4 Things You Can Do Today to Get More Referrals 

Is referral marketing a priority in your overall marketing plan? Despite the power of referrals, many business owners spend little or no time on referral marketing. For them, if a referral happens, great. If not, they have other marketing strategies in play, anyway.

What these business owners fail to realize is the true importance of the customer referral – especially in the current business climate.

Think about these two statistics on referral marketing:

It’s really that simple. If you want customers to refer you to others, you must be  absolutely sure they’re having an amazing experience throughout their interaction with you.

Before you assume your company already offers a good customer experience, think about this:  Good is the enemy of great.  In today’s world of at-your-fingertips service, a good customer experience is not enough. You have to be great, maybe even better than great, to make an impression on today’s savvy consumer. And the only way you’ll get a referral is by making an impression with your excellent service. 

This is life, and bad things happen. Orders are shipped late, products break during installation, customer service reps have bad days. But how you deal with these issues will influence your customer’s attitude toward your company and whether they’ll share positive or negative feedback with family and friends.

Some business leaders will tell you the complaint management process is the single most important process in your company – and they’re probably right. The way you deal with a customer’s problem or complaint will set the tone for the entire customer interaction. Ensure your company has a specified process for handling issues. And be sure your team is well trained on that process.

A well-handled problem, even if it’s not resolved in the customer’s favor, will go a long way toward building a relationship of trust with your customer and earning you a positive referral.

When your customer leaves a positive review online, that’s already a point in your favor. But you can put that review to work to earn even more exposure.

Share customer reviews on your social media feeds and invite potential customers to contact you. And don’t forget about your website. Positive customer reviews will look great on your website’s homepage! (See how we leverage the power of positive reviews at Locallogy .)

Remember, an astounding 93% of consumers check online reviews before they decide to make a purchase. They’re looking for positive feedback, so yours needs to be front-and-center.

A tried and true way to get referrals is by simply asking your customers outright. Many business owners shy away from this though, because they’re worried it may seem desperate or pushy.  But there are ways of asking for referrals without being intrusive.

Directly asking every single customer for a referral is obviously not the way to go. You need to be a bit picky. If you had a less than stellar interaction or you’ve already received negative feedback, this is probably not a customer you’d ask for a referral.

Instead, focus on customers who had an above average experience or those who have left positive feedback. Naturally, they'll be a lot more likely to share positive feedback with others.

There are a few ways you can do this. The easiest, and perhaps the default way, is by simply thanking your customer for their business and asking them to please share their experience on social media or with family and friends. This is a common, straightforward way to ask for their help in a way that’s not uncomfortable .

If you’re looking to get actual leads from your customer, you may say something like, “Do you know anyone else who might need our services? We’d love to help,” or “We have a few openings if you know anyone who might need our services. Let me know, and I’d be happy to touch base with them.” These are great questions to ask because they open a casual conversation. Your intentions are clear—you want leads to new business—but your customer is not put in an awkward position. They can easily tell you they don’t know anyone who needs your services at the moment .

Want to learn more about Locallogy’s Review Builder and how we can use your company’s positive reviews to attract more customers? Get in touch and we’ll tell you all about it!