Are You Referral Ready?

Communicating with your referral sources doesn’t always have to be about referrals. They can serve as true business partners if you ask for their feedback about your products or services, and that feedback can drive any improvements or subsequent promotional programs. A relationship fueled by trust can serve both parties in ways that have nothing to do with referrals.

Referral sources enjoy being insiders to your business and feeling like they can be trusted with privileged information. When you involve them in the strategic decision making process of your business, that trust is increased. During those times when you can’t feed the relationship with referrals, you can strive to feed it with the stuff that referrals made of–trust and shared experience.

Design a brief customer survey and include among its distribution 3-5 of your best referral sources. Schedule time to sit down with each one and review their responses, positive or negative. Use the negative responses to improve the product or service, and use the positive responses as part of a print or web-based marketing campaign. Let the referral source know how the information was used and thank them for their participation.

 When you solicit feedback from your referral sources, several positive things happen. Trusted voices are heard, business partnerships are strengthened, product or service delivery is improved, marketing efforts gain authentic support, and problems are identified and solved before they even start. What looks like a situation that benefits only you really boosts the credibility of your referral sources as well.