Referral systems are probably one of the most important
things you can implement in your business. It's an easy way
to double your business by just getting all your customers
to refer just one person to you. That doubles your
business. Word of mouth marketing is one of the cheapest
things you can achieve in your business.
Is this really difficult? You might think it's impossible
because perhaps you rarely get referrals. Now That's what
you know about. You might be getting referrals and not be
aware of them or tracking them. It's not difficult. You
should aim all of your efforts at getting referrals because
they're usually better customers.
They don't cost as much to get because you haven't run
advertising for them. They're usually less sensitive to
price because you're coming to them recommended. They're
more likely to tell someone else about you because that's
how they found out about you. They're less likely to
complain because they know their friend or family was
satisfied with you and they probably should be. You don't
want any opportunity to pass by without asking for
referrals.
There's one company that came up with a simple way to grow
their business. They used it to expand their business into
a big operation in a short time. What they did was bend
over backwards to make their customers happy, and people
are always ready to give referrals while they're still hot.
You don't want to just give them one business card like
most people do. Hand out five and let them pass them out.
Do it when the customer is really hot and excited about
your product or service. It's easy for someone to misplace
just one card, but it's hard to lose all five business
cards. This company's' been doing just this one technique
and their business has sky rocketed. It's very inexpensive.
You may already be handing out business cards, but I
suggest you hand write something on the back. Maybe an
extra offer to add a bonus or some extra guarantee or some
possible VIP treatment Something to make that card special.
There are two types; a Reward Referral Program and a
Recognition Referral Program. You should use at least one
of these. When a customer calls in to say what a great job
you've done or how much they love your product, thank them
and ask for a referral at that time because it's very easy
and you will get results.
Reward Referral Program- This is based on giving your
clients or customers a monetary reward for referring
someone. You can also give away gifts like a set of knives,
glasses, china. The monetary way is an easy way to develop
this program. For every referral, you could give them $10
of value. If they give you one to three, that's $10 each.
If they give you four, the 4th receives $20. It's a way to
get them to refer more.
You can create a whole program within your business. If you
send out newsletters on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, you
list the customers who give you referrals in that
newsletter. Rewards that are monetary tend to be better
than discounts because that's kind of a conditional reward.
You're not giving them a gift, you're saying, "Well, here's
a reward, but the only way you can get it is if you buy
something else from me." They do work, but in order of
importance, the monetary award is better than the discount
coupon.
Some state associations frown on your "buying" customers
that way. Some people claim it's not ethical. So, you might
consider gifts such as jewelry, movie tickets, ball game
tickets, dinner, etc.
You can go out to local businesses and get free gifts from
them. If these businesses are credible, they will give them
to you for free so they can get someone to frequent their
business. This is similar to the "free cookie" approach. It
will actually cost you nothing. You could give them a
choice of free tickets, free dinner, or a miniature golf
game.
If you up the ante for more than one referral, they will
keep referring because they will want the valuable gifts
you are offering. Most people like to be recognized and see
their name in print so they will appreciate the newsletter
recognition.
Track Sources and Get Referrals Immediately- You need to
know where every customer comes from. You may already know
where a person came from when a technician or salesman
shows up at a home. Just to make sure, it's easy to give a
customer a form to fill out and get referrals right away.
It's also giving them some customer service thanking them
and hoping they were thrilled with your service, and asking
them to give you some names and explaining your monetary
reward referral program.
About
The Author
Abe Cherian is the founder
of Multiple Stream Media,
a company that helps online
businesses find new
prospects and clients, who
are anxious to grow
their business fast, and
without spending a fortune
in marketing and automation. http://www.multiplestreammktg.com
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