Dotty Scott shares how to get more business referrals: set up campaigns in your CRM, contact past clients through their preferred channel, add referral prompts to your email signature and pitch, send newsletters, and ask for reviews after projects. Reciprocity matters.
Chapter 14 is on referrals. Referrals really are the lifeblood of your business, but for some reason, people hate asking. I haven't figured that one out, but they think asking for a referral is like pulling teeth or something. Referrals are the backbone of every business and they can make or break you. And that really is true. I get a lot of my business from referrals. I've been asking for years, and I have plans in place to ask for referrals. Do you have a plan to increase your referrals this year? It is super important, and you can set up a referral campaign in your CRM if you're using one. If not, you might want to consider starting to use a CRM. They are very useful and very helpful for automating things like this in your business. Reach out in multiple ways. Some people prefer text, other people prefer email. Some people would prefer that you pick up the phone and you call. So figure out what your people like, and if you've worked with them, then you know what they like. Ask often. Add a line in your email signature. For example, we love referrals. That's a great thing to have in your email signature. When you give a 60-second pitch, like you're at a networking meeting, End it with, do you know someone who blah, blah, blah? Ask. People are at these meetings to get referrals. So why not ask? They expect people to ask. Past clients will use your newsletters to forward to people that they would like to refer to you. Did you know that? I've seen it happen many times. So are you sending out a newsletter to your past clients? Are you keeping in touch with your past clients? If not, that's a big hole that you should fill this year in your marketing plan. And I have seen it over and over where a past client of mine will either respond to my newsletter with business that they've been meaning to get in touch with me, and now it's super easy. They're just replying to an email, or they forward that newsletter onto other business owners that they know that need my services. So a newsletter is far more beneficial than just the information in that newsletter. Let's see, what else do I have here in my book? Don't underestimate the power of a referral, even if it comes much later. They will call when they need you. When you finish a project for a client, are you checking in with them to see if they're 100% satisfied? That's a great time to ask for a review and ask for a referral. Do they know anybody else that can use your services? One of the big reasons to network is to score referrals. That's why we go to networking. And if you have affiliate relationships with other businesses, there's another opportunity for a referral and they expect to get paid for that referral. So it's slightly different if you have an affiliate relationship with another business, but it's still a referral. It's somebody they know that they're connecting to you and you didn't know them. So that is a referral. And believe me, karma plays a huge role in the referral atmosphere. If you never give referrals, you will probably never get referrals. If you never ask for referrals, you will probably never get referrals. If you both ask and give, those referrals will start coming your way, but they may not come from the people that you're giving referrals to. I have noticed this a lot in my business over the years. I give referrals to a lot of like standardized people. For example, I've got a graphic designer that I often give a referral to for creating logos and creating other website graphics when a client needs that. I have given that person many referrals over the years and she's maybe given me one that I can think of. And I don't think that one even actually turned into business. Not their fault, by the way. If you're getting a referral and it doesn't turn into business, you can't blame the person that gave you the referral. It is something either with you, with them, or something else. So no blame here, but even though she doesn't give me referrals, I still get referrals. It's like putting money in the karma bank. And so I'm happy to give as many referrals as I can. And I know that they will come from somewhere. They just land in your lap at the times that you most need it, which is how I know it's karma.
