3..no…4 Simple Tactics to Get Massive Referrals

If you’re interested in getting more referrals but are not sure where to start here are 4 simple strategies you can use get more referrals.

First, realize that people WANT to refer if you can WOW them.  What do I mean by WOWING them?  Well, have you ever ate at a restaurant or seen a movie that was so good you HAD to tell your friends about?

That is what I mean when I say “wow.”  Just doing what you promise will not get you a boatload of referrals. So what are ways to “wow” people?

Well, it depends on your industry and what you do but what type of bonus can you throw in for free.  For example, if you are a restaurant is it worth it to give out a free dessert to generate good will.

It*may* be, but it depends on your business.  IT definitely would be worth it if you are to collect names for a mailing list — but that is another subject.

If you are an accountant perhaps you can review their taxes from last year at no cost, provide a workshop for how they can get additional tax benefits, or provide some other type of bonus.  The key here is to make a big list of ideas and then test and see which one works for your business.

So the first key is to wow people.

The last 3 tactics involve all ‘R’ and they are remind, recognize, and reward.

Remind: You have to constantly be asking, in the right way of course, for referrals.  How do you do this?  As many ways as possible.

Thank you cards always work very well.  Monthly holiday campaigns also do well.  So do referral contests.  But ALL of these do not work unless you have top of mind awareness and people are constantly thinking of you.

Recognizing people want to be thanked for the things they do.  When I say recognizing people I literally mean calling attention to people who give you referrals.

There are several ways to go about this.  If you have a newsletter you can recognize people who give you referrals in your newsletter.  This can be done in a print newsletter, or digital email newsletter.

If you have a “walk in” store often times a “leader board or thank you board” can “recognize” people who are giving you referrals.  It all depends, but recognition is extremely important because many times people get competitive and want to be known as a person who refers.

Reward: Lastly you need to reward people.  You need to quantify how much a good referral is worth to your business and REWARD people when they send you a referral.  Do not be cheap here.

If someone makes you $5,000 is it worth it to give them $500 or $1,000?  I honestly can’t answer that question for you, but if you have salespeople and you would pay them this amount then I would recommend you seriously consider paying referral partners a lot because you can almost have a “silent” sales force working for you.

And even if that referral does not always convert into business you still want to reward people.  Why?  Because it is the polite thing to do, and it is the right thing to do.  Even if that referral didn’t lead to business a person still tried and will keep sending you business.   Lastly, people WANT to be rewarded for referrals.  It makes them feel appreciated.  I have sent people business before and not even received a thank you card or someone even mentioning it.

Now, I know what you might be thinking.  You might be thinking that recognition and rewards are of no interest to you personally.  And this may be completely true.  You may have no interest in this at all.  But please understand this.  You are not always your customer or referral partner.

I have personally seen millionaires refer to get a Star bucks gift card, or a box of brownies.  I have seen very prominent business people get in an argument over who referred the most. So just because it may not appeal to you doesn’t mean you cannot use this in your business.

Yes, you might need to refine and tweak this a bit, but you definitely need to be utilizing these concepts in your business.

So, remember the following:  Step 1, WOW people.  Make them HAVE to tell their friends, clients, associates, and vendors about you.  How so?  Go above and beyond the call of service.

Ask yourself this question:  What could someone do for you that you would be forced to tell 3 to 5 people?  Then DO That!

Step 2, Remind people of your contests, what you have done for them, and what is in it for them.

Step 3:  Recognize people who do refer.  Recognition is extremely important because people want win.

Step 4:  Reward.  At the very least send a thank you card.  I would personally recommend sending food because few people truly thank people for referrals.  It will make you stick out and be remembered.

If you do those things, you’ll zoom past your competition and your business will take off.  And if you want even more strategies, tactics, and tips to grow your business click on ‘Subscribe’ below to get our completely Free (worth $79) Psychological Marketing Strategic Newsletter

P.S.  Do you know of anyone who would benefit from reading this article?  If so please go HERE and you can refer them to me.   Thanks