Business Builders

How to Build Referrals From Customers

A referral is hands down one of the best ways to bring on new business. You already have your foot in the door, now you just need to deliver - but lets not get ahead of ourselves. In order to establish a steady supply of referrals you need to have your ducks lined up.

 ”If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.”

~Jeff Bezos

Below is a helpful list action steps you can take to ensure a strong referral base.

1) Deliver -No matter what line of business you have begun, always go the extra mile with your clients, especially the first few.  As the world becomes increasingly smaller, one bad review could devastate your business or one good view could put catapult your business. Web services like Yelp.com are making it much easier for customers to be heard so make sure you deliver.

 2) Learn how to target your the right people for referrals -In a perfect world you could completely satisfy every client with your products and/or services and they would have referrals lined up for you. Unfortunately, anyone that has been in business for a decent amount of time knows that it is impossible to satisfy clients 100% of the time. With that in mind, the best thing for you to do is to target the clients that have blown away with your performance. Make a list.

3) The Approach - Timing is crucial when it comes to asking for referrals. Here are some points to consider - some are beyond obvious but we will include them anyways for practice.

- Never try to request referrals the moment you finish providing your service or product. Take a breath and at least wait for a few days. Being too pushy makes the client think that you have already moved on.

- Always ask when things are upbeat. Call the client to check up and see how things are going since you provided your service. Ask the client about themselves to get them going and once you are both in a comfortable position, ask. Asking on a whim will almost always result in nothing.

- Always finish the project at hand before asking for referrals.

 4) Create Incentives - Most business owners want to help out people they work with but often times their is so much going on they may forget to refer you. Offer the client a discounted rate on future services, a money incentive, free dinner, etc. so that it makes it more appealing for them.

5) Write a Letter - This is an excellent way to get referrals from your top clients. After you have finished providing your service, write a letter and mail it shortly after. Send a few extra business cards and mention your incentive for referrals. The letter should not entirely focus on referrals - the bulk should be in regards to how much you value them as a client. Save the last few sentences for the referral pitch.

Tags: Customer Referrals, Referrals