Foreword
A few years ago, we did a survey of small businesses and found that 83 percent said their main source of new business was “referrals.”
Think about that statistic for a moment. As a small business owner, your new business most often comes from other people who are talking about your company. And who are those “other people”? Complete strangers? People who’ve never heard of your business? Of course not!
The people who recommend your business to others are those who already know your business. They have had a positive experience with your business. They feel so positive that they want to tell others about it. Those people are, in two words . . . your customers.
The people spreading the word are current or past customers who, when asked which company they recommend, have such a warm and fuzzy feeling (in marketing speak, they are “highly satisfied”) that your company’s name is the first out of their mouths. They don’t have to think long and hard about it. It pops out spontaneously. Your business is top-of-mind.
Highly satisfied customers often don’t wait for anyone to ask. They may be so wowed by their experience that they rave about it over lunch with colleagues or at networking events. They might even volunteer how happy they are with your product or service by writing about it on their company blog or personal Twitter account. Or perhaps, if they think that your company really went above and beyond, they’ll leave a five-star review on one of the many consumer review sites. ...
