1. Your Email Signature
We
know it can be embarrassing or uncomfortable to ask your clients and friends
directly for referrals. A great
compromise is to add a line to your email signature that takes care of it for
you. Here are a couple of wording
options:
Your
referral is our greatest compliment!
Referrals
are the lifeblood of our business. We thank you for yours.
We
appreciate your referrals.
Adding
one of these lines to your email signature file is a subtle notice to everyone
you email that you are open to taking referrals. It’s indirect enough to where no one feels
put on the spot, and it takes all of five minutes to implement.
2.
Acknowledge Your Referral Sources
When
you find out someone has sent you a referral, be sure to acknowledge that
person with a thank you note or a gift.
(Be sure to check any licenses you hold so you know what restrictions
you are under concerning gifts to clients; some industries disallow it.)
You
might want to reward your top referral sources with more than a thank you
note. If you are not sure who your top
referral sources are, we can help you create a report in your accounting system
so you can track that information on a regular basis.
3.
Set Up a Referral Program
Creating
a formal referral program generates several benefits:
·
It formalizes the process of asking for
referrals. This lets clients know you’re
serious and interested in referrals.
·
It gets the word out to everyone without
anyone feeling pressured.
·
It is cost-effective and still far lower
cost than using other marketing channels.
·
It is not too time-consuming and
produces results.
To
set up your referral program, decide how you want to reward your referral
sources. It could be as fun as awarding
prizes such as Kindles and tablets to clients who send the most referrals to
you. The cost of the prize is a small
price to pay for the lifetime revenue of several new high-quality clients. Send a letter or email out announcing the
program, and then set up a process for tracking.
If
you’re in an industry where prizes and programs are simply not done, then a
simple letter requesting referrals will work too. Be sure to include a description of the specific
type of client you are looking for; you are far more likely to get referrals
when clients know who to look for.
4.
Develop Referral Sources
One
way to truly quantum-leap your business is to find new sources of
referrals. Your clients are a great
source, but they each know so many people.
If your clients have been with you for a while, your referrals could
stagnate because your clients have referred just about everybody they are going
to.
Keep
your referrals growing by tapping into power partners. These are small business owners that have the
same type of client you do, but are not competitive at all. The best way to reach out to them is to send
them a referral!
5.
Set Up Referral Processes
There’s
a lot your back office can automatically do when it comes to referral
processes.
·
You can remember to ask how a new lead
heard about you when they first call.
Then you can record and track that, so that you will know where your top
referral sources are. You can systematize the thank you notes
and gifts so they go out timely and automatically. You can regularly schedule times with
power partner to keep them up to date on your business changes and
opportunities. You can systematize a referral program
or related communications to keep everyone informed. Once
you set up these processes and delegate the tasks, you will grow your referrals
and subsequently your revenues.
Oh,
and by the way, we appreciate your referrals!
