So you have a great idea. Or you just got your Real Estate Licence. Or you just started your first small business. Maybe you have a restaurant, or you are a chiropractor, an insurance agent, or maybe you are a landscaper. The main problem that every new business struggles with is getting new clients.
1. Reach out to your past customers
If you have been in business for a while or you had a previous business, you may be sitting on a goldmine with your contact database of customers. Many people overlook this valuable group of people. Your past customers already know you, like you, and trust you. Who better to help you grow your business than these folks?
In almost every business there is value in keeping in touch with your past customers. If they purchased from you once, chances are they will buy from you again.
But what if your business is selling cars or selling real estate? If you just made a sale last week, the chances of someone needing another car or house this week are pretty non-existent— so why bother?
Here’s why you bother:
- They may know someone who needs your services and can help connect the two of you.
- They will probably need a new car or they will be in the market to move residences in the next few years and you want them to think of you FIRST when that happens.
- You never know what your past customers might be looking to do— they may need another car or they might be getting ready to buy a rental property.
So exactly HOW do you reach out to past customers? One of the easiest ways is to send them a monthly newsletter. Make it an easy-to-read, general-purpose newsletter, with interesting content, and be sure to send it to them every month. You never know when they are ready to do something and you want to be the first person they think about.
2. Make it part of your selling process to ask for referrals
So you just completed a sale and the buyer is heaping the praise on you. She is saying how easy it was to work with you, how reasonable your prices were, and how the transaction could not have been smoother.
Don’t just stand there and soak it all in! Don’t walk away patting yourself on the back! This is the perfect opportunity to ask for a referral.
Say something like this:
“Aww thanks for the kind words, I work hard for my clients and I really like to spend my time and energy creating a great customer experience. So instead of spending time away from my customers out there doing marketing, I like to work by referral. Who can you think of right now who might be able to use my services?”
The other great referral strategy is to orchestrate referrals. There are three marketing giants and referral experts who teach this strategy. They are Joe Stumpf, Dean Jackson, and Joe Polish. They say that you should be getting referrals from every customer you have.
In a nutshell, from the very first interaction with your prospect and all through the transaction, you need to be constantly creating an environment where referrals are expected. The key to finding new customers is not a secret nor a difficult process.
Start with these 2 easy strategies— they are simple, and effective and you can start doing them tomorrow.
3. Learn all the details and do it right
I have written a White Paper on the subject that will give you a roadmap to start working by referral.
Download it here.
