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Success with Customer referrals

by Mikeyrooney
1 replies
Hello everyone,

I wanted to set up a thread to discuss success with referral systems i.e. customer referrals.

I have read in many books referrals from happy customers are a great source of new sales.

What are your thoughts on paying your customers or giving them bonus products for referrals?

What are the best strategies for teaching non-Internet marketing people i.e. customers how to promote their special referral link?

My idea was to show my customers how to create a signature in every email they send out with their referral link included. I also thought about sending each customer who wants to enroll in the referral program a pack of 500 business cards with their unique URL printed on the card. What would you do? Have you had success with anything like this before?

Has anybody had a specific success with a referral program such as this?

If so what were your main ingredients for success within the program?

I hope this thread can turn into something valuable for everyone here.

Thanks in advance for your opinions ! Mikey
#customer #referrals #success
  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Mikey, referral leads are the very best you can get - IF they are honest referrals. It sounds more like you want to turn your customers into affiliates. Nothing wrong with that, and bird-doggin does work, but it's a different model.

    Depending on your product/service, paying for referrals can be a sticky business. It can be interpreted as a paid endorsement, with a whole new batch of disclaimer rules.

    When I was consulting, I loved getting real referrals. They were already in a buy mode most of the time, and the only 'selling' left was figuring out if we were a good match or not.

    > The best time to get a referral is right after your customer has a good or great experience, and is feeling the love for you.

    > Don't ask for referrals. Spell out your description of the ideal prospect, and ask if the referrer knows anyone who matches the description. One example I read was that of a copy machine rep. His ideal prospect was an office that had lots of waste paper around the copy machine, which indicated that the company may be having trouble with the copier.

    > If you get a referral, ask for permission to use the referrer's name. This gets you a tacit endorsement.

    > Ask for an introduction. I was out on a charter boat once, and shooting the breeze with the guy next to me on the launch. After a few minutes, he said he knew someone I'd be perfect for. I asked if he'd introduce me. To my surprise, he whipped out his phone and called the guy!

    > When someone did go out of their way for me, I sent them a personal token of appreciation. It might be a book from Amazon or a gift card for their favorite restaurant, even a DVD of a movie they said they wanted to see.
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