Author: proxymtg@protonmail.com

Introduction

Referrals are the best business model; you can use your current customers to get more of them. If you do it right, referrals will be a never-ending stream of new customers for your company.

Whether you’re selling services or products, this strategy can be a game-changer for your business. The secret is having systems in place so that when someone asks, “How did you hear about us?” you can answer honestly with a smile: “Oh…I heard about them from my friend (client).”

To start getting more referrals out of your existing customer base, follow these tips:

Just ask for introductions, not new businesses.

Ask them if you can have their email address when talking to someone. That way, when the time comes that you need an introduction to something, that person will be more likely to help.

Don’t worry about asking for business or looking like a pest by asking for referrals in every conversation. Just try to get introductions as often as possible, and things will start rolling on their own.

Don’t expect others to know what your business does without explaining it first (which is hard). If they don’t know who you are or the type of services/products you provide, how do they know if they can help?

The best way is through mutual connections and relationships with professionals who already have some familiarity with both parties involved (e.g., LinkedIn).

Give before you get

One of the best ways to get referrals is by giving before you call. The concept is simple: give before someone asks, and they’ll be more likely to return the favor.

This can be as simple as providing high-quality work or going above and beyond on a project, but it’s beneficial if you’ve done something that helps them specifically.

For example, let’s say that your friend Anna loves taking photos of her cat with her new camera—but she’s not very good at editing them yet.

You could offer some tips on how to make her pictures look better through editing software, which would help both of you (and maybe even lead to an unexpected friendship).

Or perhaps another friend needs help redesigning their website for their business—so instead of just saying, “let me know if there’s anything I can do,” offer a solid solution in addition to offering advice along the way.

Make it super easy

It’s easy to miss opportunities when they’re right in front of you. So it’s crucial to make it as easy as possible for people to refer their friends and family to your company.

Ensure the referral form or link is visible on your website or landing page. Don’t hide it in a menu option, opt-in form, pop-up window, or somewhere else that requires extra effort from visitors on the path toward conversion.

If someone wants to refer their friends and family members—and they probably do if they’re reading this guide—then make that process fast and straightforward.

Know your customer profile

As a business owner, you are more than likely to have a good idea of the profile of your ideal customer.

After all, it would be hard to run a successful business if you didn’t know who exactly was buying from you. But what about the other end of the spectrum: those who don’t believe?

Knowing your current customers is crucial because they already trust and like your brand. They know what makes them happy and frustrates them— this can give you valuable insight into how to sell more products or services.

But knowing who isn’t yet buying from you is just as important because they may be some of your best prospects for growth in future sales.

Conclusion

We hope these tips have helped you get started with your referral program. If you’re looking for more resources, we’ve already covered many of them in this post. Remember: the key to success is consistency and patience.

Introduction

Referral marketing is one of the most effective ways to acquire customers, but it can be challenging to get right.

You want your program to be simple and easy for you and your customers. But how do you make that happen?

In this post, we’ll walk through some of our favorite referral marketing ideas that have helped our clients improve their programs’ effectiveness and ROI.

Leverage social gifting

Social gifting is one of the best referral marketing ideas you can implement to grow your business. This idea involves giving a gift to someone who refers to your business.

The gift can be physical or digital, but it must be something that would attract the attention of the customer and make them want to take action.

The most important thing when using this strategy is ensuring that the gift being offered is worth more than what you are asking for in return.

If you ask for a referral, the person who gets referred should not just get any old thing, but an item that has real value for them and their friends and family members (for example, an iPad).

Reward with a mystery gift

You can also create a mystery gift and offer it as an incentive to your customers. A mystery gift is precisely what it sounds like – a mysterious item the customer receives randomly when they purchase something from you.

The gift could be anything from a free t-shirt to a discount voucher for future purchases.

The benefits of offering variable rewards are:

Your customers will be more likely to make repeat purchases because they don’t know what they’ll get next time they buy something from you.

It helps build excitement around your products/services, which helps increase sales and revenue generation over time.

Reward with a charity donation

Donating to a charity of your choice is a great way to show your customers that you appreciate them.

You can also use this as an opportunity to give back to the community and impact other people’s lives.

However, there are some things you should keep in mind when it comes to charitable donations:

Don’t donate to charities that are too political or religious. If someone supports one side of an issue, don’t make him feel like his opinion isn’t welcome at your company by donating money only from one side of the spectrum. This will result in more bad reviews than good ones on Yelp.

Don’t donate to controversial charities either (e.g., Planned Parenthood). It may seem like a good idea at first glance because it gives customers who support pro-choice causes something positive about their experience with your company.

