Don't Accept Dismal Direct Response Results!
Phone 888-250-1834
and You Will Get a REAL PERSON!
ico
My Account:
 Login
Articles
The Psychology of Referrals
By Travis Lee
Monday, October 26, 2009

Last week we stated a topic on getting more referrals in your business, and who doesn’t want that!?!  To see where we’ve been, visit my blog below.  Now, we’ll discuss some of the psychology that of why people refer and how you can get more people to do it.

There are three main psychological reasons why people refer:

  1. For personal gain
  2. To help people they know
  3. To Help YOU!

#1 is probably the one people think of the most when it comes to getting more referrals.  And quite frankly I can easily see why.  After all, as marketers we are constantly trying to answer the question of, “What’s in it for me (your client)?”

There are tons of ways to get more referrals through the personal gain of your clients.  You can give them gifts, discounts, prizes, entries to drawings, recognition.  The list is virtually endless on what you can do to get your clients to refer more through their own person gain.

#2, helping people they know, is something they usually need to be encouraged to do.  It can be as simply as a mention when you have them on the phone, or a short blurb in your printed newsletter. Whatever you do, be sure you are constantly and consistently reminding your clients to tell their friends.

#3, to help YOU, is the best place for you to be in your client’s mind.  Whenever you WOW them to a degree that they feel they need to repay you for the experience in the form of a referral, you know you have something special!

So, what are you going to do today to WOW your clients in order to get them to send unsolicited referrals?
 

 Related Articles:
Marketing and Baseball



I had the great fortune about 14 months ago to meet a childhood hero of mine, Cal Ripken, Jr. at a seminar in Baltimore, MD.



More..
 
Only Results Matter in Direct Mail



As I was watching SportsCenter one evening a few days before the college football national championship game, the same reporter asked both coaches, Les Miles of LSU and Nick Saban of Alabama, in separate interview (and I’m paraphrasing), “What outside criticism has affected you and your team the most.”



More..
 
Message in a Bottle Direct Mailer



It always amazes me at how few people do real, proactive marketing to trade show attendees at the events they attend. 



More..
 
A 25% Response Rate? It' True!



I catch some flack every now and again that all I show are consumer examples in this newsletter.  Frankly, that’s just not true.  A lot of examples come from my own businesses, all of which are B2B.  Given that this month’s new item is in the B2C world, I thought I’d throw you B2B’ers this one. 



More..
 
Being Believable in Your Direct Mail



Whenever you make an offer, you want it to be believable.  People are naturally skeptical, especially when it appears that an offer is too good to be true.  You’ll often hear this referred to as “reason why” copy in this newsletter. 



More..