Thankful For Referrals

All businesses want their customers to have a remarkable experience. Even better is when a customer has such a remarkable experience that they want to tell others about it. And although referrals can happen organically, the key is to create a referral strategy. No matter how small or simple of a strategy, it can make a big difference to resales, retention and revenue.

When customers refer you to others, they often want to know if they should refer again. Therefore, part of your referral strategy should be circling back to them on how the referral is going and letting them know their efforts are appreciated. Below are a few strategies to follow-up with customers who refer and some activities on how to implement them.

Giving Thanks
"Thank you!" We can remember our parents making sure manners were instilled in our everyday conversation and interaction with others. Manners and politeness should also carry into your business, specifically customers who refer. People want to know their contribution was appreciated. Thanking customers for referring others to your business sends the message that their efforts are appreciated, welcomed and helpful. And it sets the tone for them to continue referring you. It can be as simple as having a supply of "thank you for the referral" postcards to send when you know a customer referred you. Or you could train your team to thank a customer on the spot when they come back to your business with a friend. Bottom line, a simple "thank you for the referral" is not only polite but can also be very profitable.

Follow-up
Along with the simple thank you, you may include a more formal process to following-up with customers who refer. This can be done in several ways. One example would be to keep customers informed on those they referred (this is especially beneficial for businesses that have a long sales cycle). How would this work? You simply send an email or note to the customer every so often letting them know you are still in communication with a person they referred. And the more you can get your name in front of a customer, the more they think of you for additional sales and others to bring to your business. Another plus, it shows you are committed to working with the people they bring to your business and they are treated well.

Appreciation
Everyone wants to be appreciated, even your customers. Many businesses accomplish this in diverse ways. One example is having an appreciation event for referring. With a small budget for invitations, refreshments and balloons, you can invite several customers into your business for the purpose to thank them for being a customer who refers. An appreciation event is also the opportunity to let them know you still want their assistance in bringing you customers.

Educate
You may have a well-defined target market and customer profile. However, your customers who refer others probably don't know it. Customers may be more than happy to bring others to your business, but they don't know who to bring or who to refer. To educate your customers on whom and how to refer is part of your referral strategy. It can be in small groups or with individual customers. Either way it offers the chance to educate your customers on who is your ideal customer. And don't forget to give them some suggestions on how to refer you. You can give them simple language for the introduction or offer to make the introduction yourself on their behalf. Educating your customers in this way has several benefits. It can increase your customer loyalty and set the stage, so they are more equipped to refer.

You may not be able to guarantee each customer will refer you. However, your business can intentionally plan the experience your customers will have and be creative in that plan so you have a better chance of being referred.