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PULSE BEAT PULSE

February 2012

The 2012 Paramount Chamber Directory Promotes – “Purchasing It In Paramount”

Beginning this month volunteers from Paramount Girls Softball and the Paramount Pirates Football Association will begin door to door delivery of the Paramount Chamber 2012 Directory.

The directory is published bi annually and contains business and residential listings, city and school contact information, as well as a list of public art pieces and their locations. “People love the directory and it’s one of the Chamber’s most requested items. The residential listings make it a neighborhood phone book, and the contact information for the various city departments and local schools make it a useful tool for businesses and residents,” said Chamber President Leonard Crespo.

The theme of this year’s directory is “Purchase it in Paramount” as part of the campaign to raise awareness about the importance of shopping locally. According to City Manager Linda Benedetti-Leal, sales tax revenue is the single largest income source for nearly every city in California. It’s also

the most ﬂexible. “Many government funds are restricted to speciﬁc uses, such as roads or transit. Sales tax revenue is unrestricted, and allows a city the greatest leeway in how they spend the money. It’s usually what pays for vital city services like law enforcement, parks, recreation programs and more. Law enforcement is usually the biggest part of any city’s budget, so sales tax revenue is directly linked to a community’s safety and quality of life.”

That, she said, is why it’s so important to shop in Paramount.

“There are nearly 900 commercial/ retail businesses in town that feature every consumer product you could ever need,” she explained. “When you shop locally, a portion of your sales tax stays in town to help pay for the services that make Paramount a safe and welcome place to live and work. You also help create local jobs and a stable community. Plus, it’s convenient and economical; it saves you time and gas. So remember to Purchase It ... In Paramount.”

The Paramount Chamber would like to thank the following advertisers for making the directory possible:

After School Unlimited

Alert Cleaners

Alondra Hot Wings

Apollo Metal Spinning

AppleCare Medical Group

Avila Flooring

Bianchi Theatres

Café Corleone

Cal Met Services

CalifornIT Systems Support

Carlton Forge Works

Casa Adelita

Casa Gamino

Cerritos College

Charles G. Hardy

City of Paramount

Cleantime

Clinica Medica Hispana

DeMaria Electric

Domino’s Pizza

Downey Plumbing & Heating

Dusk to Dawn Urgent Care

Eastern Meats & Deli

Enrique’s Mexican Rest.

E-Recycling

Fenico Precision Castings

Frize Corp.

G. M. Properties

Greg’s Collision Center

Heath Machine

Herald’s Garage

Hunt Industrial Properties

Ink Head Design & Print

Kimberly’s Dance Studio La Amapola

Lee & Associates

Legendz Sporting Goods

Lifegate Foursquare Church

Lindsay Lumber

Lion’s Club Logos II

Lyons & Lyons Properties

Madame Pompador

Mariscos El Perihuete

Marukan Vinegar

Max Martinez, DDS

Mid Cities FCU

Millbrook Kitchens

New Commandment Church

Outside the Box

Paramount Resource Recycling

Paramount Collision Center

Paramount Petroleum

What’s inside

Performance Heating Piggies Burgers

Popular Community Bank Press Forge

Quizno’s

Rosecrans Funeral Home

Rosewood Restaurant

Rotary Club of Paramount

S & S Footwear (Royal Image)

SASSFA (Paramount)

SCE Federal Credit Union

SCE (Edison)

SG Professional Svcs

Smart Comp Industrial Risk Svc.

The UPS Store

Tony’s Towing

Total Western

Vernon Security

Vicky Professional Svc.

Ward Industrial Prop.

Weber Metals

WH Plumbing

ZLS Beauty Salon

Mayor, Daryl Hofmeyer

Crime Continues Its Steady Decline In Paramount

The news is quite good with the release of Paramount’s crime statistics by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for last year.

The number of property crimes in town has not been this low since 1977; even more impressive, last year we had the fewest number of violent crimes since 1969.

We had the least number of burglaries since the Sheriff’s Department began

keeping records for Paramount. There was only a single homicide, a ﬁrst since the late 1960s.

In 2011, compared to 2010, violent crime in Paramount took a dramatic plunge of 26% overall. Every violent crime category was down:

Homicides plunged by 75%;

Rapes decreased by 50%;

Assaults dropped by 16%;

Robberies declined by 30%.

With property crimes, there were 10% fewer burglaries last year and auto theft dipped by 4%.

