Do you make it easy for people to recommend your business?
I believe that any business that masters the art of referral will never be short of quality customers, and they key word here is quality. Rather than just getting anyone who stumbles across our business, taking a smart approach in how we generate word of mouth (or word of mouse) referrals will result in attracting more of the type of customers that you really want.
Here is my five step process that might just help you to get all the referrals you want.
STEP 1. Be clear about what your ideal customer looks like.
We need to be very clear about this so that we can let other people know. This is harder than it sounds and most business owners have never really considered who their ideal customer or client actually is. We need to be able to finish the sentence “my ideal customer is…………………”
STEP 2. Spell out why they should use you?
Give four or five specific reasons that clearly state what your competitive advantages are. Don’t make it too long or wordy, keep it short, sharp and to the point. Make sure these are the selling features that will appeal to your ideal customer.
STEP 3. Explain how you would like people referred (and make it really easy)
This step is crucial – let people know how to physically refer others to you. Do you simply want a name and a number, an introductory email, or perhaps a face to face meeting? Once people are clear on this, they will develop their own sales pitch to refer you.
STEP 4. Take away the risk
We are often cautious about recommending a business, just in case it doesn’t live up to the expectation that we paint. Let your customers know that anyone they refer will receive the same level of service that they enjoy. Be bold, stand behind your statement and make sure that you live up to it.
STEP 5. Package this all up in a succinct but smart way.
I suggest that you put a very simple document together explaining all of the above. Design it, make it fun, give it an engaging title – something along the lines of “If only I had more great customers just like you”. Then make sure you distribute it far and wide.
Last but not least, ask people to refer you and they will, but you need to know how to ask. The above information will certainly help, and you need to have that ready to go, but having the opening line is the toughest part.
We don’t want to appear needy or desperate, so I suggest a line like the following – “Thank you so much for your business, I know you have a choice and thank you for choosing me. I am very passionate and committed to growing my business and I would love more great customers, just like you. I would really appreciate it if you could refer my business to your family, friends and anyone else who will listen.”
Sounds simple – which is why I love it. But if you can master the art of asking for referrals and make it easy for people to refer you, I guarantee that you will get exactly what you want, lots of new customers.
We all go through stages where we feel flat, perhaps a little depressed and blue. When we go through these stages, we can lose that loving feeling for our business. In this blog post I suggest 8 ways to overcome feeling blues in your life and your.CLICK HERE
Seeing that Valentine’s Day is around the corner, it seems only appropriate to keep that loving feeling going. In one of my posts on the ANZ Small Business Hub this month I have written an article about “how to show your customers some loving”. CLICK HERE
Yes, it’s that time again. I will be running my Professional Presenters Bootcamp in Cairns and Townsville in the coming months. For more details CLICK HERE. And please rest assured, I will be rolling it out around Australia in the coming months (I just have to find the time – 2013 has got really busy).
I posted this presentation 2 weeks ago and so far over 3000 people have viewed it – and the feedback has been extraordinary. You can check these 52 strategies out by clicking on the following link – and even download a copy. CLICK HERE
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