Doing referrals the right way
According to Nielsen, 84% of people trust referrals from people they know!
Are you getting any referrals?
Here are a few tips for getting the referrals you should be.
It is important to be building relationships with your customers – they are the people who will refer other people to your business. Listen to your customers and ensure that you let them know how well you understand their needs. A better understanding of needs ensures that you can deliver a better customer experience.
Personalisation
When a customer feels that they are receiving a personalised experience the happier they will be. It can also work in reverse for the times you share a behind the scenes image or video on social media. Customers love to feel like they are a part of the business that they are doing business with. Engaged customers are far more likely to refer others to your business. This is one reason that engagement is so relevant to social media.
Are you going above and beyond what your customers/client’s expectations are?
- Every business interaction should be a great one.
- When people have a great experience they notice and tend to talk about it with others.
- Do you offer any extras?
- Are you utilising reminders or automated emails to interact?
- Your customers want and need to be heard – how well do you listen!
- Are you solving your customers’ problems?
- What is your customer support like?
- How fast do you respond to emails?
- What is your turnaround time for providing quotes?
- Are you respectful and helpful instead of pushy and insincere?
- Do you provide everyone with the same level of attention?
Ask away
Many people do not automatically think about referring business – this is why you should always ask. When you are in the process of thanking someone for doing business with you, this is a great time to ask for a referral. You may even choose to offer an incentive for people to refer someone. ING, for example, offers a cash incentive for both the referrer and the referee.
Formalise
You may decide to have a very formal referral program and this will work for many types of businesses, particularly larger ones. Just having a written outline of your referral system can ensure that even the solo operator stays on top of asking for referrals.
Give thanks
Saying thanks takes such a short amount of time but it makes everyone feel so much better. A simple thank you email or text is more than enough it doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. The thank-you just goes a long way to showing why they referred you in the first place. Continuing to build these connections will keep the referrals coming in.
Conclusion
Referrals can often be a lifeblood for many businesses so they are not something to be overlooked. Take the time to get to know your customers and ask for the referrals that will grow your business long term.
Need some help working out what you need to do to generate more referrals? Book a session today with My Sassy Business.
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