The City, in strong partnership with the Sheriff’s Department, has put together an excellent team of sworn and non-sworn personnel that focuses on preventing crime and building an intelligence base. Having, for instance, a dedicated probation ofﬁcer and district attorney working out of our Station greatly enhances our effectiveness by, among other things, providing more effective supervision of probationers and more effective preparation of cases presented to the D.A.’s ofﬁce.

Our efforts at engaging our community members through Neighborhood Watch and open channels of communication have also reaped beneﬁts. We see more residents

In golf as in life it is the follow through that makes the difference.

SCE 125th Anniversary Marked at Paramount Council Meeting

At the December 20, 2011 Paramount City Council meeting, Sylvia Southerland, representing Southern California Edison, presented a resolution to Mayor Daryl Hofmeyer to mark the utility companyʼs 125th anniversary and its productive partnership with the City.

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

I was recently visiting in Paramount to help a long time elderly resident with some ﬁnancial matters. I called upon the Chamber of Commerce for some referrals and was promptly assisted. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the following people:

Paramount Chamber Staff

Maria Angel - National Homes and Investments

Araceli Lerma - Lerma Law Ofﬁce

Sheila Duke & Gary Eno - Duke and Associates

Thanks so very much for working with my tight schedule and for the professional service we received. I highly recommend your businesses to anyone needing your services.

Sincerely,

Patti & Lester Family

becoming knowledgeable and involved in law enforcement matters, and they have been a contributing factor in keeping our neighborhoods safe.

These proactive policies and strong partnerships will continue to exert our inﬂuence on keeping crime in decline through 2012.

Reminder: New Time For Council Meetings

Paramount’s scheduled City Council meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Beginning on February 7, the meetings on the ﬁrst Tuesday will start at 6:00 p.m., rather than 7:00 p.m. as before.

The Council’s meetings on the third Tuesday will retain their 5:00 p.m. start time.

City Council meetings are held in the Council Chambers of Paramount City Hall, located at 16400 Colorado Ave. All meetings are open to the public. All meetings have opportunities for members of the public to address the Council about any topic of their choosing.

For more information, please call (562) 220-2000.

SEAACA Offering Free Services to Cat Owners

Paramount’s animal control provider SEAACA (Southeast Area Animal Control Authority) and Pet-Connections, Inc. are helping cat owners who live in the 14 cities served by SEAACA with the Big Meow, a program to provide no-cost spay and neuter services for owned, freeroaming cats.

The kitten birthing season, which occurs from spring through fall, can overwhelm animal shelters and pet owners. Thousands

of homeless kittens born during this season can pose signiﬁcant community and health concerns. The birthing period occurs during warmer weather months because that is when female cats breed. With preventive measures, such as the Big Meow, pet owners can help control the number of unwanted kittens and cats.

Now is a great time to participate in this important program before your pet becomes pregnant. An un-spayed female cat, her mate and all of their offspring, producing two litters per year, can result in thousands of cats.

The year’s Big Meow program features a variety of services at absolutely no cost to cat owners such as spay or neuter, microchip ID (so cats have permanent ID in addition to a collar), vaccines (FVRCP and rabies), one month application of ﬂea and tick control and basic health care at the time of surgery.

In order to participate in the Big Meow, cats must be four months to seven years of age. Only owned, free-roaming cats are eligible (no feral or wild cats will be accepted). Additionally, cat owners must provide proof of residency in SEAACA service cities and each cat must be brought to the facility in a properly secured kennel or carrier.

For more information about the Big Meow or SEAACA, please visit www. seaaca.org. To make an appointment to participate in this no-cost program, call (562) 803-3301, ext. 251.

SEAACA’s Animal Care Center, located in Downey, reunites pet owners with lost pets and assists new pet owners with pet adoptions. SEAACA’s Animal Wellness Clinic, also in Downey, spays and neuters all adoption animals plus provides vaccinations and micro chipping to the general public.

Say Hello to New Beat “D” Deputy Andrade

Paramount uses the “BEAT” system for law enforcement services in town. This divides the City into four areas. Each area is assigned a dedicated group of deputies to closely monitor activity in that “beat.” This allows the ofﬁcers get to know their assigned neighborhood up close and provide direction to patrol deputies. At the same time, residents and business owners develop a relationship with their deputies.

With this personalized service, deputies are being proactive by keeping an eye on things, noticing instances of property neglect or disorder that can lead to both minor and serious crime. They are also building trust, and when people trust law enforcement ofﬁcers they provide information that prevents crime and leads to nuisance solutions.

