Good word of mouth is the best advertising available – but for many insurers, the only time they hear from clients is when there is a compliant, while satisfied customers remain silent; but there are solutions
Good word of mouth is the best advertising available – but for many insurers, the only time they hear from clients is when there is a compliant, while satisfied customers remain silent; but there are solutions.
“Too often, businesses overlook referrals. They expect referrals to take care of themselves, or they just don’t know how to get to them,” says Shannon Adams, a marketing designer with PlanPlus Online. “But referrals are among the most significant sales tools at your disposal. They cost you very little to encourage and receive, and they should be a focal point for your business if you are looking to drive more opportunities and generate more sales.”
To make referral marketing a proactive part of your lead generation activities, you need to be referable, says Adams, and if your existing customers are pleased with your products and services, most will be happy to provide a referral. The key is to make it a great experience for them to do business with you.
“There are two ways to get a referral: one is to wait and hope, and the other is to ask for it,” she says. “If you’ve delivered value and great service to your customers, you can always wait and hope that another company, colleague, or acquaintance will ask them for a referral and they will recommend you.”
These types of passive referrals can and do happen, but your customers are busy growing their own businesses and are not focused on driving opportunities to you as a vendor or partner. So these referrals are likely to be infrequent and sporadic.
To be proactive and get referrals in greater numbers, all you need to do is ask, she says.
“Once you’ve established a relationship with a customer and have done your due diligence to deliver value, ask your customer for a referral,” says Adams. “Ask if anyone comes to mind who might also benefit from your products or services. With this prompt, many customers will provide you with a specific referral or perhaps even several of them.”
“Too often, businesses overlook referrals. They expect referrals to take care of themselves, or they just don’t know how to get to them,” says Shannon Adams, a marketing designer with PlanPlus Online. “But referrals are among the most significant sales tools at your disposal. They cost you very little to encourage and receive, and they should be a focal point for your business if you are looking to drive more opportunities and generate more sales.”
To make referral marketing a proactive part of your lead generation activities, you need to be referable, says Adams, and if your existing customers are pleased with your products and services, most will be happy to provide a referral. The key is to make it a great experience for them to do business with you.
“There are two ways to get a referral: one is to wait and hope, and the other is to ask for it,” she says. “If you’ve delivered value and great service to your customers, you can always wait and hope that another company, colleague, or acquaintance will ask them for a referral and they will recommend you.”
These types of passive referrals can and do happen, but your customers are busy growing their own businesses and are not focused on driving opportunities to you as a vendor or partner. So these referrals are likely to be infrequent and sporadic.
To be proactive and get referrals in greater numbers, all you need to do is ask, she says.
“Once you’ve established a relationship with a customer and have done your due diligence to deliver value, ask your customer for a referral,” says Adams. “Ask if anyone comes to mind who might also benefit from your products or services. With this prompt, many customers will provide you with a specific referral or perhaps even several of them.”
