A referral is great - but your actions speak louder!

This may seem a little off the beaten path today, but I assure you it most certainly has to do with marketing and your business. Have you ever been referred to someone by someone else? Usually if you have the person who gave you the information spoke very highly about that company and/or person. With this referral comes a certain expectation that you will be satisfied at the very least if not amazed with the service or product they provide.

When the referral works out everyone is happy. The person that made the reference is praised, the company or person they sent you to is looked at like gods and you are extremely happy. So what happens when the referral goes wrong? What happens when you get to that company/person and they disappoint you so much so that you will never go back to them again nor send anyone else there? The chain is broken and that business has just lost not only a possible client, but their respect and possibly other business as a result.

Here's a perfect example of how things can go horribly wrong. You get a referral from a friend about this great therapist who has done wonders for them and is the nicest person they have ever met. So you give them a shot, you call and make the appointment and are all pumped up about this. You think, this time it is really going to work, they are going to be able to help you figure out what is going on and hopefully move on with things. You get to the appointment and the doctor can barely remember your name during the visit, pays no attention to the things you are telling them and seems to have a diagnosis before you even walked through the door. To say the least you are disappointed, and when you are done you never want to see him or any other therapist again.

In the scenario above, this therapist has tarnished his/her reputation. Will they go out of business because of this? Probably not. Will they lose a lot of their existing clients? Probably not. But they will lose future clients and have most certainly lost you as a client. Not only that, but now they have someone walking around talking about their horrible experience and every time naming that therapist. Not something any business would want, especially a business that deals so directly with its clients.

So how do you make a referral work for your business every time?
It is as simple as this - Customer Service, we are in business to service the customer. Sure you want to make money, but without your customers what business will you have left? Every client that walks through the door, or picks up the phone and calls you should be treated as if they are the only client you have and will ever have. They should feel like you are really listening to them (because you should be) and they should feel like their project/situation/issue is unique and you will treat it as such.

In the age of the internet, people too often think that the quick down and dirty approach is what everyone wants. Well as a business owner, and a client I can tell you personally that I want to be treated with respect and given the attention I deserve. I don't mind spending a few extra minutes on the phone to discuss my project with a vendor if I know that those extra minutes are being spent well and the company is really taking my thoughts and concerns into account.

You have to treat your clients with the same respect you expect to receive as a client to another business.

Remember: Your company is only as good as its last interaction with a client.

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Ignite Media LLC, Ignite Your Site™
http://www.ignite-media.com/
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