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Article:
Getting Referrals by: Bryan Brandenburg Referrals A substantial part of your business can come from referrals. The key is to provide extraordinary customer service and educate your clients and influencers to this fact. You must actively cultivate referrals; otherwise you're just leaving it to chance. Referrals Start with Great Service The foundation of great referrals is great customer service. A large part of your business can be generated through referrals. Make an investment in your business and your client's satisfaction by doing excellent work. Characteristics of a Referral Source Understanding the characteristics of a strong referral source, allows you to spend your time with the most qualified prospects. Below are the conditions of the optimum referral source: Must have a relationship with your target client Must understand your target client profile Must be educated on what you do Must respect you and your company Must be respected by your target client Must be motivated to refer clients to you Existing Clients You should regularly ask for referrals and you should have a formal referral program with your existing client base. We simply send a letter out regularly to our clients explaining that we would rather spend our money enhancing our services then marketing for business. We ask for referrals. We send coupons that can be distributed, business cards, and newsletters that can be forwarded. We're not pushy; we just are up front that if they are satisfied with our services they should recommend us. Complimentary Vendors With other vendors you need to be more formal about your referral arrangement. The promise of mutual reciprocation rarely works. Immediate gratification does. If you're clear about the value of the client calculated earlier in this section, then be generous with your fellow vendors when they bring in a client. If you're going to make a profit of $'10
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