How to get referrals tips for increasing your referrals
Getting referrals is not easy here are the top tips to get referrals According to Forbes, referrals is one of the most effective marketing strategies with a 60% acceptance rate. People do business with people they trust; and referrals is a great way to built relationships and trust. This article details top ideas to get referrals and how to get more referrals
Businesses that made it big with referral programs
PayPal, Stripe, Airbnb are some of the most successful online-based businesses through referrals. According to co-founder Elon Musk, PayPal spends an estimated 60 million dollars on its referral incentive programs during its formative years. In the program, every new user was rewarded with $20 for every referral, and this strategy was the foundation of PayPal’s success story. According to research, a referral is the most effective form of marketing, with a 60% success rate. The study further states that 4 out of 5 people buy a good or service after being referred by family or friends. Thus, referrals are not just a way to get qualified leads but also get leads with a high probability of purchasing your products and giving you more recommendation.
3 tips for getting business referrals online and offline
1. Provide exceptional customer service one of the best tips to get referrals
Exceptional customer service not only creates loyal customers but a pool of happy customers who can refer your business to friends and family. Start by undertaking a thorough KYC (know your customer) process. Strive to understand everything about your customer from age, sex, income level, social status, and other critical aspects of a KYC process. Understanding your customer goes beyond the KYC process but knowing the features of your product that can meet their needs. Delighting your customers goes beyond selling a product but giving customers a delightful user experience from the first time they interact with your website or brick-and-mortar store.
Some of the tips to provide excellent customer service include:
• Be friendly, smile, and be warm when interacting with customers.
• Honest; don’t hype your product to close a sale; give your customers genuine information regarding all product specifications.
• Listen to customers and be responsive; complaints, compliments, suggestions are ideas that are critical information sources that can
improve your product.
Strive to listen to customers and implement their ideas where necessary.
• Express gratitude; saying thank you seems simple, but it goes a long way in showing customers that you appreciate their business.
• Invest in staff training and development; your employees should understand and appreciate the value of exceptional customer service
to your business.
• Seek feedback; use customer surveys, suggestion boxes, feedback forms, and questionnaires to get feedback regarding your services.
Delightful customer service encourages repeat business, recommendation, and cross-selling, which are the basics of a strong marketing strategy.
2. Asking for referrals at a convenient time to get referrals
Like in my post about buying blog content I placed a link to a blog content buying service. When is the best time to ask for referrals? After making a sale? After one month? Or six months after closing the deal? According to statistics, the best time to ask for a referral is after closing a deal. As the customer continues to interact with your services, their excitement diminishes; hence are less likely to recommend your services.
Asking for referrals on the first interaction may seem pushy and aggressive, and asking for referrals six months after making a sale might prove ineffective. After closing a deal, sent the client a thank you email and included a question like,” do you know anyone who might need my services?”
This strategy is great to get new customers from referrals because:
– It allows you to express gratitude to your customers.
– You get to ask for a referral without being pushy or desperate.
– You get a referral with a similar demographic as your clients. Whether it is a friend or colleague, they probably face similar challenges
and might benefit from your services.
While asking for referrals, ensure that:
– You have a clear understanding of what you are asking; specify to the customer that you want someone in their circle, friends, or family.
– Be specific while asking for referrals. What do you need from the client? An introduction to the potential client? Coffee? Or their phone
number?
Being specific reduces resistance from your sources since they have a clear understanding of what is expected.
– Always ask your sources for action, not just the contact phone number or email of the potential leads.
– Strive to get a commitment from your sources. While most sources might promise’ to think about it, aim to get a confirmation without
being pushy. You can conclude the conversation with a statement like’ can I call you tomorrow to complete the arrangement?’ This will force your source to commit without making you seem like a pushy salesperson.
– Follow up on your sources. Remember, most people will not give you referrals on the first try; some will promise to call when they find someone. Don’t wait for them to call; you should take the initiative to call and make a follow-up. Consistency is vital in closing a deal; thus, follow up until you get a commitment.
– Always thank your sources, whether you close the deal or not, express gratitude for their efforts.
3. Built a robust referrals system
A robust referral system shouldn’t have to cost millions, like in the case of PayPal. Think of this scenario, if you want to see a dentist, who do you trust more? Your cousin or a website on top of SER (search engine results)?
A robust referral system gets you warm, qualified leads using the least effort. Thus, how do you build such a system?
– Start by using catchy headlines. Headlines like “refer a friend and get $20 free” can get you the leads you need. Your headline should have two things:
– The specific action that you want the customer to take like referring a friend or family
– What the source will earn as a reward like in this case, $20
Catchy headlines encourage and motivate your sources to take action. Further, catchy headlines can drive traffic to your website.
-Make it easier for your sources to refer your business.
-Your referral system should require the least effort from your sources. If the customer has to hustle to refer your services, they will probably give up along the way. The best system should require customers to share a link or provide an email to earn the reward.
Further, give your customers a referral message to send to friends or family. The message should provide necessary details about your business like the benefits, features, and a clear call to action.
How do you how to get referrals easily
With these tips, you can get warm qualified leads using the referrals marketing strategy.
Have you any tips to get referrals?
Do you know another method to get referred easily to let us know in the comments?