For many WAHMs referrals are their ticket to success. Friends refer friends. Most of the time these turn into loyal customers.
A great way to draw in referrals is through an incentive program. Even if you are representing a company you too can create an incentive program for customers that will reward them for sending you referrals. People like to receive gratitude for send referrals. Take advantage of that fact.
Incentives can range from gift certificates, discounts, gifts. This can be a per referral incentive or cumulative meaning after so many referrals they receive a special reward. You can even customize your incentive based on the customer. If you know your customer likes a particular lipstick you can offer them a free one.
Incentives can be outside of your product line or service such as restaurant gift certificates or movie tickets. Recently I came in contact with a representative of a company who offered amusement park tickets. Be creative and think outside the box.
I've found a gift certificate to be much more memorable than a cash incentive. The reason is simple - these kind of rewards make people feel special. Finding the right incentive can be a challenge, but it's worth it. You will score big by really building your word-of-mouth business.
You also should refer potential customers to trustworthy representatives and businesses. This puts you in a networking circle. Use referrals given to you when it comes to using the products of services of a trusted company or representative.
On the other side of this if a person refers a potential customer to you and receives no appreciation for doing so, no more referrals from that customer and can even lead to losing that customer. Its extreme but it does happen. Don't risk it. If all you can do is simply send a note of thank you, do so. Make it hand written for a personal touch. Even a personal phone call thanking them is better than nothing at all. If you get continued referrals give a gift of some sort.
Referrals are the back bone of many small businesses. Utilize them. Cherish them. Thank them.
