Here I discuss three ways to build your business through referrals:

1. The best way to get referrals is to… ask for them – Holy Revelation Sparky!
    

   Okay, not the greatest insight ever.  But, next to nobody does it.  This vacuum creates a great opportunity for you.

   When you ask for a referral, three things happen.  First, requesting a referral makes you stand out.  Second, asking for a referral is a clear affirmation of your belief in yourself and the quality of your service.  Third, you get referrals – the more referral requests you make the more referrals you’ll get.  How do I know?

   Massive research by big money corporations reveals that the average Jane or Joe knows fifty-two other people.  What are the odds that one of those fifty-two is having a birthday, corporate picnic or other special event in one week? Answer: About 100% probabilities or near certainty.  So, ask for referrals.

   Also, note that the American Management Association claims that the average satisfied customer tells three other people about their satisfactory experience.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to move that number up from three to closer to fifty.

   Here’s a big secret: people want to be told what to do.  Ask for referrals.  And, if you’re serious about your business, you can take the next step.

2. When asking for a referral, explain why you’re asking, and give your customer a coupon to give to their referral.
    

   Here’s what you might say to your customer:  “Mary, as you might know, most of my business is doing private events like birthday parties, corporate events and so on.

   I’ve built my business through referrals because people appreciate being told about good service.  I hope I’ve done a good job for you.If I have, I hope you’ll do me and a friend a favor by passing this coupon – worth $30 – along to someone who could use it.”

3. There’s nothing better that word of mouth (WOM) advertising.
    

   Disneyland and Disney World have spent a ton of money to learn how to create WOM.  Here’s what they’ve learned: Cleanliness sells.

   Incidentally, McDonald’s learned the same lesson.

   Is it that easy?  Yep!

   Will you take advantage of this revelation? Nope!

   Disney spent big bucks systematically testing and tracking everything.  They wanted to know what would cause Willy and Wilma to go home with their kids and repeatedly brag about their experience at Disney.  Cleanliness, more than any other factor, was the answer.

   Cleanliness created the greatest WOM.

   Can you use this fact? Yes!  Will insane cleanliness create WOM for you?  Yes!  Will you do it? Probably not!

   It’s one thing to know what to do and another to do it.  We all know we should ask for referrals but…  We all know we should eat less and exercise more but…  We all want to make a lot of money, but…

   There’s a reason why most are not very successful.  They won’t do what they need to do to be successful.

Next week I’ll tell you how doing one simple thing repeatedly can increase your business tenfold. Yes, tenfold!

Kirk