Marketing Information

Why Referral Business Is So Valuable


With so much money invested on innefective advertising, it's time to look at some good old fashioned ways of generating new business. One tried and tested way is by referral.

Here are three reasons why referrals are so valuable?

1. Customers who refer are more likely to stay with you and as a result, spend more, adding to their lifetime value.

2. Referrals are more likely to become customers. Why? Because they have been recommended to you by someone they trust and who in turn, trusts you.

3. Referrals who become clients are likely in turn to generate referrals because they understand the process.

What's the best way to generate referrals?

You have to earn them! You have to treat your customers as friends. The result is that they will want to introduce you to people they know who in turn can do business with you.

It's back to that Trust thing again isn't it? By showing you care about them and about their lives, your level of trusts increase. Remember the three things people think about before doing business with someone?

1. Do I like the?2. Do I respect them?3. Can I trust them?

By taking the time to develop relationships, trust increases, as does the likelihood of referrals.

By delivering a high standard of service in an appropriate professional environment or fashion, you are demonstrating your professional competence. The combination of this and your capacity to develop relationship will in turn earn you the right to ask for referrals.

I guarantee that if you did nothing else but began asking your customers for referrals on a regular basis you would instantly see an increase in referrals coming into your business.

The best time to ask for a referral is when a customer gives you a compliment or expresses any kind of gratitude towards you or your business. Tell them that your purpose in asking is to build your business. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

In fact, a client who really likes you will actually feel honoured that you have asked for their help.

Don't be afraid to tell your clients whom they should be thinking of as referrals (i.e. people under a lot of stress, people who are health conscious, people in pain) - be specific. You get what you ask for!

OK, so now you've gained sufficient trust and respect to ask for referrals, what do you do when you start getting them?Simple. Make a fuss of them by means of reward and recognition. Just as with children and dogs, rewarding good behaviour makes certain that the behaviour is rewarded.

Do it publicly, too. Create a Referral Recognition wall in your reception area. Put the names of people you've rewarded up there. Run a referral incentive program that rewards more for more referrals.

Remember we're talking about the cost of client acquisition and retention here. Far better to pay for the client after they've spent than to gamble on attracting them!

With a Reward for Referral program, your costs are a fixed item for every new client, too, making budgeting far easier.

Ask yourself this question: Do I currently know my exact cost of customer aquisition? If the answer was "no" you should look closely at a referral reward program.

About the author: James Yuille is a sales and marketing consultant and trainer with over 32 years experience. He is based in Brisbane, Australia. His free weekly sales and marketing newsletter provides topical information for business owners and salespeople. Find out more at http://www.jamesyuille.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Warning: set_time_limit() [function.set-time-limit]: Cannot set time limit in safe mode in /srv/www/vhosts/testmagazine.com/httpdocs/inc/rss.inc on line 8

Monterey Gourmet Foods Appoints Food Marketing Expert Tammy G ...
CNNMoney.com - 15 hours ago
As an expert in branding and consumer marketing she has led the marketing for major brands including Miller Lite®, Ortho®, RoundUp®, Enfamil®, Boost®, ...


BBC News

Apple marketing strategy a sign of the times
abc7news.com, CA - 47 minutes ago
There will also be a pricing tier at 69 cents," said vice president of marketing, Phil Schiller, during his keynote speech. It has upgraded its productivity ...
Video: Steve Jobs Weight Loss Due to Hormone Imbalance AssociatedPress
Live: Phil Schiller’s MacWorld 2009 keynote CrunchGear
Steve Jobs' No Show Forbes
123Macmini.com - Brighthand
all 2,620 news articles


Marketing Executive Kathy Humen Joins FaceTime as Senior Account ...
MSNBC - 11 hours ago
5, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FaceTime Strategy, a full service interactive marketing agency, is proud to announce that Kathy Humen has joined its management ...


KDPaine & Partners Expands, Adds Research, Sales and Marketing Staff
MSNBC - 9 hours ago
In September, Angela Olesen was named Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Ms. Olesen has over 15 years of experience building and executing profitable ...


Schipul - The Web Marketing Company to Expand Headquarters in West ...
MSNBC - 19 hours ago
HOUSTON, TX - Schipul - The Web Marketing Company (www.schipul.com), a Houston-based Web marketing and Web design firm, today announced an expansion of its ...


Natural Health Trends Appoints New Senior Vice President of ...
International Business Times, NY - 5 hours ago
(NASDAQ: BHIP)announced today that Linda Lucas Padilla has joined the Company as SeniorVice President of Marketing. In this newly created role, ...


Fans earn icing call against Wings
DetNews.com, MI - 21 hours ago
"They are going to set a new standard for marketing in the National Hockey League," Wings coach Mike Babcock said of the Blackhawks. ...


BrightTALK Hosts Marketing Automation Summit
International Business Times, NY - 6 hours ago
This online webcast summit will provide marketers with tips and techniquesto optimize their marketing programs by utilizing the latest marketingautomation ...
BrightTALK Hosts Marketing Automation Summit IT Business Net
all 8 news articles


Subaru's Secret: Clever Marketing
U.S. News & World Report, DC - Jan 5, 2009
As Marketing Daily points out, it's a "mid-market brand with a limited vehicle portfolio and marketing clout. Considering its budget, which is less than ...


Interactive Marketing Firm ClickSquared Raises $11 Million
Digital Media Wire, CA - 7 hours ago
ClickSquared, a developer of interactive marketing services, has raised $11 million in its second round of venture capital, which was led by JMI Equity, ...
Townsend Tapped as CEO for ClickSquared as Funding Round Closes on ... MSNBC
Andrew Frawley Joins Epsilon Mediapost.com
all 12 news articles

Marketing - Google News

home | site map
SEO Request | Wing Chun | Home Business Help | Klick Marketing Resources | Recommendation for Internet Business

© 2006 GetWebMarketing.com - All Rights reserved. - GetWeb Media Webdesign Muenchen