I recently sat down with my internal marketing team on how to enhance the Business Marketing Engine brand. I see all these brands on social media that have amazing hook points, taglines, influence and more…
But, after thinking about all the clients I’ve had and I realized something about our brand. While we may not be like your favorite TikTok or Instagram influencer out there, our brand is built on excellent delivery, communication and relationship building. A lot of new clients we get are referrals from previous clients.
How are we able to be so successful basically just through word of mouth? Here’s my secret…
Use your wins to your advantage.
Here’s what I mean by that…
Let’s say you just completed a project with a client. They’re happy with your work and excited about their project coming to fruition. If they’re happy with your work, odds are they know plenty of other people who would be interested in working with you too.
In this situation, I always ask my clients for referrals. I know, it may seem weird to email someone and say “hey send more clients my way since you were happy with my work” (and you can word it a lot better than that too) but in my experience, if you take good care of a client and provide excellent work, they are more than happy to refer you to others.
Plan It Out
While yes, you can ask for referrals right after you complete a project, but don’t ask, and then stop communicating with clients. Even after projects are completed, it’s important to stay in touch. Nurturing those relationships is the key to getting great results and referrals. My advice to you would be to plan it out in your calendar.
Map out which clients you need to reach out to and when, and just do a simple check-in. Whether that’s a simple “Hi, how are you?” email, a Facebook message on their birthday, a congratulations text on something they’ve accomplished…you get the idea.
This not only shows them how dedicated you are to keeping up with them but keeps your name in their head too. The ultimate goal is for them to be talking with a colleague and say “I know someone who can help you with X project, they helped me with something similar and did a great job”, and boom, you just got another potential client.
Using Your Wins
Don’t be afraid to use your wins to your advantage. Success stories show potential clients that you CAN do the work, and shows former clients why they should refer you to others. Use your wins, nurture those relationships and build your network. See how many new clients you get…
If you have questions about using your wins or asking for referrals, contact me or tell me what you think in the comments below. Here’s to your success.