During the time of the BEAT system in Paramount, crime rates have steadily dropped year after year after year.

As of January, there is a new leader for Beat D, which covers the City’s southwestern quadrant from the Union Paciﬁc Railroad right-of-way to our western border and everything south of Somerset to our southern border. Deputy Joel Andrade has been assigned to the area.

Deputy Andrade has worked patrol in Paramount for about three years and his most recent assignment was in one of the City’s two-person “no call” cars. He is very proactive, been very effective while out on patrol and personable with the public.

A copy of the City’s Beat map can be found on Paramount’s website (www. paramountcity.com) in the Public Safety section. If you have any questions about the BEAT system, please call (562) 220-2002.

Truancy and Curfew – the Rules and the Consequences

The Sheriff’s Department periodically conducts both daytime truancy and nighttime curfew enforcement in Paramount. There was, for instance, a truancy sweep that took place on the ﬁrst day back at school after the holiday break. Focusing on parks and commercial shopping centers, a team of Special Assignment Ofﬁcers cited 35 juveniles for being truant and transported them back to school.

These types of operations continue to be valuable proactive tools to deal with unsupervised minors who might be victimized or are involved in criminal activity.

Daytime enforcement focuses on curtailing the activities of minors who are not on campus during regular school hours. According to Paramount’s Municipal Code, regular school hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Nighttime curfew enforcement deals with those minors who are out without adult supervision from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

Patrol deputies issue citations to minors violating the truancy and curfew laws. This sends a message to juveniles and assists in proactive efforts to curtail crime.

It is very important for parents and guardians to know about the potential legal consequences for any minor who is found to be truant from school or out past curfew.

Minors who are cited for truancy or curfew violation may face the following:

• A ﬁne of up to $495.

• Community service hours.

• Suspension from school.

In addition to these penalties, the parents/guardians of the cited minor may be required to accompany the minor to court and may be required to successfully complete parenting classes.

For more information, please call (562) 220-2002.

Deputy Joel Andrade

Paramount Dance Company

Stater Bros. Receives 2011 Waste Reduction Award From State of California for “Green Business Practices”

Stater Bros.’ Recycling Efforts eliminated 125,780,911 pounds of waste from landﬁlls in 2011

For the second year in a row, Stater Bros. has received a Waste Reduction Award for its many environmentally friendly programs from California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP).

In total, Stater Bros. eliminated 125,780,911 pounds of waste from landﬁlls in 2011.

The Company’s signiﬁcant green programs include:

• Recycling cardboard (eliminated over 70 million pounds from landﬁlls in 2011)

• Green Waste Composting Program (eliminated nearly 40 million pounds from landﬁlls in 2011)

• Recycling sustainable rendering products (eliminated over 8 million pounds from landﬁlls in 2011)

• Donating food to local food banks (eliminated over 3 million pounds from landﬁlls in 2011)

• Recycling plastic bags (over 2.7 million pounds from landﬁlls in 2011).

In addition, the Company’s weekly ad is printed on recycled paper, and Stater Bros. participates in California’s Voluntary Demand Response Program to reduce energy consumption at store level when demand is high.

“Stater Bros. believes in doing the right thing for the right reason”, stated Jack H. Brown, Chairman and Chief Executive Ofﬁcer of Stater Bros. Supermarkets. “Protecting our environment is the ‘right thing’ and the ‘right reason’ is so future generations can live in a better world.”

The CalRecycle Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP) has been recognizing the environmentally friendly business strategies of California businesses since 1993.

PARAMOUNT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Invites you to attend a Open House / Ribbon Cutting Rosecrans Funeral Home Thursday, March 15th 8545 Rosecrans Ave.

Beginning at 11:30 am Lunch Served

RSVP: (562) 634-3980

Tony Byslma, a drug prevention educator for more than 20 years with local children who took part in a drug education seminar at Para Latino Medical Center.

Chamber Networking Breakfast

Three Keys to Email Marketing: Connect, Inform, Grow

Friday, February 24, 2012 * 11:00 am-1:00 pm

With applied best practices and the integration of social media, email marketing offers a higher return on investment for most small business marketing campaigns. In this session, increase your open rates, improve your subject lines, reduce unsubscribes, and draw more targeted website trafﬁc.

Fee: $25

Customers

Tuesday, March 20, 2012 * 10:00 am-12:00 pm

Learn how to create buzz for your business with new cost effective marketing channels. You will learn how to use different types of Social Media such as Facebook to gain exposure for your business.

