Why You Shouldn’t Just Rely On Word-of-Mouth Referrals

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I firmly believe that referrals are one of the greatest compliments you can receive for your business.

Referrals speak volumes about how you run your business, the kinds of results you get your clients, your integrity, the trust that people or businesses place in you and so, so much more.?

But the reality is that so many businesses place too much of their focus on using referrals as a way to grow their business. Not to mention the time it takes to build referral trust.

Don’t get me wrong, you DEFINITELY want to have referrals as a tool in your arsenal, but it shouldn't be your ONLY tool.

It should be ONE tool among many that you should be utilizing to grow and scale a profitable business.

One of the biggest frustrations that I hear from service-based professionals is that they wished they had more referrals.

I view the referral strategy as more of a reactive process. You can't control how many referrals you receive or when you will receive them. You are relying on others to bring quality leads to you.

Proactive marketing strategies, on the other hand, gives you much more control over the quality and the speed of new business.

Too many people are relying on word-of-mouth and not spending enough time and energy on other marketing methods to expand their business.

This is why I will be doing a deep dive into how to use proven and proactive marketing strategies to attract high paying clients and get consultations booked with my free, 5-day masterclass, starting on February 7th.??

Reserve your seat here.? Access to our masterclass includes a workbook and the help of our community manager to keep you on track!

As you continue to build your referral strategy, be sure to implement some of these proactive marketing methods CONSISTENTLY into your business:

1) Expand your Reach To New Audiences

Make a deliberate plan to build your database of prospective clients and know that it takes effort and persistence.

You get to control the speed at which you grow.? Ensure that you are actively engaging in:?

1. Speaking on stages of others where you know your audience hangs out (just this one alone can significantly impact the growth of your business).
2. Hosting your own online and in-person events.
3. Collaborating with partners.
4. Creating online conversations that result in offline meetings.
5. Posting valuable content that educates first.

TIP:? Be sure to measure your reach to understand if it’s working.? What gets measured, gets managed!

2) Grow Your Team

Expand your team so you can create the multiplier effect.? Hire the right team who CAN create more conversations with ideal prospects and ensure that they are spreading your message.?

Assist them to be present in their communities by encouraging them to find the right stages to speak on.? This is a win-win for everyone!

TIP: even smaller businesses with no teams can start engaging in this activity by bringing on part-time support and ensuring that they get the right training.

3) Change The Way You Start Conversations?

One of the biggest mistakes we see people make is that they start conversations that don’t progress.

Simply because they are not engaging in conversational marketing.?

Instead of broadcasting a message, you should seek to start conversations that evolve over time.? Don’t rush it.

Be consistent in building genuine connections and continually enhance those connections over time.

These conversations, over time, will generate numerous opportunities for prospective clients to raise their hands to answer your call-to-action to enter into a discovery call with you.

TIP:? if you don’t have enough of these conversations going at the same time, you might feel pressured to pursue prospects who you know are not a right fit for your business.?

I’m curious what your thoughts are on this.? Agree, disagree? Share below!