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Highest Impact, Lowest Cost:

Referral Marketing Systems and Tools

That Reliably and Strategically Grow Your Local B2C Business... Without Badgering Your Clients, or Begging Other Businesses to Refer You

Strategy First

Most referral marketing is purely tactical.  That's why it rarely works the way you hope. Our referral marketing systems and tools are part of a strategic relationship marketing framework.


Because using tactics, without strategy, is like throwing mud against the wall hoping some will stick. Our strategy-first approach is why our client referral system, and partner referral system, produce results like this...

More Clients


Strategic, systematic relationship marketing, with integrated tactics, tools and processes, creates a referral culture producing 2x-5x more clients by referral.

Bigger Profits


Referred clients have substantially lower acquisition cost, spiking front-end profits. Trust is higher from day one, so they buy more, stay longer and refer more.

Geometric Growth


Stronger relationships improve retention, increase referrals and maximize client lifetime value... simultaneously. That's rocket fuel for your business.

John Heringer Method3 Fitness Local Leverage LLC Referral Marketing Website


Eric's passion for business and marketing shined through in 2006 when I first became a customer, and it's just as bright today. He's constantly striving to help business owners BE better and improve themselves and their business so they can truly ENJOY life.


John Heringer
Method3 Fitness

Carolyn Fetters discusses Referral Marketing Local Leverage LLC


I've known Eric and Camelia for a decade. If there ever was a winning team to help your local business grow and profit, it's the Local Leverage team! With these professionals behind you, your business is absolutely going to thrive!


Carolyn Fetters
CEO Balanced Habits

Referral Marketing - Local Leverage LLC Pat Rigsby testimonial


Eric Ruth is the best direct response marketer our industry has ever seen. And he's created the most complete referral resource I've ever seen.


Pat Rigsby - Best Selling Author, Serial Entrepreneur, Inc 500 Business Owner

No B.S. Brand-Building By Direct Response - book with Eric Ruth referral marketing story

"Eric Ruth helped me generate $250,000 per month with his proprietary marketing system. The results were amazing. The phone started ringing off the hook. For almost three years, I built my business on the backbone of that one marketing system. If you want more local clients, Eric's your man."


Forrest Walden - CEO Iron Tribe Fitness, Co-Author No B.S. Brand-Building

Forrest Walden CEO of Iron Tribe Fitness - Co-Author of No B.S. Brand Building By Direct Response - referral marketing Local Leverage LLC

​Our Referral Marketing Love Story

Referral Marketing with Eric Ruth and Camelia Ruth

Hi, I'm Eric Ruth.


That's Camelia and me at "The Swamp" on the University of Florida, where our younger daughter goes to school. 


Camelia and I are referral marketing student-practitioners. We study it. We implement it in our own businesses. We teach it with products and trainings, and we coach it with video-conference calls, Facebook groups and live events.


There are folks out there who teach one thing, but do another. They don't practice what they preach. We do. Camelia is one of the leading small business coaches in the country. She's been booked solid for years...


100% by referral.


More than half of the local business owners who know, like and trust me, were referred into my community. There's better than 50% chance you're here now because of a referral. 78% of the local B2C service businesses and professional practices in LocalByReferral™ are referred there by other local business owners.


But here's the most important thing for you to know about Camelia and me, the rest of our team, and the local business owners we work with:


We all have congruent core values.


That's because we intentionally attract people like us - people with our values - by communicating authentically and honestly. Without B.S. or hype. Just straight talk about who we are, what we do, and how we can help you.


We have a very clear mindset and mission that guides our business and life: 


Be More, Give More, Grow More™

We don't want to waste time, or deal with hassles, trying to work with folks who don't have core values similar to ours. We know we can accomplish more, more enjoyably and a lot more rapidly, working with people who strive to improve, give and grow.


When I was younger, I thought guiding principles like "be more, give more, grow more" were silly and useless self-actualization mumbo-jumbo. I was only interested in nuts-and-bolts marketing and money-making strategy and tactics.


But life has a way of teaching us important lessons, usually through hard knocks. Or by introducing us to the right messenger at the right time. For me, it was a combination of the two that taught me values, mission and mindset are...


The FOUNDATION for our business and life.


I'm just thankful I finally learned. Because it saved me, and propelled me forward when I needed it most. 


