provide the opportunities to practice newly acquired skills, because of various constraints. Consider applying these skills on a pro-bono basis for a project which is in need for help. Build a portfolio that you could showcase in your social media profiles. In the context of IT industry, contributing to an Open Source project is a great opportunity to practice the newly acquired skills.
3. Nurture existing connections, build new ones for Referral Marketing
Build a list of connections that can help with endeavor and keep in touch with them on a constant basis. Schedule time in your calendar to connect with them. They are the key people who spread the word about your work. When you contact them, update them on the new skillsets, capabilities in the product that you are building, new markets and target audiences that you are aiming for, etc. Apart from nurturing the existing connections, it is also very important to acquire new connections and build working relationships, so that they too can become part of your list of contacts.
Software Testing in focus
Software Testing is a vast field. There are tons of opportunities to position yourself in a specific area and get referred to. From requirements to production, there are multiple methodologies, tools, and practices in every stage. Consider areas that put the most bang on the buck. For example, pre-code areas like requirements and design offer opportunities for Software Testing to prevent defects from happening even before the code is written.
By positioning yourself or your company in an area of expertise, or in a generalist fashion providing testing products & services in all stages of software development, you can build your credibility and reputation among your contacts and succeed in referral marketing.