We’ve all heard that the big guy upstairs is pretty generous when it comes to granting favors. While we may not get a brand new Ferrari on-demand, there is a level of certainty that our true needs will be met when we ask. With this being such a common belief in the western world and since a piece of his holiness is said to reside within each one of us, why don’t we ask for help from others more often when it comes to building business referrals?
I recently had dinner at a local Indian restaurant, Namaste, near my home in Miami. In the process of ordering, I casually asked the owner how he was going about attracting new customers. His response, sadly, was word-of-mouth. That response, in conjunction with the hundreds of identical responses that I hear from small business owners, led me to believe that most entrepreneurs simply don’t pursue any major marketing initiatives for their businesses. Sound familiar? Well, I’ve got a very simple marketing strategy for anyone who sings this same song. I’ll give you a hint, it’s written in the title of this article. Yes my friend, this article is all about building business referrals simply by asking with your mouth!
Have you ever wondered how many additional customers you’d receive if you simply asked all of your existing customers for a referral? Not only is this a ridiculously simple strategy and exercise, it’s likely to net you outstanding results. This foreseeable outcome makes good sense if you think about it. See, your existing customers almost assuredly are pleased with the quality of your products or services. And there’s a strong possibility that they’re also generous and altruistic to some degree. Therefore, politely asking each of them if they know of someone who can also benefit from what you offer, that’s a reasonable and logical request. I recently enacted this very strategy and was able to gain 19 new leads within 24 hours and I had a new paying customer within 2 days! Talk about really building business referrals! Try it folks, it works!
Now let’s take this to a higher level. Don’t worry, I promise that this part is equally as easy and it’s likely to keep the cash register ringing. What if existing customers aren’t the only people that you are asking for business referrals, but you also ask every person that you met?! Ok, I know what you’re thinking… “Asking complete strangers for business referrals doesn’t make sense. If the stranger isn’t a good fit for what I offer, why the huckleberry would they want to send other people my way?” Well, the answer here is quite simple. Some people will help, but most want. This technique is strictly a matter of quantity. It’s a numbers game. The idea is that if you ask enough people, surely you will start to reap the benefits. Now before you talk yourself out of this simple strategy, let me give you some examples.
Imagine that you own a restaurant like my new compadres over at Namaste. Would it hurt to ask every customer at the point of sale to “go to Yelp.com and give us a review if you enjoyed your food and experience here?” If you dissect this technique, you’ll notice a few key points that make all the difference.
- Ask everyone! It’s a game of numbers and the bigger the number, the more results you’re likely to receive.
- Ask at the point of sale. Don’t wait 6 months when asking for a business referral. Instead, ask while your products and services are fresh on their minds.
- “Go to Yelp.com…” This is a very specific request, based on your type of business. In this scenario, it’s a restaurant, so asking patrons to go to the largest restaurant review site in the world and to leave [hopefully a positive] feedback, that can mean a herd of new customers. Lots of people use sites like Yelp to make buying decisions. In this case, they’re likely going to choose a restaurant that has great reviews from lots of real customers. If they see that your little ol’ restaurant has HUNDREDS of positive reviews, guess where they’re bringing the family for dinner?!
Now, for those of you who don’t own a restaurant, or don’t have a brick-and-mortar store, or if you don’t even sell directly to consumers (i.e. you sell to businesses instead), there is an easy alternative to what I’ve outlined above, and it’s still about building business referrals.
- Ask everyone. You definitely want to ask all of your current customers/clients, but you also want to ask every person that you have a personal or professional association with. These people don’t have to just be friends or colleagues either. Heard of social media? Ok, that’s a rhetorical question, but my point is that you should literally ask every single person that you’re connected to on social media for leads. You never know who’s got a filthy-rich uncle that’s dying to buy your stuff!
- Ask at the point of sale. You can ask immediately after someone buys your products online or you can ask IMMEDIATELY after you meet/connect with someone for the first time. It sounds pushy, it may even sound crass to some of you, but small business is about survival and most people realize that. Don’t be the jerk that’s asking for a business referral 2 seconds after learning someone’s name, but do be the jerk marketer that says “hey, you wouldn’t happen to know…” once you’ve established rapport. Remember, it’s a numbers game. Most people will NOT help you, but if you make this a part of your daily routine, you’re going to see big results
- “Go to XYZ social network…” Depending on what you sell, there’s a social network that’s just crawling with potential customers. Find that one social network and stick with it. I repeat, find ONE network, and pimp it 24/7. Ask people that you know/meet to go to the site and give you a review or connect with you or whatever makes sense for your business.
If you want to take this a step further and really be the belle of the ball, I suggest printing business cards that are specifically asking for business referrals. Make it simple and make it relevant. For instance, if you want people to “Like” you on Facebook, make a card that’s cute and asks for the Facebook Like. Include the name of the business, the Facebook URL, the product/services that you sell, and a big ol’ [preferably witty] statement that says “Be as awesome as Mother Theresa and “Like” our Facebook page. Thanks Mom! xoxo” If the cards are visually attractive and funny, you can literally hand these out to strangers and you’ll definitely get more Likes.
One more thing to keep in mind, if you have employees, make sure that they’re also in tune with building business referrals. This should be instilled within every person in your organization, particularly sales reps, cashiers, and executives. Always be selling! It works!
Ok, the challenge is on. I challenge you to try building business referrals using this strategy for just one week and see what results you get. Let me know how it goes by leaving a comment below. It’ll be really encouraging for the other readers!