Today I’m an award winning, 2x Inc 500 business owner with 20+ years experience helping over 10,000 local businesses get and keep more clients. And helping them ethically maximize client lifetime value. I've sold tens of millions worth of products and services, and helped my clients sell tens of millions more.


I got started in business early. At 12, I was delivering the Washington Post newspaper to 185 homes every day. Earned a nice award for delivering through the Northern Virginia blizzard of 79.


In the late 80s I discovered Gary Halbert, Jay Abraham and Dan Kennedy. That’s when my direct response marketing education began.


I was a copywriter in the 90s for one of the leading political fundraising agencies in the country. I wrote 15-20 direct mail letters a month for three years...


In a business where you get good or get gone.


My first real business was Fitness Marketing Systems (FMS). I launched it in 1998 with a single 1/8th page lead generation ad in IDEA Personal Trainer magazine for $300. That ad produced enough leads that converted for me to reinvest in more advertising.


Slowly - particularly by today's standards - I bootstrapped FMS with magazine space ads, direct mail and a "free recorded message" hotline as my lead capture mechanism.


That was well before email "squeeze pages". The only way to access the internet then was by dial-up. And I wasn't a tech-savvy guy. So for the first few years, the majority of my marketing was offline. Snail mail and telephone. 


I’d started other businesses before FMS, but never committed. I had grass-is-greener syndrome. I was myopic and unfocused. And I didn't have much money.


So I'd fail.


But I kept trying because quitting wasn't an option. I couldn't keep working for someone else. I had to be in control of my life - I felt that to my core.


Around this same time I started working on myself - my mindset. Trying to be more responsible, more disciplined and more consistent. I found Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Dr. Wayne Dyer and Jim Rohn. They showed me so much. Three of the biggest lessons learned:


  1. We can have more than we've got because we can become more than we are.
  2. It's not what happens to us, it's how we react to what happens that defines our lives.
  3. A focused mind is the most powerful force on earth.


Which helped me understand that to keep from failing again, it had to be different this time...


I had to be ALL-IN!

And because of that commitment - that mindset - I was able to FOCUS my attention, energy and skills.


By putting the blinders on, I grew FMS to multiple six-figures in annual revenue. Working out of my home office with one part-time employee. Selling my direct response marketing systems to more than 3,000 local fitness business owners.


I specialized in the fitness industry for two reasons:


  1. I lived a fit lifestyle and was passionate about exercise and nutrition.
  2. I recognized the importance of niching to get traction faster.


Looking to grow bigger and with greater speed, in 2006 I took on a customer as a business partner. We renamed my business to NPE LLC, developed some new products and services, and exploded to...


Multiple millions in annual revenue.


Along the way, I created Pushups For Charity, raising millions for wounded men and women of the United States Armed Services. I also won marketing awards. And made the Inc 500 list (as high as #131) of fastest growing privately owned companies in America, twice.


Those achievements felt good, but they came at a price. Six straight years of 60-hour, high-intensity workweeks wore me out. So I sold NPE and took a few months off to sleep, nap and rest. I also ate, drank and exercised when I wasn't sleeping, napping or resting. But that's about it.


After recovering, I got serious about what's next.


Decades of in-the-trenches marketing experience - doing almost everything imaginable - proved something very valuable to me:

"Referral marketing, done right, is the most effective, profitable and sustainable form of marketing there is. And here's proof..."

Referral marketing is the highest impact, lowest cost marketing any local B2C service business or professional practice can do. Read that again…


Highest impact. Lowest cost.


It gets the best results AND it costs the least. Which makes it the most profitable .


That means it has the best return on investment (ROI). The only metric that really matters when evaluating marketing.


But wait…there’s actually more. And I'll tell you about it after you take a look at this:

Local Marketing Effectiveness Comparison Matrix

Tactical vs Strategic
aka: Reactive vs Proactive

At the top of this page I said...

“Most businesses use a purely tactical approach to referral marketing. And that’s why they rarely get the results they hope for.”

Well, that’s true of referral marketing, and every form of marketing and advertising. The vast majority of businesses - 90% or more - make marketing decisions reactively.


“Helen, let’s run some Facebook ads this month. I just read an article that says everybody’s doing it.” Or... “My friend Maria who owns the salon said she got 11 new clients last month from her postcard mailer. I want to try that.”


