Are You Referral Ready?

The music business understands this concept instinctively. When your favorite artist or musician releases new material, you immediately purchase or download it without so much as hearing one note. You are that emotionally invested, and you want the connection to continue so you purchase tickets to see him/her in concert. Because it’s the music business, we call people like that fans. In fact, they are a special kind of customer.

The emotional connection between you and your fans takes time and effort to build. Keep in mind that consumers have become very demanding in terms of how companies market to them. They can smell phony from a mile away. One of the most trusted sources of purchasing information is word-of-mouth, and fans are the champions of word-of-mouth marketing (both positive and negative). Either you take care of your fans, or your competitors will.

Do your best fans have the tools to refer you to others? Are they being properly rewarded? Can they earn discounts on exclusive products or services? What motivates them to promote your product so strongly? How can you best support the relationship to maintain their loyalty?

Customers are price-driven. Fans are experience driven. Improve the experience to create more fans. Customers are surprised by good service. Fans automatically assume you will delight them. Provide service worth talking about to create more fans. Customers are indifferent to your company. Fans actively invest in their relationship with you–time, emotion, attention, and money. Invest in your customers to create more fans. Customers want you to sell them products. Fans want personalized advice and solutions. Get personal with your customers to create more fans.