Want build your business? You already have the key to your success.
When you're deciding who to do business with, do you trust more? The yellow pages? Or a friend or colleague you know, with much more experience in the area you're seeking? Research shows ... referrals rock!
Referrals aren't bought or sold; they're earned. And, referrals or not, your best customers are the ones who keep coming back for more.
Here's
some startling statistics about valued customers
- Repeat customers spend 33% more than new customers.
- Referrals among repeat customers are 107% greater than non-customers.
- It costs six times more to sell something to a prospect than to sell that same thing to a customer.
What Makes Great Customers ... Great?
- What you offer is a good fit with what they want (and they get it)
- They're easy to reach (they come to you rather than you "chase" them)
- They're ready to buy (you don't have to spend energy "selling" them)
- Your products or services are a good value for them and your business (note: this does not mean you need to lose money for your services to be considered a good value)
- They're happy with your service and happy to let others know it. Though one friend quips, "It ain't braggin' if it's true," today, business accolades often carry the strongest credibility when they come from those who have the least to gain from it.
Remember the proverb, "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold." Bottom line: businesses benefit when they reward loyalty, too. Besides, it's much more than just financially rewarding to do your best work for those who appreciate it the most; treating your customers right feels good for you as well as for your customers.
How Do You Earn Those Referrals?
What have you done today you build your mutual admiration society? Do you know who your best customers are? How to reach them? What's important to them? How to show you appreciate them?
More Soon
Tune in to this space; more on this in a future blog.
