The little things
Sometimes the little things we do (or fail to do) make a big difference. In the case of saying “thank you,” the impact it can have on your business can be substantial. In fact, saying thank you is key to increasing the number of referrals you’ll get.
If you properly show appreciation after the first referral given to you, a past client will be five times more likely to recommend your services again.
Why is saying thank you so important? Well, for one, it makes the client feel good. It reinforces to them that they did a nice thing and that you’ve clearly taken notice. Moreover, when people know that you’re sincerely appreciative, they’ll want to help you again. Saying “thank you” is also important because you want your clients to know that you’re always open to referrals.
Think about what would happen if a client referred you and you didn’t clearly express your appreciation towards them or even acknowledge their referral. Not only will this likely affect their opinion of you (for the worse) but their likelihood of referring you will probably decrease because they may question whether you’re open to referrals (maybe Joe’s too busy after all) or whether you care about referrals. Don’t ever assume people know you’re open to referrals or that you’re appreciative. Make it obvious.
It is simple
It’s easy to show your appreciation. Give the client a call and say you’d like to stop by. This will give you the opportunity to thank the referrer in person, which will have the most impact. Bring a thank you card and a small gift.
You’ll also want to be sure to record every referral you receive, and every meeting with a client or referral source, in your CRM or contact database. Doing so will make it easy for you to see who your best sources of referrals are over time. If you notice that a handful of people have been providing you with a lot of referrals, maybe you’ll want to go out of your way to do something extra special for these people.
Saying thank you is a small, easy, and inexpensive technique to increasing your referral business. Of course, its impact is anything but small.
