"The Ultimate Compliment" Article by Tina Zawila

In business, is there any greater compliment than a referral or testimonial from your clients/customers?  I doubt it.  Surely, it’s the ultimate compliment when your client/customer recommends their family, friends and acquaintances to buy your products or use your services, or when they are prepared to publicly state via a testimonial that they are happy with your products or services and you!

Now imagine what your business would be like if every new customer that comes through your door comes by way of referral from your existing customers – and those referred customers arrive with a positive perception and a willingness to spend their money with your business…does it get any better than that?

So if we recognise the value of referrals to our business, then surely we should aim to attract more referrals and obtain more positive testimonials.  Particularly, as this form of invaluable marketing costs you virtually nothing! 

5 Keys to attracting more Referrals and Testimonials:

1. Deliver outstanding customer service to your existing customers – offer more than expected and make sure they know that you appreciate them.
2. Consider giving your customers an incentive for referring their friends or providing you with a testimonial – at least make sure you personally thank the referrer whenever you meet with a new customer/client that has been referred.
3. Actively ask for referrals and testimonials – the best time to do this is directly after a sale, when the customer/client is happy and most excited about your business.
4. Develop a system for encouraging referrals and documenting testimonials, ensuring that all referred customers are identified and the referrer recognised and appreciated.
5. Set the expectation up front – let your customers/clients know that you appreciate and value referrals and that you would love to have more clients/customers that are just like them!

Assisting you in building and growing your business is our passion at Sothertons. 

At Sothertons we can help in developing your referral system or documenting testimonials, contact our professional team on 4972 1300.