What others say about you is ten times more believable than what you say about yourself.

Having a systematic way to get referrals into your business is an investment, and one that will require the proper care and feeding of both time and money for you to get a return.

Most aim for sales. Few aim to create relationships that drive sales.

The best time to ask your clients for referrals is at the time they love you the most.

Right after they’ve experienced a great result from your product, ask for their help in return. This is called reciprocity, and you should never be backwards or tentative about asking for referrals at this moment because people inherently want to help each other, especially because you've just helped them.

Every business has some "point of best opportunity" like this, when the customer is feeling happiest or the most optimistic about the product they have purchased.

You should be spending as much, or more, to obtain a referral customer as you do a cold customer.

A referral converts to a customer at a faster pace, spends more as a customer with much less price resistance, and does these things with much less shopping of your competition. Referrals usually have an increased lifetime value, and, the best part is, they are preconditioned to refer others because that is how they came to your business.

As a bonus, your original customer who made the referral is more committed to your business, and their lifetime value goes up as well.

All of this entitles you to spend at least as much as you would on a referral as you would to get a cold customer.

Whatever you want from people, they have to know you want it before they can give it to you, they have to know it is expected of them before they can live up to your expectation, and they have to know that they are capable of doing it successfully.

Things your customer needs to know…

Our customers refer.

Referrals are genuinely appreciated.

Referrals are well taken care of.

NOT referring is weird.

You are doing others a great service by telling them about us.

There are easy ways to introduce people to us.

Here's how to refer.

No one is unable to refer. Every person has some relatives, at least a few friends, neighbors, people they see and talk to often in the course of day-to-day living, co-workers, fellow church members. Everybody knows people and is known by people.