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IT Marketing: How to Ask for Referrals
By Joshua Feinberg
Referrals are a great way of IT marketing. In this article, you'll learn how to ask for them.
The Question
The key IT marketing question to ask your clients is "Do you know anyone else who could benefit from our services?" Write it down on your hand. Write it down on your PDA. Look at it every morning before you talk to clients. Get very, very used to asking that question. "Do you know anyone else in your circle of friends, family members, business associates, colleagues, vendors who could benefit from our services?"
IT Marketing: Teach Your Clients How to Recognize Potential Referrals
You need to train your good clients to recognize the telltale signs of someone needing your services. For instance, they are on the phone and hear them complaining about their slow computers. Or they can't email back because their system is down again. Those are golden leads for you. You need to let your client know that you would sincerely appreciate the referrals.
Create a Client Survey
Another way to get referrals is by surveying your customers at least once a year. While doing so, you can ask them to list some people they know that might be interested in your services.
You can also do something a little more regularly like a statement stuffer. A statement stuffer is a card or flier you put in with your invoices. This card talks about how you appreciate referrals and what kinds of businesses you work with and that they should keep you in mind.
Referral Rewards
If you want to kind of grease the skids and get even more of this going, think about starting a formal referral program. Let them know that you will reward them for referrals that turn into customers. Some rewards could be:
o $100 credit on their account
o $100 gift check
o $100 to the charity of their choice
Rewarding clients for helping you with your IT marketing is a great way to get referrals. The key thing is, ask for referrals and ask for them often.
The Bottom Line on IT Marketing
One of the best forms of relationship IT marketing is asking your current clients for referrals to other businesses that can use your services.
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About the Author
Joshua Feinberg helps computer consultant business owners get steady, high-paying clients. Sign-up now for Joshua's free audio training that shows you how to use field-tested, proven Small Biz Tech Talk tools at http://www.SmallBizTechTalk.com/blog
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