Double your referrals from your clients.. 10 ways..

Your clients are your best source of referrals. Those referrals are the ones that close the fastest and stay with you the longest. How do you get your clients to stay with you longer and become compelled to refer business to you? Here are 10 quick ideas.

Your clients are your best source of referrals.

1. Every month make sure that you check-in with your client and see how they are doing. You don't need to spend hours and hours with them. All you need to do is check in. This way you stay top of mind with them and you show them you care. Many people avoid doing this because they feel like if it aint broke don't communicate. They might rethink why they are doing business with you and leave you. You need to to take that risk today because if you have that attitude they will leave you eventually and you will miss out on the ability to see that coming. Check in people!  Add it to your calendar as a recurring event.
2. Connect with your client on social media and show them that you see what they are up to. Make sure to like and comment on their stuff in a non creepy way. Add value to them and build up that relationship. They are putting stuff out there and they want to get acknowledged for it.
3. Setup a Google alert for their name and their company name. When you see something interesting about them come up on Google. Send it to them, they might not be aware of it and will thank you.
4. Make sure to review their Google and Yelp reviews. Brainstorm ideas about how they can get better reviews. If you have used your clients services, leave them a positive review on one of those review sites.
5. Invite them to your office to come see what is going on with your team. Update them on your company's progress and let them know how you are taking things to the next level. Clients want to know that they are working with a progressive company. When you personally invite them into your world they get excited.
6. Find out when your clients birthday is and acknowledge them on their special day. Many people overlook this simple thing that is totally appropriate. You don't even have to spend any money on the client, all you need to do is wish them a happy birthday. I went to an ATM to withdraw some cash and the ATM wished me a happy birthday. It really made me feel special that the machine did that. DO IT!
7. Send them a thank you letter in the mail. Just thank them for being a client. Use ThanksGiving as an excuse but you don't have to. A handwritten thank you letter is going above and beyond. Think about the last time you got one and how it made you feel. People always say to do this but I don't see people doing it. Write one and mail it out, you will really stand out.
8. Invite your client to join you for a social event you are going to. There are dinners and parties that we go to all the time and when we take a moment and invite our clients to come with us, most of the time they will decline but the gesture will be there. They will feel like they want to do something for you.
9. Create a case study about your client, help show them how much you mean to them. Ask them for a testimonial and put it in a special place. Make sure that they see it. Ask them for a linkedin recommendation and help them write it based on what they think about you. This is a vulnerable action that actually builds a relationship with you and the client and makes them want to refer business to you.
10. Ask your client this simple question a few times a year. “How can I add value to your life”. Think about that, your client is not just a business person, they are a human being and all humans have needs that are above and beyond business. When you take a moment and learn about their life outside of work, you become more than just a business partner but you become a valued friend and relationship. This is the ultimate tip to get you more referrals and build a mutually beneficial win win relationship.

Hope these 10 tips were helpful. Please let me know which ones you will be implementing in the comments below. Take one at a time and execute it on one client at a time. Watch your business grow!

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BIO: Joe Apfelbaum is the CEO and co-founder of digital marketing agency Ajax Union. He is a public speaker, certified Google Trainer, and published business author. Joe enjoys speaking and writing about a broad range of business topics in his seminars, webinars and articles. Joe is a member of the Board of Directors of the Entrepreneurs Organization in Brooklyn, a group with over 11,000 CEO’s and a contributing member of the INC Business Owners Council, a community of the fastest growing companies in the United States. Joe is proud of all his accomplishments, but most of all he is proud of his successfulfoodie wife and beautiful four kids.