Purely tactical, reactive marketing is one of the biggest business-killing mistakes I see over and over again. But even in a tactical, head-to-head comparison...


Referral marketing wins.


The pink row marked SHORT TERM Effectiveness Score clearly shows that. 


Now look at the section called SUSTAINABILITY and GROWTH. Because that’s the most exciting part of the entire comparative analysis. That’s the section that shows you the power of STRATEGIC marketing…


The power of being proactive. And the intelligence of focusing on relationships.


“Relationships grow in number, strength and influence.”


Do you agree with that? Do you agree that’s the impact over time of treating people the right way – and showing them value? What about how referrals are perceived by the folks in your town? If you refer them to a great resource, or you get referred to a great resource by them…


Is that welcomed and encouraged? Of course it is. People love being referred. It makes decision-making so much easier. Because it inspires trust and confidence in the provider. It eliminates the RISK of making a bad choice.


And that’s one of the reasons I fell in love, because...

"Referral marketing and relationship marketing come naturally to business owners who really care about their customers and community."

More reasons I fell in love, and you will too:


  • Referral marketing is bar far the most profitable marketing with the highest ROI.
  • Referral marketing is the most sustainable form of marketing because it gets stronger and more effective the more you do it.
  • Referral marketing has the greatest impact in the short term AND over time.
  • People's perception of referral marketing is positive, which positions your business far more favorably than one that's always pitching, pushing and chasing buyers.
  • It's a professional, fun and natural way to market your local business.
  • It creates a referral culture within your business.
  • It weaves your business into the fabric of the community through word of mouth. Your business becomes more talked about, "top of mind" and influential.


When you do referral marketing right, like we do, it attracts, embraces and bonds with people in your community who are most likely to buy from you, and talk about you...


Because it's NOT just tactical.

"Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." - Sun Tzu


Our referral marketing systems and tools are integrated into a strategic relationship marketing framework. Because when you build and nurture relationships, they get stronger. And more valuable.


Relationships are assets. The most valuable assets your business has. By a long shot.


Listen...


Every other form of marketing requires constant reinvention to avoid diminishing returns over time. Every other kind of marketing - that isn't changed or adapted regularly - requiring substantial time and resources - becomes LESS effective the more you use it.


Relationship marketing gets stronger over time - becoming increasingly MORE effective the more you do it.

Are you following me here?

This is game-changing when you get it.

Building, nurturing and leveraging relationships is how I've sold tens of millions in products and services.


I have customers today - right now - who bought from me back in 2001. I have strategic alliances with other business owners who promoted me in 1999. If I asked, they'd gladly promote me today.


Plus, relationship marketing is fun. It's natural. It's professional and respected. It positions you in the most powerful and influential way. Your authority grows. Your connections - and friendships - grow.


And that feels good.

How To Get Rich

Do you want to get rich?


If you say "yes", then I'm going to show you - right now - the most certain path to prosperity.


If you say "no", then why'd you get into business? (And if you say no, you're wasting your time here. You and I can't relate.)


There were two primary reasons I got into business. And a third that developed as I progressed:


  1. To fund the lifestyle I want.
  2. Freedom.
  3. Achievement and impact.


So for me, the answer is an unequivocal, unapologetic and enthusiastic "YES!"


The richer the better, because...

The more money I make =>

The more financially secure and free I become =>

The more people I can help =>

The bigger impact I can have =>

The more good I can do.

That's the logical connection and progression for me. And the emotional one. Because it upholds my core values of BE more, GIVE more, GROW more.


Since you've made it this far, I'm assuming your logic is pretty close to mine. And if so, it's because those values resonate with you like they do with me.


So come a little closer, lean in a bit - because I want to share something with you that has the greatest potential to make you rich from your business. It's in the incredible statistics you see below. But it may be a little hidden, depending on your perspective.


Can you see it?

Those numbers are staggering. And they're no fluke.


Because advertising is increasingly overexposed and shrill. It's everywhere, it's often aggressive and, except for Super Bowl Sunday, perceived primarily as a nuisance.


That's why referral marketing metrics like the ones above just keep going up and up.


Frankly - any business owner who ignores those numbers, this unmistakable trend - is myopic and foolish. Because the writing is on the wall. And paying attention to it is the smart and comparatively simple way you can get rich from your business...

