Tag: referrals

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Why referrals aren’t cracking it any more

For decades referrals have always been the most reliable source of growth for established businesses but these days word of mouth is no longer enough. Buyer behaviour has changed and prospects are researching you online before they even speak to you. Even referred clients will Google your business and take a peak at your website before picking up the phone.

We need to move from passive marketing to visible expertise.

Prospects trust experts that they see regularly and this builds confidence before the first meeting. This consistent visibility also reduces price sensitivity as the prospect feels they are taking less of a risk with a ‘known’ business.

Marketing isn’t about hard selling. It is about showing up with helpful content. It’s about helping your prospects rather than boasting about yourself.

3 actions to strengthen your online presence

  1. Optimise your social media presence with clear, niche messaging that speaks to your reader. Post value driven content and then take time to truly engage with your network by commenting on their own posts instead of just broadcasting at them.
  2. Regularly create useful content by answering common client questions. Share insights, not just updates and don’t forget that you can repurpose content across different platforms.
  3. Build a simple email list that helps you to stay front of mind. Share you insights monthly (our tops tips are deliberately short enough that we can share them weekly. It’s also the length of post that I like to write). As you draw closure to your prospects on your list you can take the time to nurture them.
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The joy of referrals and how to receive more

I’m sure that I’m not alone in enjoying winning new business. But referrals are my favourite source of new clients.

  1. It means that your current client is happy with the work that you’re doing
  2. It means that the prospect is probably like the client so we can expect them to be a good fit for our organisation and we are more likely to take them on.
  3. It means that the prospect has already received a glowing testimonial which derisks things for them so they are more likely to want to join us.

So how can we receive more?

  1. Look after your existing clients well so that they don’t just stay with you but they also feel confident to introduce others
  2. Have a system to ask for referrals. This might be an email signature that something like ‘our business grows by referral so we’d love to meet more people like you’ or sending a specific email ‘business is good but we’re looking for more’

Here’s to many more happy clients