Fee: $25

Valentine’s Day Party

Friday, February 10, 2012

Doors open at 3 pm

Dancing from 4pm - 6pm

Dinner served at 6pm

Sign ups: Waiting list

Santa Anita Racetrack

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Departing at 11 am

Returning at 6 pm

Price: $16 per person

Sign-up are currently being accepted

Los Angeles Farmers Market

Friday, February 24, 2012

Departing at 9 am

Returning at 3 pm

Price: Free Sign-ups currently being accepted

Mexican Restaurant

Since 1970 when the first Casa Gamiño was opened, founder Cipriano Gamiño strived to give his customers good Mexican food with excellent service at a good price at all Casa Gamino locations. No gimmicks, just delicious food.

Music Duet – Friday & Saturday Nights 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm

8330 E. Alondra Blvd., Paramount 562-630-9100

562-634-6225

Open: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm Fri. - Sat. 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Nicole Padilla and Laura Peralta representing the American Cancer Society walked away with a $25 cash prize for “Best Table Top Display” at the Paramount Chamber Networking Breakfast. The cash prize was provided by AppleCare Medical Group who sponsored the event.

College Scholarship Applications Now Available

PEP Again Awarding Grants of $1,000 and $3,000

The Paramount Education Partnership (PEP) Scholarship Program awards scholarships each year with the goal of making education beyond high school financially accessible. PEP is a collaborative effort between the City of Paramount, Paramount Uniﬁed School District, and the Paramount Chamber of Commerce.

Scholarships of $1,000 are awarded to students attending a community college and $3,000 to students attending an accredited four-year institution within the U.S, including vocational/ trade/ technical schools. Scholarship monies may only be used to pay tuition, fees, books and supplies for the 2012-2013 school year.

Applications are available as of February 1, 2012. They will be reviewed based on a completed application, academic record, ﬁnancial need, extracurricular activities, work or volunteer experience, and future goals. Plagiarism or false information will permanently disqualify an applicant. Please be aware that ﬁrst-time applicants will receive priority over past recipients.

The following are the mandatory requirements:

You must be a City of Paramount

Community News

resident or Paramount Uniﬁed School District student.

Have a high school diploma or GED.

Be enrolled in an accredited program to obtain an Associates of Arts or Bachelor’s degree and/or vocational certiﬁcation. (Students must be able to provide proof of enrollment in an institution to be eligible.)

Provide one letter of recommendation from a teacher or counselor (who cannot be a relative).

Possess a cumulative high school GPA of 2.0 or better.

Submit forms that demonstrate ﬁnancial need as determined by FAFSA (and include a copy of Student Aid Report).

The application may be found on the City of Paramount website at www.paramountcity.com and on the Paramount Uniﬁed School District website at www. paramount.k12.ca.us/. Hard copies can be picked up at Paramount City Hall, the Paramount City Yard and at locations throughout the School District.

The application must be submitted in person or by mail by March 30, 2012, at:

Attention: Scholarship Committee Paramount Education Partnership, Inc., 16400 Colorado Avenue, Paramount, CA 90723

For information regarding the PEP Scholarship Program, please contact Suleyma Rosales at (562) 220-2132.

Don’t Miss the 31st Annual Panorama Traditional Art Show

Traditional Artists’ Guild of Paramount (TAG) and the City of Paramount will sponsor the 31st Panorama Traditional Art Show and 14th Student Art Show at Progress Park West Plaza, 15500 Downey Ave, in Paramount, on March 10, 2012.

REGISTRATION:

Students must submit their artwork through the PUSD or OLR schools unless they are a member of the Guild. PUSD and OLR artwork will be picked up Wednesday, February 29, 2012.

Adult artists must pre-register by February 25th. Their artwork will be checkedin on Tuesday or Wednesday, March 6th or 7th at Progress Park West Plaza between 9:00 am and 7:00 pm.

ARTWORK VIEWING:

Student Show: Saturday March 10th: Displayed by grade (K -12).

Show hours 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Adult Show: Saturday March 10th: Displays will be integrated with the Student Show. Show hours 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.

FREE DEMONSTRATION & ADULT AWARD CEREMONY:

Sunday, March 10th, 2:00 pm, demonstration by a noted artist. Adult awards will be presented by the Mayor following the demonstration.

