Play 1: Refer, Refer, Refer...
“People influence people. Nothing influences people more than a recommendation from a trusted friend. A trusted referral influences people more than the best broadcast message. A trusted referral is the Holy Grail of advertising.”
- Mark Zuckerberg
It certainly is no secret that referrals go a long way in generating business. Entrepreneur.com recently reported that 85% of small businesses found word-of-mouth referrals were the best way to acquire local customers.
The greatest thing you can do for your brand is to focus on the client experience.
Ensure that each customer’s expectations are exceeded. Build a genuine bond and deliver on your promises. If you can consistently accomplish just these two things, you will be light years ahead of your competition.
Once your client is giddy over the results of your work, don’t be afraid to let them know how much referrals mean to you and your brand. Some people feel uncomfortable asking for things. It’s awkward, or maybe pride gets in the way. Yet pride should come out in your work. And when it does, you can feel PROUD to ask for these well-deserved referrals.
Many clients don’t fully understand or think about how helpful their recommendations can be. If you bring this to their attention upon completing great work, most will be quite eager to spread the word. In business, it is perfectly okay to let your base know that you rely on their trusted referrals to remain in business and thrive.
Not only do personal referrals create your strongest leads, this type of influential, quality advertising is also FREE.