How to Get High-Quality Referrals

83% of people from 60 countries say that they trust recommendations from friends and family when it comes to making their purchasing decisions (Source: Nielsen). This means that good old word-of-mouth marketing still rules. With the help from social media channels, news spreads like wildfire which can be an amazing opportunity for companies that insist on the quality of their products, while it can be a kiss of death for those that fail to deliver great customer service. High-quality referrals from your customers can significantly increase your credibility, but there are certain rules to follow if you want to make it work.

Don’t Leave Anything to a “Chance”

It’s clear that referrals are an extremely powerful tool for building your brand image, awareness, and credibility, so it’s advisable to include them in your business agreements and contracts. Of course, the timing and wording, in this case, are a sensitive matter, because you still haven’t had a chance to show your future client all your qualities. The best strategy to employ in this case relies on reframing. Instead of asking for a referral, it’s a good idea to formulate it as a win-win situation in which both parties can profit if they stick to their part of the agreement – you’ll invest your energy and efforts into your client’s success, and if you meet the goals established in the agreement, the client will provide you with a certain number of referrals.

Don’t Settle For Just Any Referral

In order for a referral to have a value, it’s important that your customer refers you to a contact with which they have a good relationship and not just somebody that they’re on bad terms with. Besides that, don’t expect your customers to guess who a good referral is. You need to explain who exactly you’re looking for and give them additional details. No matter how satisfied they are and how much they would like to do you a favor, they’re not from your industry and there’s no need to leave something so important up to them. The best idea would be to find a referral that you want, from your client’s network, and simply ask them to connect you.

Warm Calling

Although you’ll get in touch with a referral for the first time, this will by no means be a cold call. Instead of preparing like for a regular introductory call or email, you should “mime” a relationship you have with the client who gave you that referral. Use a friendly and relaxed tone, and don’t try to oversell yourself. Another good idea is suggesting your customer to send an introductory email or set you up a lunch meeting.

A Template

Instead of expecting your customers to come up a referral template, you should create one yourself. Remember that we’re talking about busy people, and if you want to get your referrals, remove any potential time-consuming obstacles and make the procedure as easy as possible. You shouldn’t be pushy, but in a week or two, check with your customer if they have already sent referrals, as they actually might have forgotten due to a hectic schedule, so remind them subtly one more time.

Finally, living up to your customers’ expectations and always going that extra mile is the first step towards getting referrals without even having to ask for it. 

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