Referrals Aren't The Best Way To Get Business
Referrals are not the best way to get business.
When I go networking I'm often asked what the best method for getting business is.
Usually I reply, "referrals."
The reason?
Because it's the one bit of marketing most business owners can do relatively easy and cheaply.
As long as they've a process for getting them in the first place. But that's another story...
So the main point about using referrals is that people will do it. So it gets results.
What if you don't follow them up?!
When I'm coaching people I find that this is a common problem.
We all know that we should follow up quickly on any referral.
My own shortcomings in this were highlighted for me today during a phone call this afternoon.
The MD of an engineering company had noted two likely looking companies that might well benefit from my coaching.
I hadn't followed them up at all.
Did I have an excuse?
No. And really there is no excuse for it. I simply put off the phone call to qualify them.
Anyway both companies are still on my to-do list.
This is something I would not have allowed a coachee to get away with. It just shows how important it is to have someone at your shoulder prompting you to take the helicopter view and see that as well as servicing current clients you must act on referrals too.
There is another aspect to referrals - that's there unpredictablity. Because you're not always in the top of someone's mind there is no real hurry to give you referrals. There's nothing you can do about it because we all lead busy lives. So just factor it into your whole marketing strategy.
So if referrals aren't the best way to get business what is?
Really the point is don't use just one tactic as the best way to get clients.
The best way to get business is to use a number of different tactics. So if your referrals suddenly dried up you'd still have the other tactics to get new clients.
You're probably thinking what other tactics could be as good as referrals.
Here's the beginning of a list - you can definitely add more:
- Telesales
- Salesman
- Direct mail letters
- to a hot list bought from a list broker
- to lapsed customers
- in conjunction with a third party who also services your market
- Web site
- niche site
- mini site
- sales letter site
- Emails
- Google Ads
- Print advertisements and advertorials in
- your markets trade press
- newspapers read by your market
- magazines read by your market
- External Advertising
- on signboards
- on vehicles
- on buildings
- in football and other sport stadia
- Radio and TV advertising
- Publicity
- Competitions
- Exhibitions
- Seminars and workshops
- Articles
- on the Internet
- in magazines and newspapers
- in trade magazines
- Ezines
- Brochures
- Business Cards
- Blogs (of course)
I could go on, and on but I'm sure you get the picture.
The key here is that you need a business strategy that actively spells out the exact tactics you're going to use to get customers.
From that strategy you need to create a procedure you'll follow to get customers.
Then stick to it.
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