The Referral Engine summary

Why might a customer refer you? It’s an essential question that your referral strategy must address.

To find your answer, you have to offer something different that people will talk about, or identify a way that you already do.

You may think that getting more customers is always a good thing, but the truth is a bit more complicated. Having the right kind of customers will increase the positive experiences your clients have, thereby producing buzz for your business.

In other words, not all customers are a match for your business, but you can identify which ones are by creating a profile of your ideal one. Just think of a current customer who brings you the most profit and referrals.

Now that you’ve set yourself apart from the pack, how can you start creating valuable content that your customers will learn and benefit from?

One way is to write a five- to 20-page educational white paper based on the core principles of your business. This document can serve as your go-to educational tool for all prospects and partners.

In marketing, exposure is the name of the game. Here are a few useful exposure tools to put into practice:

First, take advantage of the powerful targeting opportunities afforded by online advertising. While lots of people believe online advertising has low conversion rates, this misses the point; your goal in using such tools is to direct traffic to your value-giving content. In the end, it’s your quality content that will turn interested visitors into customers.

Marketing has evolved dramatically over time, and in the modern world, businesses tend to fall into two different marketing categories: those that focus on online marketing and deliver a wealth of content, and more traditional businesses that focus on in-person interactions, in which the customer benefits from a greater sense of connection and community.

However, true success means combining these approaches. The synthesis of online marketing with in-person conversations will forge a powerful trust-building synergy that’s vital to any marketing effort. For instance, after you meet a prospective client, you could contact her on LinkedIn, passing along one of your relevant educational blog posts.

The previous blinks have given you some great tools for collecting referrals, but it’s also important that you make it as easy as possible for customers to refer you when they are inclined to do so.

A good start for this is to give every new client a customer bill of rights. This document is akin to an owner’s manual, like the one that comes with a new power tool; its purpose is to make sure customers know what their rights are and what they can expect from the relationship with your business.

By now you know how crucial customer referrals are. However, another group holds the potential for even more expansive reach: partners. These are businesses with a common ideal customer and reaching out to them is vital.

You can start by listing the high-quality companies you trust and would happily recommend to your own referral stars. It’s good to start with businesses you personally know and use.

Now that you have your referral strategy laid out, you need a plan for actually receiving those referrals.

The first step is to decide on the best time for asking customers to make a referral. This is usually when key customers express how impressed they are with your offering.