Getting new customers is an important part of growing your business. Yes, you can prospect to generate new business, but you have an awesome source of prospects – your current customers!
According to the Wharton School of Business, a referred customer costs a lot less to acquire and has a higher potential for retention and loyalty. That’s great news….but how do you ask customers for these referrals?
You don’t want to be pushy but you do want them to mine their network to help you.
Identify your advocates
Knowing which clients are the happiest with you will increase your chances of obtaining referrals. Look at your customer surveys or even just your social media. Who has been raving about you online? These are your advocates.
Have a plan
Once you’ve identified your advocates, you need to formulate a plan to follow up with them and make it easy for them to refer your business to their network.
Be sure to engage with your advocates, especially online. Reach out personally to see if your advocates would be interested in promoting you. It’s important to make it easy for them to refer you.
Use customer feedback
Your brand is more likely to be trusted if people have social proof of your expertise. Testimonials and case studies are powerful in creating brand awareness and trust.
Ask your customers for feedback on how you did. Share these testimonials on your social media channels and your website.
Interview your happy customer for a case study. What was their problem? How did you help solve their issue? End with a testimonial from your customer about how happy they are with your work and your solution.
Offer incentives
Sometimes giving great customer services isn’t enough for some of your customers to refer you. Then it may be time to create a customer referral program and promote it to your customers.
Offer a discount on their next monthly bill or an Amazon gift card for a referral that becomes a new client. Don’t forget to include your vendors and partners in this program.
Then watch your referrals flow in.