I recently read the results of a survey that asked major companies where most of their customers come from. A whopping 85 percent said referrals are their number one source of new business. Does that sound like your business? It certainly sounds a lot like ours!
The first place to look for referrals is from happy customers. When someone compliments you about your product or service, thank them and ask them to tell their friends and colleagues. If you have done good work for them, then they will have no problem passing on your name.
Set up a network of businesses that complement each other. Whether they are customers or suppliers, it doesn’t matter. You send prospective customers their way and they send them your way. For instance, at Kiers Marketing Group, we do large format printing (among many other things). We have arrangements with some local printers to send them our projects like brochures and stationery and they send us their requests for banners, trade show displays, etc. This works quite well and we reach new customers without putting a lot of time into prospecting.
If you get a new customer from a referral, don’t forget to send the referrer a thank you. It creates good feelings and is a win-win situation for everyone involved.