The Power of Word of Mouth for Your Business

If you aren’t utilizing the power of word of mouth for your business, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to grow. I always knew referrals were important, but it wasn’t until recently it became apparent that generating referrals needs to be part of my growth strategy going forward; more on that in a minute. 

Today, I want to touch on how you can get referrals for your business. I truly believe referrals and positive word of mouth can elevate your business to the next level. Join me on this journey to getting more clients and growing your business! 

How Do You Get Referrals?

These are a few ways you can make referrals part of your business growth strategy.

PRODUCE HIGH-QUALITY WORK

50% of my current clients came from referrals. Do you realize how powerful that is? I didn’t have to do any prospecting or pitching for these clients to come to me looking for my services. I don’t know about you, but I’m all about doing less work to find more clients. 💁‍♀️

The key to getting positive word of mouth is to produce high-quality work. Meet their expectations, then go beyond that. When your clients love working with you as a person and the work you do for them, they will be more than happy to refer you to their network. 

FIND CLIENTS WITH COMPLIMENTARY SERVICES

I also recommend finding clients who have complimentary services to yours. For example, a client who offers SEO services. Well, a big part of improving your SEO is having an active and consistent blog page. 

Enter yours truly. 

I offer blogging services, and they don’t. It’s a perfect match for them to refer me to their SEO clients. That is, assuming they value and are happy with my work. It all comes back to the quality of work you produce. Focus on that and fostering enjoyable relationships with your clients, and the referrals will keep coming. Just don’t forget to return the favor when you can 😉

ASK YOUR CLIENTS

Another way to get referrals from your clients is to ASK them. I know, it’s a crazy thought. I’ve touched on this a few times but letting your clients know you’re open to more work is a fantastic way to get more referrals in your inbox. Need some help crafting the email? Here’s a template for you.

SEND A THANK YOU GIFT

I love sending thank-you gifts to clients who refer me to their network. I always do it after their referral signs a contract with me, so I know it’s set in stone. Sending a small gift is a gesture that’s much appreciated by clients and often surprises them. Showing appreciation for the referral is a great way to get even more!

To send thank-you gifts, I use the company Sugarwish. It allows me to pick the size of the gift and the client picks the gift they want, enter their address, and it’s sent straight to them. It’s super easy to use and my clients always love it!

A Word-of-Mouth Story

I didn’t realize just how powerful word of mouth is until a few weeks ago. I received a contact form submission from someone I had never heard of, but she indicated she heard about me from a referral. 

(P.S. If you don’t have “how did you hear about me” on your contact form, add it! ) 

I followed up with her about the questions she asked, scheduled a discovery call, then asked, “Out of curiosity, can you let me know who referred you to me?” She came back and told me it was a current client of mine. Let’s call her Lindsay. Well, what’s interesting is Lindsay had JUST signed on with me the week before. She hasn’t seen any of my work yet, I haven’t delivered anything to her, but she still referred me.

I was blown away. Why would Lindsay refer me when she doesn’t know the quality of my work yet?

Well, I think there are a few reasons. 

1. She trusts the person who referred HER to me. Lindsay was actually a referral too. She had to trust the person who referred her to me to even reach out to inquire about my services. Lindsay must believe and trust her friend to refer me to someone else as well.
2. She knew I was open to work since I had just signed her as a client. 
3. She’s seen my website and the work I’ve published and is happy with what she sees.

No matter the reason, it comes down to the fact that Lindsay went out of her way to refer me to a new client. I have a discovery call with the new prospect this week and will send Lindsay a little gift if it works out. 

Referrals and positive word of mouth are underrated growth strategies that more entrepreneurs should take advantage of. I gave you a few ways to start generating referrals, but I’d love to hear more ways that work for you! Start a conversation with me on Instagram and tell me how you like to get referrals! Let’s support each other on this crazy entrepreneurial journey ❤️

Want more tips like this? My weekly newsletter is full of blog, SEO, and business advice! Join the list today.