5 Ways to Focus on Referrals Right Now

This year has shaken things up for business owners.

But few are shedding light on the fact that things have changed drastically for customers, too.

People are having to completely rethink how to find, choose, buy, and remain loyal to the businesses they would normally frequent. Customers have been forced to adapt to the times quickly and buy differently.

There’s been no better time to focus on seeking referrals from your existing customers and partners as a primary way to generate leads. So here are the 5 Ways to Focus on Referrals Right Now:

1. Ask your current customers

Start by talking to your current customers. People often enjoy connecting their friends and family with a great place to shop or to get a certain service. Ask them to put in a good word to their network.

You can even try running a referral campaign or creating a referral program. If your customers get something out of the arrangement, they’ll likely make a stronger effort to get your name out there.

2. Be confident and tell them why now

There are tons of people who need what you do. If you know you can help, you’re not doing them any favors by not offering to help. Be confident in the fact that they need your service, and you’re capable of fulfilling their needs. Don’t be afraid to position yourself as the change they’re looking for in the disrupted market.

3. Build strategic partnerships

One of the most overlooked sources of leads are strategic partnerships. These are businesses that also know and serve a ton of your ideal customers. Partnerships have a massive potential to produce the greatest ROI of any marketing activity when you build them the right way.

Come up with a list of businesses in your market who might serve your same kind of customers. Start having conversations about what you can do for each other’s businesses. As strategic partners, you can refer customers to one another, help with intros, or even create a way to co-market to each other’s customers.

4. Provide value for your partners

Think about what value you can bring to the relationship with your list of potential strategic partners. From guest blog posts to creating co-branded content to a free webinar for their audience to podcast interviews, there are many offers you can pitch that might grab their attention. Think about what you can offer that would provide them with the most value—these things are likely to get them to listen.

5. Teach others how to get referrals

If your ideal customers are businesses, imagine how valuable you’d become if you help them get more business? You could do this by creating a campaign around taking the steps you’ve learned today in this post to teach those businesses how to get more referrals themselves. Help them achieve the goal of getting more business, and you’re sure to start getting more referrals.