A Note to New Reference Managers

Dear Customer Reference Manager,

Welcome to the world of customer referencing! You have chosen to join a profession that it not only challenging but very exciting as well! As you start your journey, I wanted to share a some tips to help you get up to speed quickly and confidently!

First of all, you don't have to go on your journey alone! There are hundreds of other customer reference managers who have been doing this for years and are willing the help you with questions you have. We have an amazing reference manager community with reference managers in all geographies, industries, company sizes and experience. Join the various groups on LinkedIn and get to know other reference managers! You will definitely want to consider attending a Customer Reference Forum . Here you can mingle with a few hundred other reference managers and learn best practices that can help you build a best-in-class customer reference program! These conferences are usually only two days which is perfect for our busy schedules.

Second, there are many resources that can help you understand what customer reference programs are, what your responsibilities with include, customer reference program best practices etc. These include the many vendors that provide customer reference program service. Second, there are some fantastic vendors out there who can help you. Here are some of the ones I am familiar with: Big Sky Communications, Boulder Logic, inEvidence, Mainstay Partners, metia, Point of Reference, Projectline and TechValidate. You can also find all sorts of documents that are out on the Internet including sample plans, timelines, templates etc. One new site that posts resources for reference programs is Customer Reference Program org.

Third, know that if you have a positive attitude and a willingness to make a difference you will be successful at this job! Of course it helps if you have sales and marketing background, strong communication skills, strong customer service orientation, ability to work well under pressure, great knowledge of PC tools, strong project and program management skills but honestly some of those skills can be learned. What you can't teach someone is to have a positive attitude and a passion to make a difference!

Fourth, start reaching out to others in your company and at your customers. Relationship building is a key part of successful referencing. Get to know key people at your company including sales, consulting, support, inside sales, public relations, analyst relations etc. Go to your customer conferences and user groups so you can meet customers and start building relationships with them!

Good referencing!
The Customer Reference Program Guru

Success Tip: LinkedIn Groups

One of the most valuable resources I have found as a customer reference professional is networking. Whether it's going to the Customer Reference Forum conference or staying connected on the various reference LinkedIn groups, networking has proven to be one of my favorite things about our customer reference community. Here are some of my favorite ways to stay connected with the community!

LinkedIn Groups

• Customer Reference Forum - Started by Bill Lee,(Customer Reference Forum), this group includes 360 reference professionals that provide information, advice, and tools to help each other.
• Customer Reference Knowledge Sharing Network
- The Customer Reference Knowledge Sharing Network (CRKSN) is a community for marketing professionals who work on customer references, customer evidence, customer testimonials.
• Customer Reference Professionals - Another group of reference professionals
• Success-Story Marketing - This group isn't for reference professionals specifically but for those who work with success stories. It was started by one of my favorite success story writers, Casey Hibbard, who wrote "Stories that Sell".