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How to use referrals to get more clients?

by wb_man
5 replies
Does anyone here use referrals to quickly get more clients? If so, how do you do it? Just by asking your current clients if they know people who might be interested in your services?

Do you offer them an incentive to refer people to you? Or do you just focus on doing good work for them and they will automatically refer people to you?

How effective is it compared to other methods such as cold calling, direct mail, etc.?

Anyone willing to share their experience of how they used referrals to get clients?
#clients #referrals
  • Profile picture of the author Treborrevo
    Not sure what industry you are in, but here's a few thoughts on using existing clients to capture more referrals and new clients...

    1. "Who do you know who...."

    Just don't ask "Do you know anyone else who can use my services/product/whatever".

    Think about the problems and frustrations someone is having before they have a need for your gizmo.

    Then when you speak with your current clients, you ask them "Who do you know who may be frustrated by X or struggling with Y or is fighting with Z?

    It primes their mind more and your likely to get more/better referrals.

    2. Offer a report they can pass out to friends...

    For a stock broker, we knew folks had BIG questions about investing in gold. So, we prepped a briefing on the subject. He then offered it to his existing clients saying, "you may have family and friends who are curious about the pros and cons of investing in gold - I've prepared a special report that answers many of the questions they may have. I'm happy to send a copy/email a PDF you can forward to your family and friends.

    3. Use them to reach other non-competing product/service providers.

    One of my clients and I wrote a book/report on referrals called "The Art of Referrals: How I created a $500,000 a year referral machine" for the mortgage industry.

    This gentleman used the genius strategy of asking his existing clients who their CPA was. He would then ask them to let the CPA know he was calling to discuss their mortgage and finance issues. When he called the CPA he would let him know they "Shared a client" and since the CPA was the guardian of their finances, he'd like to drop by and explain how/why he was shaping the mortgage a certain way.

    At the end of a few years, he had built a network of over 700 CPA's and Financial planners sending streams of referrals his way with this strategy.

    If you can give more details on your unique situation, perhaps I and others can give some more specific strategies.
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    Always ask for referrals. You just never know when somebody actually knows someone then and there. If not, always hand them a business card for the future.
    Signature

    Cheers, Laurence.
    Writer/Editor/Proofreader.

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  • Profile picture of the author Tech2rogers1
    Improve the people relationship for making the more clients...
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