If you’re like me, you’re always looking for new business everywhere you go. I do my darndest (is that a word?) to strike up a conversation with anyone and everyone I meet because you never know. I was out at Trece Tequilla Bar the other night (yeah, i know…lush) and randomly ran into a retired couple at the bar. This was my first time at this particular tequilla bar (I’m working on a project in Dallas, right now and unfamiliar with many of the new establishments). The retired couple at the bar, though, were regulars and knew the lay of the land all too well. After a few minutes of “Hi, How are Ya’s” they introduced me to the three bartenders (getting to know your bartenders is the best thing you can ever do) and then I started asking them about some of the things they did when they weren’t guzzling tequilla and chipotle salsa. One thing led to another and I got to talking about my work as a film/video producer and social media and marketing consultant. Wouldn’t you know it, they have a son who is the marketing director at a very prominent company here in Dallas. I gave them my card and took down their son’s information. They promised they would call him, so that he would be expecting my call. Guess who I had a 20-minute conversation with on the phone today and guess who is now a part-time freelance consultant for a very prominent company here in Dallas? You guessed it, I am.
Now, I’m not trying to brag (alright, I am a little), but I am trying to illustrate the point that new business can come from anywhere or anyone. I’ve never understood business people who act so standoffish towards meeting new people or discussing what makes their company so great. This makes no sense to me. The more people you meet the greater chances of coming across someone that your company can genuinely help, or even better, someone that can genuinely help your company. It’s been said millions upon millions of times, landing new business is strictly a numbers game. If you put yourself in front of enough people, you will find you have more business than you can handle. So, what do you do once you have a steady portfolio of clients?
5 Ways to Maximize Your Relationships and Get Business Referrals:
- Give your clients quality work. If you consistently go above and beyond what your clients ask for, you won’t even need to ask for referrals, your clients will just give them to you voluntarily.
- Follow up once projects are completed. You did everything and more that your client asked you to do and you hit it out of the park. But, often times, there will be tiny little changes or additions to a project that a client may realize they need once a project has been officially invoiced and closed. Your client may not feel the changes are that important and might not want to bother you, but if you follow up any project with a quick phone call asking if the client needs anything else and then make a few tweaks or changes free of charge, then you can bet the client is going to come to you first with the next project and sing your praises all over town.
- Keep clients abreast of other project success you are having. I like to call this soft bragging. Whenever my team and I complete a new project, I will send out an e.mail to my entire client list and brag about what a great job my team did and list any awards that might be attached to the project. The key is to brag about your team, not about your company or yourself. Your team deserves to be recognized for their efforts and the more you brag about them, the more confidence your clients will have in you the next time they have a project that requires your company’s expertise.
- Take your clients out on the town. This can get tricky, especially if you’re not that familiar with what your client does for entertainment. But, if you’re perceptive, then you probably know one or two things that they might enjoy. Invite them out to a round of golf, for a drink (make sure they drink), to a networking event, etc. An even better approach is to throw a company party every quarter and invite ALL your clients. This allows you to treat everyone at the same time and is a great way to get one set of clients to brag about you to another set of clients. Even better, have your clients invite other companies that might be interested in utilizing the services you offer. In addition to free food and booze, provide a brief presentation of your product or service and then hand out some literature that can easily fold up into someone’s coat pocket. Be sure to give your presentation early in the night, though. The last thing you want is a bunch of businessmen that have had too much “sauce” watching your presentation at the end of the night and remembering none of it in the morning. Make sure you collect business cards and follow up in a day or two, thanking everyone for coming to the party and offering to go into more detail about the services you offer.
- Just ask them. If you’re doing your job right, then your clients probably like you. If you’ve had a client for some period of time, then you probably have somewhat of a more relaxed or even personal relationship. I wouldn’t suggest asking every single week, but in passing, while you’re having a more relaxed conversation with a client, simply drop into conversation that you’re expanding and looking to take on a few more clients. Then ask them if they have any suggestions of companies that might be a good fit with your product or service? If they do, great! If they don’t, no harm done. Just make sure it is clear that you will always give the same amount of attention to their company.
If you follow the above five suggestions, then you’ll find you can increase your client base significantly. Another great way to keep current clients informed and attract new clients is to start a company blog or newsletter. Anytime you can separate yourself as an expert in your particular field, you will see an increase in new and referral business.
Bonus Tip: Finally, make sure your clients understand all of the services you offer. Sure, you may have done a great job putting together a marketing campaign for Client X, but do they know that you also offer video production services? You’d be surprised how many of your clients don’t fully understand all of the products or services you offer. Make sure they know that you offer multiple solutions to multiple problems. There’s a strong possibility that you could double the revenue you make off one client, simply by up-selling them to more than one of your products/services.
How do you get referral business, or new business for that matter? Do you find more of your clients come through online relationships, or is a face-to-face meeting still more valuable in acquiring new clientele? What am I missing here? What is working for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the best ways to expand your business.
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