The Importance of Referrals
Referrals are extremely important and are still one of the best ways to gain new customers. The great thing about referrals is that they don’t cost you a penny, and it is possible to gain referrals without asking for it. If your customer is extremely satisfied with your service, they may recommend your business to family, friends and/or acquaintances. They can be worth their weight in gold, depending on how great your services are.
Doing good quality work is essential to referrals, but it is not the only important factor, your customer service skills are also imperative. Exceptional customer service will separate you from your competition and can make the difference between having a satisfied customer or an ecstatic customer that can’t wait to tell everyone they know about how great your company is.
Your willingness to accept any amount of constructive criticism is key when it comes to customer service. Let’s face it, you can not read your customers mind (as much as I’m sure you’d like to), so you must know that you will not always do things exactly how they would like. Your openness to accept any suggestions, tips or requests is a much sought after trait. This lets the customer know that you care about them and their needs because they are the most important.
Always answer your customer’s inquiries as soon as physically possible, this is just another way to show them how much you care. People want to know that if they are paying you for your service, that they will get the utmost quality from your experience. This means that even a potential customer who hasn’t hired you yet, deserves their questions answered immediately and with accuracy. Taking an interest in any of their concerns tells them that you know what your doing and truly care about the quality of your work.
Some businesses offer some form of incentive to a customer if they can provide a referral to the company. This can be extremely effective, but this does not always need to be done if your customers at the end of the job are truly happy about the service that you gave them. If you bend over backwards to make sure your customers are happy then they will lovingly recommend you to anyone with out any expectancies of an incentive.
Referrals are the key to success and are iatrical in providing you a new clientele base. Treat your customers with dignity and respect, and there will be a return on your part that will be well worth any hassles that may go along in doing it.
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