However, this donation would only cause controversy among those who oppose such organizations’ policies and practices.

Create a referral contest

Referral contests are an excellent way to drive awareness, engagement, and conversion.

A referral contest is a contest that rewards customers for referring new potential customers.

The basic concept is that you have some sticker or other item with your brand’s name on it, which a customer can give away to their friends when they purchase from your store. The person who receives the referral sticker earns points based on how many referrals they make and walks away with some prize at the end of the contest (e.g., a $500 Visa gift card for first place).

Setting up such a program is relatively simple: You can create custom labels with your logo and give them out during in-store interactions or order custom stickers from any vendor like StickerGiant, StickerYou, or Stickermule (all of whom offer quick turnaround times).

You should also include instructions in your marketing materials about participating in this program; for example, “Refer friends by giving them our branded stickers. Your friend must place an order through our website before midnight tonight (or whenever) to qualify.”

Reward with subscription credit

You can reward them with a discount, gift card, or subscription credit. If you are in a B2C (business to consumer) business and have the right kind of data, you could award your customers points they can use to buy products or services from you.

You could also run a contest and give away prizes to your customers. You can even use the best customers to test new products or services before you release them on the market.

Use your existing data for customer segmentation and create different groups based on their interests, demographics, psychographics, and so on.

Reward with an upgraded product or service

Make sure the upgrade is relevant to the customer. The customer should be able to see the benefit of upgrading.

The upgraded product or service should be a better version of what they already use. In other words, if it’s a different color or size, don’t bother with this idea in your referral marketing strategy because you can’t honestly describe its benefits (e.g., “This one looks nicer than your old one”).

Instead, offer an upgrade with tangible benefits, such as increased functionality (e.g., faster speed) or improved user experience (e.g., more intuitive design).

Lastly, don’t forget about the price. How much easier would life be if we could pay less for things we use every day?

Reduce their friction

Reducing the friction for your customers to refer is a great way to get more referrals.

Make it as easy as possible for them. Use a referral program and make it easy for them to refer on social media and in the app.

-Provide value to your customers: People will want to recommend your company when you provide value, and it’s as simple as that. If you can give people something that makes their lives easier or better, they are more likely to recommend you.

-Be consistent: If you want people to recommend your company, you need to be consistent in providing value and making it easy for them. If they refer one time but have a terrible experience, they are less likely to share their recommendations.

Optimize that headline

Make sure you optimize your headline. It should be short and catchy, clear and to the point, relevant to the audience, unique and not just a variation of the same headline (i.e., “Free Shipping” or “Buy One Get One Free”), engaging, and offer something that no one else does.

Here are some tips for writing great headlines:

-Keep it short — The ideal length for a headline is between 6-10 words.

-Keep it relevant — Use keywords pertinent to your business to attract more traffic from search engines such as Google or Bing.

Be unique: Don’t just use the exact wording everyone else uses. Instead, come up with creative ways to attract attention. Be engaging — A good headline should make people want to click on it and read more about whatever you are advertising.

Make your program discoverable.

For your referral program to be successful, it needs to be easy for customers to find. This means ensuring that your referral program is listed on the website and any other marketing channels you use.

You must also include clear instructions on referring friends through email or social media.

It’s difficult for someone to sign up for something if they don’t know what they are signing up for! Ensure your referral program has a clear call-to-action (CTA) that tells people exactly how they can participate in the promotion.

Lastly, ensure you track all of the results from your campaign so you can see which campaigns were effective and which weren’t as effective at driving referrals.

Retarget your customers

The great thing about retargeting ads is that they’re relatively easy to set up and track. You can use social media ads, email campaigns, or paid search to remind customers of your brand and entice them back into the buying process.

The most effective way to do this is through remarketing (or “remarketing”). This involves using cookies on your website that allow you to serve ads for products previously viewed by visitors based on their browsing history. Suppose someone visits your site but doesn’t buy anything during that visit.

 In that case, a cookie will be placed in their browser so that when they visit other sites online—including LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram—a banner ad will appear asking them if they want to purchase a specific product from you again.

Conclusion

We hope you’ve learned a lot from this article. As mentioned above, referrals are one of the most effective ways for businesses to acquire new customers.

But it can be tricky to start a referral program if you don’t know where to begin. We’ve provided excellent examples and tips for implementing your referral marketing strategy to encourage customers to spread the word about your brand.

Introduction

“The best way to ask for a referral is with an email. It’s easy and personal, and it allows you the chance to follow up with your potential clients if they don’t respond right away.”

