You can generate a flood of referrals to your business by making the referral-giving process a deliberate condition of doing business with your company. So, the next time you get a new customer, explain upfront that part of the customer’s responsibility in the relationship is to provide three quality referrals within the first 90 days.
Simply say, “Mr/Ms customer, it is our intention to make you deliriously happy with our service and the results we provide. In return, we do ask that within the first 90 days you refer to us three quality people just like yourself. Is that OK by you?”
To make this strategy more formal, you may wish to give the new customer an A4 sheet that clearly sets out their obligation to you in this respect. Then again, it could be part of your welcome letter or pack that you give to the new customer.
As with all these ideas, and there isn’t a business for whom this wouldn’t apply, the rubber hits the road when you take the good idea and do something tangible with it. Why not make this idea an absolute, ironclad condition of doing business with you, beginning today, 3 September 2007? Oh yes, I nearly forgot, spend the requisite time educating the new customer on whom or what represents a quality referral. The clearer they are with this “ideal person or business”, the better the quality of the referrals you will have to work with.
By the way, recent research suggests that only 37.5% of businesses get their salespeople to ask every customer for referrals. This is a pretty good indicator that there are very few solid systems in place out there in business-land.
In another bit of interesting research, a survey asked 464 sales managers how frequently salespeople ask for referrals. It found 22.4% rarely asked, 31.5% did so occasionally and 8.6% only asked top customers. Just think of the opportunity they have been missing!!
Instead of asking customers how satisfied they are with your products or services,
ask them this question instead: “How likely are you to recommend us to another person?”
Finally if you are serious about generating additional referrals to your business you should consider a referral generation group such as Business Networking International. Check out more at www.bni.com.au There are chapters all over Australia and for Sydney & Surtherland Shire readers meetings are held in many locations including Silverwater, Rhodes, Drummoyne, Baulkham Hills, Norwest, Pennant Hills, Parramatta & Caringbah & for Illawarra readers there are meetings held in Wollongong, Shellharbour & Kiama.
In fact the Shellharbour Chapter aka BNI Biz Unlimited is having a visitors’ day on 19 September 2007. If you would like a personal invitation to come along and check out how this group can help grow your business then send me an email (paul@rightteam.com.au) with your contact details.
Re-examine the credibility factors of your business
“Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died,” said humorist
Erma Bombeck, and she was on to something of which we, as business
people, should also be aware.
Australia’s top vet, Dick Gelderman, is also aware of this analogy and can quote copious research about his industry to the effect that clients will draw a direct connection between the competency of the vet and the health of the external and internal plants and shrubbery surrounding the practice.
Put simply, dead or dying plants equals dead or dying pets.
Customers draw all sorts of visual, auditory and sensory conclusions. That
“clunk” sound while riding a lift equals unsafe lift. The sneezing chef equals
unhygienic surroundings and dodgy meals. The overweight gym instructor
equals incompetence.
Retailers who don’t personally use the products they sell is an indicator of a lack of quality and so on. Please appreciate that customers and prospects draw these conclusions from a whole host of areas. For example: you and your staff in how you look, what you say and what you do and don’t do. Then there’s the internal and external appearance of your business, plus the vehicles and equipment you use.
What observations would your customers and prospects be making about your business? What are the normal observations and conclusions of the prospects to your industry?
How are you and your business handling these normal industry observations and conclusions? OK, if you’d like a detailed checklist on how to appraise the current internal and external appearance of your business, then request our Special Action report entitled “Appearance Checklists”. Now this report is so good that I cannot give it away for FREE. It will cost you the names of two referrals. That is, the names of two like-minded business owners or managers just like you. That’s a fair trade isn’t it? And did you get the other business lesson here? I just asked for referrals and in return I’m giving away valuable information. Could you do something like this as well? So, call us on 1300 66 44 89 or email appearance@rightteam.com.au to request your report. Don’t forget to include or have handy the names, email addresses and phone numbers of your two referral people. | 
