The title question brings back dated musical memories of Marvin Gaye and Grand Funk Railroad.  More importantly, asking and answering this question today could serve to help you gain a steady stream of new customers or clients.

What’s A Business Witness?

Your ideal business witness is a person who has three qualities…

• Regularly has opportunities to witness people with a challenge or scenario that your business is ideally suited to remedy or enhance
• Has a trusted relationship or the ability to influence these people in need
• An enthuiastic belief that you can solve their problem to the point of testifying about your competence, expertise and fit

Ready or Not

For a prospective customer or client to be qualified, they must have a need that they are ready to act upon. You are unlikely to know when that moment of need occurs.  Business witnesses are present when your triggering event occurs.  They are in a position to guide these victims of circumstance to seek help from you.

Who Are They?

Witnesses are found in all walks of business.  Here are some examples.

• The hospital discharge director who witnesses patients who are unable to care for themselves and can recommend an assisted living facility.
• The machinery mover who bids on companies needs when they are preparing a move to new industrial location and would then be more open to establishing a new banking relationship.
• The outplacement firm working with transitioning workers with 401K funds that need rolling over that need the services of a financial advisor.
• The divorce attorney who can refer clients to real estate brokers that will help them liquidate their property

Your ability to nurture business witness relationships is a secret weapon in gaining a steady stream of qualified prospective customers.  Treat these rare and valuable relationship assets with the utmost care.  To successfully develop quality witness relationships, you need to understand their motives.

What’s Their Motive?

Business witnesses have two primary motives to testify on your behalf:

1. Tangible Rewards
2. A Desire to Help Others

Material Motivation

Tangible rewards can take the form of referral fees (a.k.a. a piece of the action).  Or they might be rewarded by gifts, entertainment or bartered services.  In trial law, expert witnesses are paid for their testimony. They act as mercenaries.  Opposing litigators like to expose their motives as self-serving to discredit them.  In many cases, it is either illegal or unethical for referrers to accept any tangible reward. Or, there are stringent limitations. For some financially motivated referrers, their loyalty is driven by the highest bidder.  Before entering into agreements to compensate witnesses, be aware of potential consequences if their credibility is in question.  The best witness relationships that I’ve observed do not involve referral fees.

The Platinum Standard: It’s Not About The Money

Like the best witnesses at trials, the highest caliber business witnesses gain fulfillment by doing the right thing. They want to enhance their reputation by providing the best possible solutions for the needs of those they serve.  So, to develop the highest caliber of referral relationships, your witnesses must believe that you will make them look good.  Their ultimate reward is a grateful thank you from those whom they have referred to you.  They need to feel fulfillment that comes from serving at a higher level.  For these highly ethical and altruistic witnesses, kickbacks can be a deal breaker.  Their motivation comes from the feeling that their connections have significant positive impact.

Your Witness Retention Program

What are the situations or scenarios that trigger a more urgent need for your product or service? Who are the people in a position to recognize your prospective customers in their time of need?  How would you rate the quality of your relationship?  What might you do to enhance it so they would be more inclined to testify?In seeking these valuable business witnesses, you can start by applying the axiom: it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. But that’s just the start. In reality, it’s about who really knows you.  And once they know, like and trust you, only then are they likely to testify in favorable fashion and be compelled to convincingly tell it to the judge (i.e. your prospective customers). In the words of Grand Funk Railroad, when your witness testifies, “it’s some kind of wonderful”.

Your Turn

What are some of the best business witness relationships that you’ve observed?  Please share in the comment box below.