How to Get More Referral Business

Consider this:

If you got just one referral from each one of your clients, over the next 60 days you’d double your client base! What would that mean to your potential income and how many more people would you be helping in supportive and uplifting ways?

Word of mouth is one of the most effective ways to grow your coaching business. It’s free, or at most costs very little, yet very few coaches use it to anywhere near it’s potential. So, how do you maximise word of mouth? Here are 5 Steps you can take now!

1. Appreciate your clients and let them know consistently you value them

   This is the most important, yet overlooked element of creating endless referrals. Many businesses focus more on profits than on people. Focusing on profits alone can be detrimental to success and word of mouth. Success comes from looking beyond just profit into how you can enrich your customers lives.

   Action: At least once in a while, take the time to communicate to each of your clients and show them you appreciate them. Send them something of value, something unexpected, a bonus report, a special piece of news you just found. Make it relevant to them and do it regularly.

2. Create an exceptional experience each time they deal with you

   If you can make doing business with you an exceptional experience, your clients will want to tell a lot of people. People want amazing experiences!

   Here is an example: There is a Life Coach in Brisbane who has a special relationship with a city coffee shop. Once every 8 weeks she invites her clients to a “brains trust” meeting and the coffee and cake is on the house. Every client that attends gets a card and a voucher from the coffee shop owner to say thank you for joining us today, we would love to see you again soon! The voucher is a “buy one get one free” coffee voucher. So they are encouraged to come back again. And because the coffee shop owner is exposing his business to potential new clients, the coach pays just cost price on the coffee and cake his clients eat. Normally about 8 clients attend and the cost is around $30.You see: Just a little extra touch can make dealing with your business that much more of an exceptional experience!

   Ask yourself this: What can you do this week to add little things that make an exceptional experience for your valuable clients and customers? Do you have any professional friends that have services that you could benefit from in order to create a win-win-win situation? You win, they win and all your clients win!

3. Give your customers incentives for giving you referrals

   If you’re being passive about referrals, then you’re missing out on huge growing opportunities! Come up with ways of rewarding your clients for referring business to you. You could offer your time in return, and give them something they would enjoy in order to speak about your services. This is one of the oldest tricks in the book, and still so effective. Give your happy customers yet another reason to spread the word about their positive experience with you.

   Action: Reward your clients for referring people to you. Come up with rewards that will be beneficial to your clients.

4. Make it easy for clients to give you referrals

   If you want to get lots of referrals, you must make it incredibly easy for your clients to tell their friends. Don’t expect them to go through fire and water to help you grow your business. Make it as simple as possible.

   Action: Develop a referral package that you give to your clients. Ask your clients to be an ambassador for your business as you wish to work with people similar to them. The package would include a letter explaining why referrals are important to you, and a series of referral cards that your client can give out to others. Present it professionally and it will hold more value, more worth.

5. Don’t underestimate the power of suggestion

   When is the best time to ask for referrals? Any time! If you have followed the steps listed above, you’ve let clients know they are appreciated, you’ve made dealing with you an exceptional experience and you give them an incentive to simply share their experience with their friends. My guess is they will be happy to do so upon your suggestion. Don’t underestimate the power of suggestion! :)

   Action: Move out of your comfort zone. Realise that what you offer is valuable, and that your clients will have added value by getting the chance to help you grow.