They say “there’s no business like show business”. That may be so. But we also know that there’s no type of promotion like word of mouth promotion. Simply put, it can’t be beat. When it comes to marketing your brand, your customers are your best advertisers. Consumers tend to trust other consumers over elaborate marketing campaigns.
Who better to trust than someone who has experience with a company? This is why securing referrals for your business is top marketing solution. Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to secure referrals for your business.
Offer a reward program.
Loyalty programs exist in a myriad of ways. Many businesses offer points to customers for their purchases. The points, of course, can be redeemed for future purchases. A reward program involving referrals can work similarly. What type of perks would you be willing to offer to customers who recommend your business to others?
“Once referrals are tied to a reward, you can transform your clients into referral machines,” writes freelance writer, Steff Green on behalf of the client engagement platform, Ignition, “In the B2C marketplace, referrals often give clients discounts, free swag, vouchers, or items to collect…For a professional services firm, rewards usually work best as a certain discount off the following month’s service.”
Give referrals yourself.
We can’t think of a better way to secure support than to show support yourself. The “scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” concept of doing business has long been successful. Especially if your clients are made up of business owners, it’s practically a must that you offer a mutually beneficial referral suggestion. Be willing to plug the businesses owned by your customers and they will very likely be quite happy to so the same.
“Even if you’re not in a full-blown partnership with another business, giving them a referral is the best way to get one in return,” insists Mary Flaherty of the award-winning sales training company, RAIN Group.
Discuss the mutual benefits.
Referrals for your company don’t just make your brand look good. They make the referrer look good too. After all, it’s quite the noble gesture to speak highly of a company you’re not affiliated with. Green suggests that business owners change the conversation around and remind clients of how valuable giving referrals can be for them.
“If a client has other business clients who ask for advice and they’re able to point them to someone who can solve their problems, giving a referral makes them look good,” she writes, “Certain business types thrive on being known as connectors. Once you change the conversation and present referrals as a service they can offer their clients to improve their business, you’ll be in.”
At Unity Payments, we offer a wide range of products and services that allow you to have multiple revenue streams, cost saving tools and the benefit of economies of scale. Among them are referral programs! They compliment your business with Aggressive Compensation, Sales Automation and Complete Back End Support. Contact us to discuss your needs. You can call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at info@unitypayments.ca to learn more.