STUDENT AWARD CEREMONIES:

Student awards will be presented by each school’s principal. Members of the Paramount Uniﬁed School Board and the Paramount City Council will recognize 13 ﬁrst place winners and 7 special winners. PUSD winners ceremony is Wednesday, March 28th, 6:00 pm. The City Council ceremony is Tuesday, April 17th, 7:00 pm.

For more information contact Show Chairman, John B Nowlin, 562. 925.9134 Or 562. 455.6425

Chamber President Leonard Crespo, Luis Garcia, David and Irene Liazrraga.

Representing Congresswoman Sanchez Yvette Shahinian, Luis Garcia, David and Irene Liazrraga.

Vice Mayor Peggy Lemons, Luis Garcia, David and Irene Liazrraga.

Pathways Volunteer Hospice

‘Have a Heart’ Campaign

‘Have a Heart’ for Pathways this February! During the month of February, Pathways Volunteer Hospice will be partnering with Foggia Italian Market and Deli to raise funds for much needed community services.

Just stop by Foggia, pick out your heart and put your name and personal greeting on it. Hearts will be displayed throughout the month of February and will create a festive Valentine’s Day display to be enjoyed by all.

Foggia owners, Bob and Linda Quarto, are long-time supporters of Pathways. “The local communities need to know about Pathways and all the good work they do,” says Bob Quarto. “Their services are free and

they are there when people really need the help.”

Pathways provides grief support and counseling for children and families. They are active in our local schools and provide crisis response when traumatic incidents arise. Pathways provides care management and volunteer companions for the frail, elderly and chronically ill. Pathways also provides hospice services for people struggling with life-limiting illnesses.

So “Have A Heart” this February! Visit Foggia Italian Market and Deli, 5522 Del Amo Blvd., Lakewood, to buy your heart or visit Pathways online at www.pathwayshospice.org.

FREE BUSINESS COUNSELING

HELP WANTED

Help Wanted @ P Dogs: CASHIER’S & COOKS Late evenings early mornings please walk in for application. 13610 Garﬁeld Ave. South Gate, 90280

INSURANCE SALES – Growing company seeking dynamic self-starters, hardworking, energetic, bilingual (Spanish/English), and sales oriented individuals with a strong interest in educating the community about Insurance and Financial Products. A positive attitude and commitment to providing exceptional customer service are required. Insurance experience is a bonus but not a necessity. More importantly, we are looking for ambitious quick learners who are excited about determining their own salary and want to be an integral part of a growing company. Email resume to maria@galliagency.com or fax resume to 562-817-5621.

Five Reasons to Pre Plan for the Inevitable

Why it’s important to make your funeral arrangements in advance.

1. Pre planning puts you in control and lets family members know what you want.

2. Pre planning takes the social, psychological and emotional burden away from your loved ones at a difﬁcult time.

3. Pre planning gives you time to set

aside funds and saves your family from a ﬁnancial burden.

4. Pre planning freezes cost at today’s prices.

5. Pre planning provides peace of mind that your affairs are in order.

Rosecrans Funeral Home in Paramount 562-634-8990

Finding A Good Credit Card

Contributed by:

Luis Acosta State Farm® agent

562-531-1900

Not only is having a credit card a convenience, it’s often a necessity in today’s world – especially when you want to rent a car or book a hotel room. But with so many different types of credit cards available, it is important to do your research and apply for one that ﬁts your lifestyle.

Basic Credit Cards

A basic or traditional credit card is ideal if you want a low, ﬁxed rate and no annual fee. The credit cards are unsecured, meaning the issuing bank trusts that you’ll repay the amount you charge without requiring a deposit. These credit cards often advertise introductory rates, which means that you’ll have a lower annual percentage rate (APR) for a speciﬁed period of time, either on balance transfers or purchases, or both. This can be ideal if you have an existing balance to transfer from a higher APR card. But know that the rate will eventually rise, when the introductory period is up, to a rate the credit card company must disclose up-front.

Rewards Credit Cards

If you charge a lot of purchases each month, you may opt for a credit card that pays rewards. Each purchase you make will add up for beneﬁts like airline miles, hotel stays, or cash back. These types of credit cards often carry a higher APR than basic, traditional credit cards, or have an abundance of fees, which you typically want to avoid with any credit card. Also, be sure to ﬁnd one with the right rewards for you to ensure you’re going to use whatever you earn.

