There isn’t a business owner alive who doesn’t get overjoyed when he/she meets a referral. Having someone recommend your business is arguably the biggest compliment a business owner can receive. It also just so happens to be the most convincing form of advertising there is. People tend to believe in referrals because they are generally given by other people who aren’t being paid to recommend the business.
Word-of-mouth promotion has long been heralded as the best type of promotion that a business can receive. And, of course, there are many ways to encourage word-of-mouth promotion. The best way would be to simply provide unbeatable customer service. When you give customers unforgettable experiences, they will be encouraged to tell others about them. There really is no downside to getting referrals for your business.
Here are five reasons why nothing beats getting referrals:
1. They cost your business nothing. Business owners all over North America pay hundreds of thousands (some millions) for elaborate promotional campaigns. And not all of them provide adequate returns on the investment. Referrals, however, cost you nothing. At worst, they may cost you tokens of appreciation for the customers who have recommended your business – a great idea, by the way. No matter how you slice it, referrals are very inexpensive ways to make your business look good.
2. They are considered trustworthy recommendations. Who are you more likely to believe – your friend or an actor on television? Referrals are often met with a lot less cynicism than TV commercials because they are regarded as genuine takes on companies. It’s hard to come up with a better way for a person to be introduced to a business, especially if the person doing the referring is a close family member or friend.
3. They help to defuse concern over price. Most often, customers browse products and compare prices in order to get the best deals. However, working with a reputable business that is known for its expedient customer service and trustworthiness is a big deal to most consumers. If your business gets a referral from a reputable source, the customers being referred will be a lot less likely to be concerned about price points when making their buying decisions.
4. They help you to close sales a lot quicker and easier. It’s not likely that someone who has been referred to your company will be a hard sell. Generally, the process of putting over a product or service is made a lot easier. At the very least, your new would-be customer has already heard about how great what you have to offer is. Because he/she was recommended to your company by a trusted source, the sale has often already been made before you meet him/her.
5. They help for you to get even more referrals. Referrals are like snowballs rolling down a hill. They accumulate. Just as the snowball gets bigger as it collects more snow, so do the number of referrals you get when you make each and every one of your new customers happy. Especially with today’s technology (read: social media), spreading the word about your business has become easier than ever. The more referrals you get, the more you’re going to get!
At MeloTel, we greatly appreciate the many referrals that we’ve received over the years. And we’d be very grateful if you’d be willing to share your experiences with MeloTel with your family members and friends. If you decide to refer someone to MeloTel, please let them know to give us a call at 1-888-MELOTEL or to use the Live Chat feature that is located in the bottom right corner of the MeloTel website.
Please be sure to let them know to mention that they were referred to MeloTel by you. Thank you!
