{"id":756,"date":"2011-08-03T08:13:40","date_gmt":"2011-08-03T13:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/?p=756"},"modified":"2023-05-11T12:42:56","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T17:42:56","slug":"can-i-get-a-witness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/can-i-get-a-witness\/","title":{"rendered":"Can I Get a Witness?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div>\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"756\" class=\"elementor elementor-756\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d7f8fa6 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d7f8fa6\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div 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data-id=\"1255d61\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-66 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6264de3\" data-id=\"6264de3\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61125fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-title elementor-page-title elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"61125fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-title.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Can I Get a Witness?<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c1117e elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-post-info\" data-id=\"2c1117e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"post-info.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-inline-items elementor-icon-list-items elementor-post-info\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-fcfa45b elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"author\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/author\/lbwebmaster\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-far-user-circle\" viewBox=\"0 0 496 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M248 104c-53 0-96 43-96 96s43 96 96 96 96-43 96-96-43-96-96-96zm0 144c-26.5 0-48-21.5-48-48s21.5-48 48-48 48 21.5 48 48-21.5 48-48 48zm0-240C111 8 0 119 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class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-calendar\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M12 192h424c6.6 0 12 5.4 12 12v260c0 26.5-21.5 48-48 48H48c-26.5 0-48-21.5-48-48V204c0-6.6 5.4-12 12-12zm436-44v-36c0-26.5-21.5-48-48-48h-48V12c0-6.6-5.4-12-12-12h-40c-6.6 0-12 5.4-12 12v52H160V12c0-6.6-5.4-12-12-12h-40c-6.6 0-12 5.4-12 12v52H48C21.5 64 0 85.5 0 112v36c0 6.6 5.4 12 12 12h424c6.6 0 12-5.4 12-12z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-date\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time>August 3, 2011<\/time>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-9c8288a elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"commentCount\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/can-i-get-a-witness\/#respond\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-far-comment-dots\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M144 208c-17.7 0-32 14.3-32 32s14.3 32 32 32 32-14.3 32-32-14.3-32-32-32zm112 0c-17.7 0-32 14.3-32 32s14.3 32 32 32 32-14.3 32-32-14.3-32-32-32zm112 0c-17.7 0-32 14.3-32 32s14.3 32 32 32 32-14.3 32-32-14.3-32-32-32zM256 32C114.6 32 0 125.1 0 240c0 47.6 19.9 91.2 52.9 126.3C38 405.7 7 439.1 6.5 439.5c-6.6 7-8.4 17.2-4.6 26S14.4 480 24 480c61.5 0 110-25.7 139.1-46.3C192 442.8 223.2 448 256 448c141.4 0 256-93.1 256-208S397.4 32 256 32zm0 368c-26.7 0-53.1-4.1-78.4-12.1l-22.7-7.2-19.5 13.8c-14.3 10.1-33.9 21.4-57.5 29 7.3-12.1 14.4-25.7 19.9-40.2l10.6-28.1-20.6-21.8C69.7 314.1 48 282.2 48 240c0-88.2 93.3-160 208-160s208 71.8 208 160-93.3 160-208 160z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-comments\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNo Comments\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a17d19d elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"a17d19d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"text-align:center;\u201d>\r\n<span class=\"bsf-rt-reading-time\"><span class=\"bsf-rt-display-label\" prefix=\"Reading Time\">\n\t\t<\/span> <span class=\"bsf-rt-display-time\" reading_time=\"3\"><\/span> \n\t\t<span class=\"bsf-rt-display-postfix\" postfix=\"mins\"><\/span><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-70a0327\" data-id=\"70a0327\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-228f411 elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"228f411\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/wp-content\/uploads\/elementor\/thumbs\/witness350-qon9i8otj2a0mow2w0cylvwz79zeqz5mlwaxc7d4ow.png\" title=\"witness350\" alt=\"Witness on stand mso\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1ee54504 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1ee54504\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-68c48019\" data-id=\"68c48019\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f7ea1d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f7ea1d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe title question brings back dated musical memories of Marvin Gaye and <em>Grand Funk Railroad<\/em>.\u00a0 More importantly, asking and answering this question today could serve to help you gain a steady stream of new customers or clients.\r\n<h4><strong>What&#8217;s A Business Witness?<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-823\" title=\"witness\" src=\"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/witness.jpg\" alt=\"Witness\" width=\"170\" height=\"143\" \/>Your ideal business witness is a person who has three qualities&#8230;\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Regularly has opportunities to witness people with a challenge or scenario that your business is ideally suited to remedy or enhance<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Has a trusted relationship or the ability to influence these people in need<\/li>\r\n \t<li>An enthuiastic belief that you can solve their problem to the point of <em>testifying<\/em> about your competence, expertise and fit<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h4><strong>Ready or Not<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nFor 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.