How To Generate Genuine Referrals For Your Business
Business owners from all industries tend to agree on one thing. When it comes to advertising, there is nothing better than word of mouth promotion. Who is more trustworthy than a legitimate customer who has had a wonderful experience with your company? Referrals help to significantly bolster the reputations of businesses everywhere. As a business owner, it’s wise to find ways to generate genuine referrals for your business.
Ask for referrals in person.
It’s important to develop and maintain genuine relationships with your customers. Not everyone who supports your business will be interested in being your friend. However, it should be considered your duty to provide memorable customer experiences all the time. With genuine connections made, it will be so much easier for you to ask, “Would you be willing to refer our business to a friend?”
“One of the simplest ways to get new leads is to have your revenue operations team request referrals from both existing and past customers,” writes Bianca Caballero of Fit Small Business, “It could be as easy as thanking them for supporting your business and then asking them to pass along your information to their friends and family. Top-performing sales reps routinely ask their customers for referrals.”
Add a link to your website for referral submissions.
These days, nearly everything is done online. While there is certainly no harm in reaching out to your customers personally, many of them may prefer the “click here” type of convenience that is offered online. Send out emails to your top clients and include a link to a referral submission in each message. By making a referral as easy as clicking on a link and typing a few words, you will help to generate more great reviews for your brand.
“Even if buyers would be willing to offer a referral, it’s easy for them to forget,” points out Mary Flaherty of RAIN Group, “Make referrals easy to give. Provide a form on your website for buyers to provide referrals and include the link in your email signature. The simpler the form, the better – but make sure it’s still specific enough to accomplish your goals.”
Create a referral program.
People from all walks of life like to be appreciated. There’s certainly nothing wrong with sending a sincere “thank you” the way of customers who refer your business to others. In many cases, the best show of gratitude you can give is through a reward of some kind. A referral program communicates to your customers that you are willing to reward them for their support and recommendations. The program will certainly help to elicit more referrals.
“Providing referrals is often reciprocal between businesses,” notes Flaherty, “If you work with other companies that you value, propose a partnership to exchange referrals with your respective clients. Offering to refer your customers also creates a welcome bit of leverage when negotiating. Be sure you only include providers in this network that you’d be comfortable recommending to your best client or best friend.”
At Unity Payments, we offer a wide range of products and services that allow you to have multiple revenue streams, cost saving tools and the benefit of economies of scale. Among them are referral programs! They compliment your business with aggressive compensation, sales automation and complete back end support. Please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at [email protected] to discuss your needs.