If you want to grow your business, you’ll need to start prioritizing customer referrals. They might not seem like a big deal, but learning how to get referrals from your customers is one of the best ways to enhance your business and increase sales over time.
You can cold-call prospects all day and try to get them to convert into a buyer. However, just by tapping into your network, you'll have an opportunity to foster connections with potential customers quicker.
The best part is: that learning how to get referrals is easier than you might think.
We’re here to help you find creative ways to increase referrals, improve your relationship with your customers, and create a client referral program that works.
Let’s dive in.
What Are Business Referrals?
To put it simply: a business referral is when someone recommends your business to someone else in their network. Referrals are high-quality leads that already find you trustworthy. This means you are already one step ahead of your competition.
If one of your customers was kind enough to refer someone in their network to your business, this means you already have enough credibility to convert them into a long-time customer. Referred customers are often among the most loyal. If their friends, family, or coworkers like you: chances are they’ll like you, too!
Business referrals are essential to a thriving company and they typically don’t cost your company too much money.
What Makes a Quality Referral?
A quality referral is usually someone you can see becoming a returning customer. Returning customers have more value than one-time customers. They will continue to come back to you, shop your products, or work with you for years to come. Not only that, but they will also produce customer referrals themselves in the future! The more returning customers you’re able to create, the more value you’ll have.
However, a quality referral doesn’t happen overnight. It’s your company’s job to take advantage of creative ways to increase referrals and improve the customer experience.
How to Get More Customer Referrals
The good news is: it’s easy to learn how to get referrals from customers for your business: all you need to do is find what works best for your brand and your audience.
Here are 7 of our favorite ways:
Create a refer-a-friend program
One of the best ways to get more referrals is with a well-thought-out customer referral program. Reward programs are easy to implement and can have a high return. They typically have different tiers depending on the number of qualified referrals a customer provides. Plus, you can get as creative as you please.
For example, let’s say if a customer refers three people to your business, they’ll receive a free hat. You can brand this hat with your logo, which will enhance your brand’s visibility and encourage your customers to refer their network to you. It’s a win-win situation!
Take your customer service to the next level
One study done by Zendesk showed that 81% of consumers believe a positive customer service experience influences them to make another purchase. If you can provide a top-of-the-line experience, you’re more likely to increase sales and get more referrals over time.
Now is a great time to revisit some of your current customer service best practices and look for ways to improve the experience. You can send a survey to returning customers and offer them an incentive if they complete the survey. This will provide you with more insight into your customer’s point of view and give you a baseline understanding of where you can improve.
Provide incentives for sharing on social media
Social media is your friend! If a customer shares a photo of your product or service with their following, you can easily increase your referrals. The photos they share will also provide you with credibility.
Pro Tip: Don’t just stop with social sharing! Show your customers you appreciate them by offering a reward for sharing on social media. You can give them a custom mug, a branded tote bag, or just a gift card to come back and shop more.
Never be afraid to ask
Remember: it never hurts to ask! Taking some time to email your returning customers and asking for a referral, review, social post, or anything in-between never hurts! If you’re lucky, these small acts of kindness can lead to big sales.
You’ll want to reach out to the customers who have already received their orders or have been working with you for a while. Don’t ask customers who are still waiting for a service or product. They won’t be able to provide you with the most qualified leads.
After connecting with the customer, it’s okay to follow up, but never be too pushy.
Thank them for the referrals
If a customer has given you customers, always remember to thank them for everything they do. This is an important step you’ll never want to skip because it will help improve the customer experience and help generate more leads in the future.
You can always use promotional products to show you’re thankful for everything they do. Consider sending them a t-shirt or a branded backpack with a thank you letter. Plus, your brand will get even more exposure!
Build a relationship with your customers
Treat your customers as more than just a customer, and you’ll get to reap the benefits. If you want them to produce high-quality client referrals, you’ll need to build a relationship with your customer. Make sure you interact with your customers one-on-one and treat the relationship as more than just a business deal.
Building a relationship with your customer goes hand-in-hand with high-quality customer service. It will make your customers feel more inclined to recommend you, your products, and services. All you need to do is take the initiative to foster a relationship with the individual and always be kind.
You can go one step further and make them feel like they are part of the family! After you close a deal, send them a thank you gift with a branded tote bag. Next time they place an order, throw in a branded notebook or a pair of sunglasses. Then, they can sport your brand wherever they go and generate more conversations with their friends and family about what you offer.
Personalize the experience
Not every customer is the same, so your communication shouldn’t be the same! Personalizing your marketing initiatives can help improve the customer experience and make them more likely to refer their friends and family to you.
For example, let’s say you own a sports store and a portion of your customers always purchase baseball gear from your store. They may be more inclined to interact with baseball-related content. The same goes for someone who is into soccer or football. Taking the time to tailor your marketing content to fit the needs of the individual will keep your customers more engaged. In turn, they will be more inclined to recommend you to their friends and family if they are engaged.
With the right client referral program and company initiatives, you can get the high-quality referrals you need to succeed. All you need to do is take some time to build out a program and a plan that works for you and your customers.
As you start to test some of these creative ways to increase referrals, never underestimate the power of a branded incentive. The right promotional products can push your clients to go out of their way and reach out to their network about your brand. Plus, they are great incentives for referrals and complement your marketing initiatives.
Always lean on Bagmasters for all of your branded needs. We can help you find the right products to get referrals.