Personalize the email

Personalize the email. Use the person’s name and, if possible, their title. If you can think of something in common with them, mention it — or if not, find another way to personalize your message that still feels genuine (e.g., noting what you don’t have in common).

Be concise and specific.

 Asking for a referral is much like asking someone to buy something from you. If you’re too wordy or unclear, the person might get confused or distracted and forget why they are talking to you in the first place. It’s best to be direct and ask for what you need in as few words as possible.

Include the person’s name: This helps ensure that your request gets seen by the right person—whether by an actual human being (if they’re available) or by an automated system (if they’re not).

Don’t forget to proofread

While you are proofreading your email, check for spelling and grammatical errors. This is a simple but effective step to ensure your message is clear and understandable. If there are any mistakes, take the time to fix them before sending the email out into cyberspace.

If you use a template or form letter, ensure it’s relevant to your industry or profession. For example, if you’re a lawyer and want referrals from clients who have just been involved in an accident or lawsuit, don’t use language like “We’d love to add more clients.”

Use a friendly tone.

It’s essential to use a friendly tone in your email. When you reach out, you want the recipient to feel like they’re talking to an old friend. This is one of the most important parts of asking for referrals because if they don’t feel comfortable with you, they won’t likely refer you.

Try using their name: Asking someone for a referral while using their name will help increase your chances of receiving that referral and make it seem as though you know each other well enough that calling them by their first name would be appropriate.

Emphasize mutual connections

When asking for a referral, it’s essential to be specific about the mutual connection. This will clarify that you are asking for a referral and help build trust with the referred person.

You might also consider sharing some information about yourself: “I really enjoyed working with you and learned a lot from seeing how you used our product in your organization” or “I’m new here at [company name], but I’ve worked at several other companies in the industry. Do any of your colleagues come to mind?”

Send it at the right time.

Make sure they have enough time to respond. Don’t send a referral request during busy times or early in the morning.

If someone receives an email from you in their inbox at 10 am on a Monday, they probably won’t get back to you until at least noon that day—maybe even later if it’s been a particularly hectic start for them.

Even if they take action immediately, very few people remember things that happened 5 minutes ago (let alone 24 hours ago). It’s better if recipients take care of your request when it still feels fresh in their minds rather than having to sift through old emails later on.

Conclusion

We’re not saying that you should never ask for a referral. Referrals can be some of the most effective forms of marketing when done well.

But they must be approached with care and tact to ensure they work in your favor, which means asking the right way. If you want more information on how to approach referrals, check out our other blog posts

Introduction

Have you ever had a potential customer tell you that they’d like more information about your product or service? Or maybe they asked if they could talk to another customer who has used the same thing? That’s great.

It means that you’ve done an excellent job of getting your prospects interested in what you offer. But it also means they’re considering buying from someone else, which is not good.

The only way to solve this problem is by asking for referrals from your clients (and customers) to turn them into new customers without investing more money into advertising.

Reach out to the right people

When you ask for referrals, you must reach out to people who are likely the most helpful. One way to do this is by narrowing down your customer list based on their relationship with your business and team.

For example:

Reach out to customers who have already referred you. It’s not always easy for customers within an organization or company (especially if there are multiple departments) to guide others, so speaking directly with someone who has referred a colleague can help streamline the process and make things feel more natural.

Reach out for referrals from team members who are close friends with your current clients—particularly when they have shared goals or interests outside of work and inside it. Reach out to customers who have already referred you.

It’s not always easy for customers within an organization or company (especially if there are multiple departments) to guide others, so speaking directly with someone who has referred a colleague can help streamline the process and make things feel more natural.

Make sure “the ask” feels natural.

The ask should feel natural. If it doesn’t, then you’ll need to work on the conversation until you can make it feel natural. You should be able to get a referral during a normal conversation without having to craft a particular sentence or add extra emphasis.

It’s also important that your prospect understands the referral and why they should refer someone else (and not just because you are asking them). This could mean explaining things like:

The referral will help both parties by allowing them to expand their network.

The referred person may have more experience or knowledge than the one being asked for referrals. So even if your prospect doesn’t know them personally, they might be able to give helpful insight into who they think would benefit most from working with you.

You should also be aware that it will be insincere if your conversation is too focused on asking for referrals. The best way to avoid this is by having a natural conversation and letting the referral request come up naturally.

Approach customers at a convenient time

When you ask for referrals, you want to ensure that your timing is right. The best time to approach a customer for referrals is when they’re not busy or distracted by something else.

Don’t call at dinner time or on the weekends, and don’t interrupt a meeting—instead, schedule a phone call during the week when they’re likely to be able to talk with you uninterrupted.

