It’s a jungle out there, and the competition for clients is fierce. Luckily, you don’t have to spend a fortune on creative marketing schemes to get connected with new, quality clients. In fact, the best way to get new clients in your door won’t cost you a penny!How many times have you visited a new barber or tried a new printing service at the recommendation of a friend or colleague? I can’t even count the number of times that I’ve tried a new restaurant after hearing a friend rave about it! Client referrals are a powerful source of new client generation – people value and trust their friends’ opinions.

Getting more client referrals for your business isn’t complicated, but it can be difficult if you don’t actively encourage your clients to recommend your business. Here are 3 tips that will help you get more client referrals:

Marketing Tip #1 Look At It From Your Clients’ Point of View

Of course you want your clients to refer new clients to your business, but why should your clients want to refer new clients? They will be putting their credibility on the line each time they recommend your business to a friend or colleague. It’s your job to prove to your clients that your business is worthy of their referrals.

Marketing Tip #2 Endear Yourself to Your Clients

If you have a “gimme gimme” relationship with your clients, your focus on how your clients can benefit you – instead of a focus on how you and your clients can benefit each other – is unlikely to lead to many client referrals. Instead, go a step further and focus on how you can express tokens and gestures of thoughtfulness to your clients. Take the example of my mortgage broker. During one of our conversations, he took some time to get to know me and discovered that I have a love of sushi. As it turned out, he has a passion for fishing for exotic fish. More than once after that conversation he would return from a fishing trip and deliver some of his fresh catch to my home without me even asking! I was pleased with his brokerage services and blown away by his generosity. When he asked me for a referral, I of course was more than willing to spend the time to think of quality referrals for him.

Marketing Tip #3 Ask for One

It’s seems so straightforward, so why do business owners often shy away from asking their clients for referrals? Fear of rejection or of ruining a good relationship with an existing client are the primary deterrents. But asking for a referral doesn’t have to be daunting, just casually mention it during conversation. When a client thanks you for a job well done say something like “I’m glad that you are pleased with our services. We would be so grateful if you would tell your friends about your first-rate experience us.” or “I’ve really enjoyed doing business with you, and I’d love to work with more clients who are so receptive to new ideas. Who do you know in the restaurant business who you think may be interested in our quality services?” See, that wasn’t so scary.

Just wait, there’s more! Check back on this blog site to get part 2 which  includes 4 more tips to help you get more client referrals for your business! If you’d rather get it delivered straight to your inbox all you have to do is put in your email address in the opt in below.