\u00a0 Business witnesses are present when your triggering event occurs.\u00a0 They are in a position to guide these <em>victims of circumstance<\/em> to seek help from you.\r\n<h4><strong>Who Are They?<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nWitnesses are found in all walks of business.\u00a0 Here are some examples.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The hospital discharge director who <em>witnesses<\/em> patients who are unable to care for themselves and can recommend an assisted living facility.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>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.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The outplacement firm working with transitioning workers with 401K funds that need rolling over that need the services of a financial advisor.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The divorce attorney who can refer clients to real estate brokers that will help them liquidate their property<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nYour ability to nurture business witness relationships is a secret weapon in gaining a steady stream of qualified prospective customers.\u00a0 Treat these rare and valuable relationship assets with the utmost care.\u00a0 To successfully develop quality witness relationships, you need to understand their motives.\r\n<h4><strong>What&#8217;s Their Motive?<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nBusiness witnesses have two primary motives to <em>testify<\/em> on your behalf:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Tangible Rewards<\/li>\r\n \t<li>A Desire to Help Others<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<h4><strong>Material Motivation<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nTangible rewards can take the form of referral fees (a.k.a. a piece of the action).\u00a0 Or they might be rewarded by gifts, entertainment or bartered services.\u00a0 In trial law, expert witnesses are paid for their testimony. They act as mercenaries.\u00a0 Opposing litigators like to expose their motives as self-serving to discredit them.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Before entering into agreements to compensate witnesses, be aware of potential consequences if their credibility is in question.\u00a0 The best witness relationships that I&#8217;ve observed do not involve referral fees.\r\n<h4><strong><strong><strong>The Platinum Standard: <\/strong><\/strong>It&#8217;s Not About The Money\r\n<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nLike the best witnesses at trials, the highest caliber business witnesses gain fulfillment by <em>doing <\/em><em>the right thing. <\/em>They want to enhance their reputation by providing the best possible solutions for the needs of those they serve.\u00a0 So, to develop the highest caliber of referral relationships, your witnesses must believe that you will make them look good.\u00a0 Their ultimate reward is a grateful <em>thank you<\/em> from those whom they have referred <em>to<\/em> you.\u00a0 They need to feel fulfillment that comes from serving at a higher level.\u00a0 For these highly ethical and altruistic witnesses, kickbacks can be a deal breaker.\u00a0 Their motivation comes from the feeling that their connections have significant positive impact.\r\n<h4><strong>Your Witness Retention Program<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nWhat 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 <em>your<\/em> prospective customers in their time of need?\u00a0 How would you rate the quality of your relationship?\u00a0 What might you do to enhance it so they would be more inclined to testify?\r\n\r\nIn seeking these valuable business witnesses, you can start by applying the axiom: <em>it&#8217;s not <strong>what<\/strong> you know, it&#8217;s <strong>who<\/strong> you know<\/em>. But that&#8217;s just the start. In reality, it&#8217;s about who <em>really<\/em> knows <strong><em>you<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 And once they know, like and trust you, only then are they likely to <em>testify<\/em> in favorable fashion and be compelled to convincingly <em>tell it to the judge<\/em> (i.e. your prospective customers). In the words of <em>Grand Funk Railroad<\/em>, when your witness testifies, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/O7B5jXYRy3Q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>it&#8217;s some kind of wonderful&#8221;<\/em><\/a>.\r\n<h4><strong>Your Turn<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nWhat are some of the best business witness relationships that you&#8217;ve observed?\u00a0 Please share in the comment box below.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Business witness relationships can be the invaluable assets. What is a business witness? Why do you need them? What are the three qualities that every business witness must have?  Why should you have a witness retention program?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7601,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[106],"tags":[364,291,39,363],"class_list":["post-756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-customer-attraction","tag-centers-of-influence","tag-customer-attraction","tag-linkedin","tag-word-of-mouth-marketing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/wp-content\/uploads\/witness350.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1I2Yr-cc","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/756\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chicagoexecutivecoaching.com\/smartleadership\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}