If you can’t get a meeting with your customer, send them an email instead. Describe the need for referrals and ask if they know anyone else who might be able to help. If you’ve done an excellent job helping your customer solve their problem, they’ll be more likely to want to make sure that others benefit from your expertise.

When asking for referrals, the most important thing to remember is to be sincere. If you’re not, your customer will know it, and they won’t bother passing along your contact information.

Also, don’t expect immediate results—it may take some time before anyone contacts you about a new project or job.

The key to getting referrals is being helpful. If you’re unsure what kind of help your customer needs, ask them about it during your initial meeting.

Look for moments when customers are happiest.

Show up at the right time. When customers are happy and satisfied, they’re significantly more likely to refer you than when they’re frustrated or angry.

So it’s essential to try to show up during those moments where they’ve had a positive experience with your product or service.

Ask for referrals when the customer is happy. If there’s one thing we know about human nature, people like talking about themselves—so make sure you ask for referrals when your customers are already in an excited state of mind.

 For example: “Hey Jim—I love working with awesome companies like yours. Was there anything particular about our services that made them great for you?”

On the other hand, don’t just run out and ask everyone who gives you five stars on Facebook (or even three stars).

You don’t want anyone who comes across as insincere when asking for a referral; this will only create barriers between yourself and potential clients later down the road.

Show what’s in it for them.

The reason it’s so important to show what’s in it for them is that it shows that you’re interested in their success and care about their success, two things that make people want to help you. It also demonstrates that you have a solution that will help them succeed.

To do this:

1. Think of your referral partner as a consultant and yourself as the client trying to solve a problem together.
2. Ask yourself: “What would my client need me to show before they agree to work with me?”
3. Ask: “How would I want my clients to present themselves if I were working with them?”
4. The answer to the first question will help you understand what your referral partner needs from you and how you can meet that need.

The answer to the second question will tell you how to present yourself in a way that motivates your referral partner.

The better you show what’s in it for your referral partner, the more likely they will refer you.

Conclusion

Remember, you have to make it easy for people to refer you. Don’t ever pressure them into giving referrals or making them feel like they owe you one.

If someone is willing to provide a referral, they already like working with you and want everyone else to experience the same.

Introduction

There are many different sources of influence worldwide: from family and friends to companies and organizations.

Each has a unique way of influencing people through offering rewards or threatening punishment.

The trick is knowing how to recognize each type of influence so that you can respond accordingly.

Personal motivation

Personal motivation is influenced by your internal characteristics, such as your values and goals.

If you have high intrinsic motivation for a goal—if it’s something that you care about and enjoy doing—you’re more likely to engage in behaviors that will help you achieve that goal.

On the other hand, if you don’t care about the outcome or have little belief in your ability to succeed at attaining it, then there’s not much reason for you to expend effort on it.

Personal ability

Personal ability refers to your ability to do the work and do it well. For example, if you are a software developer and don’t know JavaScript, you won’t be able to complete your job as expected. This also means that if you’ve never used Git before, then asking for help isn’t an option.

In addition to knowing what you’re doing and completing the work promptly, the personal ability can also mean working independently without supervision.

For example, if someone has worked for years with little supervision or oversight from management or clients on similar projects, this would demonstrate a high level of personal ability.

Social motivation

Social motivation is the desire to do something because other people want you to. This can be a powerful force for good, as when someone feels that they need to live up to their parent’s expectations, or it can be a bad thing, such as when someone feels like they need approval from others at all times.

To understand social motivation better, imagine yourself at a party with your friends and family—and suddenly, your boss shows up! What do you do? Do you run over and talk business with him? Or do you hide in the bathroom until he leaves?

Social ability

In the influence world, the social ability is the ability to influence others. It’s a skill that can be learned and improved—and it’s one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal.

Structural Motivation

Structural motivation is the desire to achieve goals imposed by others, such as your boss or your parents. It can also refer to the desire to avoid punishment.

Structural motivation often refers to avoiding negative consequences, such as being fired from a job or losing income if you don’t do what someone else wants you to do.

Structural ability

Structural ability is a person’s ability to change their environment in such a way that it will affect others.

This can influence others and bring about positive change in the world around you. For example, if you have the structural ability, you might decide to start your own business to have more control over your time and how much money you make.

This can mean more freedom for yourself or other people who work with you—but only if they also have the structural ability.

Conclusion

If we want to influence others, we must understand what motivates them. That way, we can use our abilities to align ourselves with their desires and needs as much as possible. Then, if they share our goals or feelings about something, they’re more likely to agree with us without even realizing it.