Secured Credit Cards

Qualifying for a standard credit card can be difﬁcult if serious ﬁnancial troubles have compromised your credit score. Your best and only option may be a secured credit card which work like unsecured credit cards but require a deposit in the issuing bank. The credit limit is generally set at the same amount

as the deposit. Look for a secured credit card with no application fee and a low annual fee. Most importantly, make sure it reports to all three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can use a secured credit card to rebuild credit, but only if your credit is being updated with your new, good credit habits.

Student Credit Cards

Student credit cards are specifically targeted at college and university students, who have little to no credit history. While these credit cards often have high APRs, the right one, used wisely, can be a valuable tool in building credit.

A Final Consideration

Regardless of the type of credit card you decide on, be sure to read the ﬁne print – and pay close attention to fees. While many credit cards have fees, you can ﬁnd no-fee options or you can avoid fees through smart usage.

The most common fees are:

• Application fee. Some credit card companies charge a fee just for applying for a credit card.

• Annual fee. This fee for having the credit card is typically charged once a year. It’s most common with reward and afﬁnity credit cards.

• Late payment fee. If you pay your credit card late, you’ll be assessed an amount disclosed up-front by the credit card company. In addition to the fee, your APR may rise if you make a late payment.

• Balance transfer fee. Many credit card companies allow – even encourage – you to transfer your balance from other credit cards. But to transfer your balance, you will likely need to pay a fee, which may be a set amount, or a percentage of the transferred balance.

• Cash advance fee. You can use a credit card to withdraw cash at an ATM. The fee is in addition to whatever the APR is for cash advances, and doesn’t include charges assessed by the bank that owns the ATM.

10 Tips for Using Referrals to Grow Your Business

BY RIEVA LESONSKY

For most small businesses, the holidays are a time to connect with customers by sending gifts or greeting cards or hosting special events. With everyone feeling a lot of good will, now is a great time to start using referrals from satisﬁed customers to build your business. Here are 10 tips for doing so:

1. Ask for referrals. Many entrepreneurs fail to beneﬁt from referrals because they’re simply too shy to ask. Most satisfied customers are happy to give you referrals--but they won’t think of it if you don’t ask them.

2. Know the right time to ask. Aim to gather referrals at the completion of a project or upon delivery of a product. The goal is to approach the customer when they are happy with the purchase and the transaction is still fresh in their minds.

3. Create a system. Set up a procedure for capturing referrals. This can vary depending on your industry. A businessto-business company might ask for referrals during a post-sale

phone call or email. A retailer could enclose a card with each purchase that customers can ﬁll out to refer a friend.

4. Offer a reward. Encourage customers to give referrals by offering incentives, such as a discount on their next purchase, a free month of service or a small gift. Making rewards contingent on whether the referral makes a purchase can encourage higher-quality referrals who are more likely to buy.

5. Build trust. Customers don’t want their friends bombarded with marketing messages. Make them comfortable providing referrals by explaining how you will use the contact information they provide. Will you send direct mail? Will you contact the person by phone?

6. Follow up in a timely fashion. If you let referrals languish for months, their value can fade as the relationship between your customer and the prospect changes or your customer becomes less enthusiastic about your business. Set up a system to contact referrals within two

weeks of obtaining them.

7. Mention the connection, but don’t rely on it. When you contact a referral, be sure to let them know who referred them to you. However, don’t assume that this connection alone will spur the prospect to buy. You need to put forth as much effort as you would with any sale.

8. Get to know them. Don’t give a “hard sell.” Lay the groundwork for a relationship by offering the referral something useful as an introduction to your business. This could be a whitepaper related to their industry, a free consultation, or a discount on their ﬁrst purchase.

9. Provide great service. When you win business from a referral, always provide outstanding service to the new customer. Otherwise, you will make the referring customer look bad for having recommended you, and you might lose not only the new customer’s business, but the old one’s as well.

10. Repeat the cycle. Be sure to ask your new customer

for a referral when the time is right—and watch your business grow exponentially!

Rieva Lesonsky is CEO of GrowBiz Media, a content and consulting company that helps entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. Before launching her business, she was Editorial Director of Entrepreneur Magazine. Rieva Lesonsky also works with the Los Angeles Regional Small

Business Development Center Network. The SBDC is a group of successful small business owners helping fellow entrepreneurs start, sustain, and grow their business through low-cost workshops and free one-on-one consulting in business planning, ﬁnance, marketing, and various other specialty areas (Spanish speaking consultants available). To make an appointment call: (562) 938-5100, or email: sbdcinfo@lbcc.edu.