Surprise Surprise! Your customers want to refer you. If you have offered remarkable reliable services and have requested them to refer you, most people will happily do so. This act of requesting your happy customers to give referrals for your business to their family and friends is Referral Marketing. It is a way to get your loyal supportive customers to help spread the word about your brand.
Growing your business with referrals is not only a cost-effective method but also very powerful and trusted. According to one study, 83% of satisfied customers say that they’d be happy to refer a company to friends, and industry peers, while another study showed that 84% of people trusted recommendations by people they knew.
How you can create a win-win situation for you and your clients to benefit from referral marketing? Here are a few tips on how to request for referrals from your networks:
1. Get Referrals Use a Calling Script
Crafting a simple script helps you to stay confident, create rapport, and keep your purpose for calling in mind. Though what you say may vary from person to person, be sincere and responsive on the calls. End the call with a request to refer anyone they know who is interested in buying or selling a home.
2. Think of Yourself as being “The Giver”
Before you pick up the phone to call, ask yourself “what can I give to them?” One way to give is to offer to be a cross-referral partner for them. In other words, let them know that you have plenty of connections to people who could help them. For example, you know many painters, electricians, plumbers, etc. Let them know to call you for the contacts of these service providers. This act is memorable and helpful.
3. Send a Gift of Value Every Month To Get Referrals
The best gift to give and stay top of mind is a colorful postcard that has the events happening in their area. This is likely to put on the refrigerator and referred to often. Next to the event list, have your photo, your phone number, and a tag line that says, “relax and let me run the extra mile to fulfill your real estate needs.” You can be sure they are more likely to remember you the next time they have a real estate need.
4. Be Excited About Your Business
Remember, “desperation does not sell“, but “excitement” does. No matter what the current condition of your business, always say something like, “I am so excited about my business. I get to meet such wonderful people and I’m really in an expansion phase of my business. If you want to help out, just send people my way to have a real estate question or issue, I will be happy to help them.”
Your clients should know that your business runs on referrals and, that when they give you one, you will treat it like gold. Be confident to ask for referrals and increase your sales quickly.
References:
Philip Kotler, Kevin Lane Keller, (2016) Marketing Management (Global Edition). Pearson Education Ltd.
