Everyone loves a client referral.
Client referral leads are typically the best leads a business can get. They are already familiar with your business and have been told you’re the best by someone they trust.
It’s always exciting when you get referrals. Not only are you bringing on a new client, but the satisfaction of knowing a previous client was so happy with your work they referred a friend or colleague to you is intoxicating.
We get a lot of business from referrals as well, and there is nothing better.
However, there are a couple of myths when it comes to client referrals that are likely costing you business. You could be losing referral leads before they ever even call your office or submit a contact form.
Let’s look at a couple of client referral myths you should be aware of and what you can do to make sure you don’t fall into these traps.
Client Referral Myth One
“If we do great work and are great to work with, we will get more referrals, and our business will grow.”
Of course, the most important thing you can do to generate more client referrals is to do a fantastic job for clients and be a delight to work with. Obviously.
Yet, what most business owners fail to understand is that doing an excellent job for your clients isn’t enough.
“You serious, Clark?” ~ Cousin Eddie
Yes, Eddie, I’m serious. I couldn’t be more serious if I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet.
You see, referrals don’t always simply take their friend’s word for it. They still do their homework. They still check your website, your social media, and your online reviews.
If you don’t have your digital presence in order, you are losing referral business…along with other business. If your website stinks and your social media is stagnant, you are losing referral business.
Almost every time I work with a small business, and we work out their messaging and launch their new website, they tell me their referral business has increased after a few months.
You can’t sit there and be a company that relies on referral business and assume your website doesn’t matter. You’re leaving money on the table and risking your business.
Client Referral Myth Two
“We have spent years building a stellar reputation in our industry, and we can always lean on that.”
Or
“We have a star on our team whose public persona and reputation do the work for us!”
If you have been around for a couple of decades and built a strong reputation in your industry or community, you might think that is enough to carry your business and generate a steady referral stream.
It’s not.
I have also seen this before; a business has a “star” on the team that everyone in the city or state they operate in knows and respects. That person is in front of people nonstop, and it generates interest and new business regularly.
Then, something happens, and that person falls out of the limelight. Maybe they retire. Maybe they say something stupid and get destroyed on Twitter.
You would be shocked how quickly people forget about you when the star power (reputation or public persona) falls.
The lead source is gone almost overnight. The same can happen to your reputation as a business. One lousy news report or viral complaint, and you’re toast.
So, what can you do to make sure you’re maximizing your referral leads and shoring up your foundation in the process?
Build Your Business Upon Clear Messaging
Your marketing is only as good as the messaging it is built upon. Whether you’re trying to maximize referral business or reach new customers, if you don’t have the right words, nothing else you do will matter.
You can post your brains out on social media, have the best-looking website, and spend 10s of thousands on digital ads, and still fall on your face if your messaging isn’t strong.
A great brand message draws your ideal customers in by clearly showing how you help them overcome a specific problem and lead them to success. It shows a transformation.
In short: it invites them into a story.
When you have a clear story to tell of your ideal customer’s transformation with the help of your product or services, you can clearly and consistently communicate that across every medium out there.
Your website, social media, digital ads, TV, radio, billboards, wherever you play, it’s the same clear message.
When a new prospect or a newly referred prospect sees that kind of consistency and feels invited into a story of their own transformation, you are going to convert more leads into customers, regardless of where they came from.
Is Your Brand Messaging Strong?
Now, flip to another tab and open your website. Do you feel invited into a story? Check your social media pages. Is the message consistent? Do you feel invited into a story there?
If the answer is “no,” it’s time to build a new foundation.
At Moonflower Marketing, we use a proven story-based approach to brand messaging that will help you craft a brand message that resonates with your customers and draws them to your business. We help you take that message and implement it into your website, lead generators, email series, and more.
When you’re done with us, you will have the strongest foundation your business has ever had to grow in the months and years to come.
Don’t risk a new referral lead or anyone else landing on your website and being confused as to why what they see doesn’t match what they’ve been told about your business.
Ensure that when the right customers land on your website, they see their own transformation through your services.
Interested? Schedule a free discovery call, and let’s get to work, so you start seeing your leads increase, not the least of which will be your client referral leads.
We look forward to working with you very soon!
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