Because the most powerful force in marketing is a recommendation from a TRUSTED source.

Always has been. Always will be. The difference now is how vital - how urgent - it is that you focus more of your time, effort and resources on relationship/referral marketing - on TRUST marketing - so you don't get left behind.


And when you do...


Here's how it can make you rich:


As you've just seen, 92% of consumers trust referrals over ALL other forms of advertising. And 77% are more likely to buy when referred. 


MORE LIKELY TO BUY.


It's one thing to trust enough to investigate (a lead). It's another thing entirely to buy (a customer).


77% lead-to-customer conversion is the marketing holy grail...


If you can generate enough of those leads.

(This referral system does that for you.)


But let me point something out to you that's really easy to miss...


The smallest number there, is actually the most impressive. Because that's the number that can make you rich. 


In order to create financial freedom, you've got to make more money, and keep more money, right?


To do that, you need to be able to accomplish three things:


  1. Get more leads for less (save money)
  2. Convert more of those leads into customers (make more money)
  3. Earn more profit from each customer (keep more money)


You can accomplish all three of those goals quickly and easily with LocalByReferral®. I encourage you to give it a hard look.

FREE SPECIAL REPORT FROM ERIC RUTH

Referral Secrets Special Report from Eric Ruth

“Use These Referral Secrets To Get More New Customers For Your Local Business In The Next 90 Days Than You Got In The Last 12 Months...

...Without Expensive Software Or Spending A Single Dollar On Marketing”

100 Free. No credit card needed.

Our Referral Marketing Systems and Tools


Local Leverage LLC products and services focus on the most reliable, effective and enjoyable marketing strategies, systems and tactics: referral marketing. To learn more, click through to these websites:



Thanks for visiting the home of Local Leverage LLC and learning about our referral marketing systems and tools. I appreciate you taking the time. And if you're serious about growing your local business with highly effective referral marketing, go here now.

Contact Local Leverage LLC


Local Leverage LLC provides referral marketing systems and tools for ethical and excellent B2C local businesses. We're based in Orlando, Florida, serving local business owners worldwide. If you would like to get in touch with us, email is best, and is responded to promptly. Here is complete contact information:


Local Leverage LLC
3208C E Colonial Dr Suite 265
Orlando FL 32803
703-831-7305
support (at) localleveragellc (dot) com

Connect with Us


You can find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Alignable, Twitter and Instagram. I welcome the opportunity to connect with you on any or all of these platforms. See below for links.

We provide lots of free resources for you. The best place to start is with the revolutionary Winner’s Way Partner Referral System free training course.

I also publish an influential and information-packed email newsletter read by thousands of local business owners every week. Sign up for any of our free trainings or tools and you can opt-in to my newsletter.

Here are the best places to connect with us:




Food for Thought: Since 1998 I've been running one of the largest local marketing "laboratories" in the world. The online and offline marketing tactics, tools, strategies and systems I've produced have been tested and proven by well over 10,000 local business owners. If it's a method or a medium for getting new customers, clients or patients, we've tested it. And from that experience I've learned nothing is more powerful or effective than referral marketing. But until now, there were always two limitations to referral marketing: control and scale. We've overcome those limitations with our partner referral system. But regardless of how powerful and profitable our referral systems are, I make you no income or earnings promises. None. Zero. How well you do - how many customers you get and how much money you make - with Local Leverage LLC referral marketing systems and tools - or ANYTHING you do - is completely up to you. You may not get any new customers. You may not make any money. In fact, you may lose money. I don't know. All I know is what a life of entrepreneurship has taught me: hard-working, strategic, focused, committed and consistent folks tend to win. The rest tend to lose. Only you know what you bring to the table. Only you know what kind of person you are - how committed you are. I certainly don't. So do NOT misinterpret anything I've said or written as a promise or guarantee of greater earnings, income or success. My only promise to you is that what I say and do is honest and ethical. I’m transparent and truthful. I say what I’m going to do, and do what I say. My focus is 100% on providing maximum value to each and every person who puts their trust in me. Everything we do and teach is grounded in relationship and referral marketing best practices. And should you become a customer of Local Leverage LLC, we will do everything in our power to support, encourage, educate, coach, instruct and inspire you to be more, give more and grow more. Because the ONLY way Local Leverage LLC can win long term, is if our customers win. - Eric Ruth

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