Referred customers are more loyal and have a 16% higher lifetime value – meaning they spend more long-term – according to researchers at Wharton and Goethe University. Most artificial turf business owners would agree that the best marketing is word-of-mouth advertising. If you’re taking care of your clients and offering a great service that leaves a positive impression then word-of-mouth comes naturally.
The best way to get the most out of your artificial grass referrals is to use those referrals get more referrals.
Here are ways to increase the amount of referrals your business receives:
Provide outstanding customer service.
Many businesses offer an above-average level of customer service. Their employees smile, they respond quickly when customers ask a question, and they seem to care about your business. That’s what most customers today expect, at a minimum.
Problem Solve For Your Client
An important business tip for new artificial turf owners is to solve problems for your clients. Be intentional about asking what issues they’re currently having with their landscape. The problem that you solve doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be something simple like adding extra turf where the dog run is located. Ultimately, you may solve a problem that your client wasn’t even considering having fixed until you presented them with the question. In the end, you have an over satisfied customer and will reap the benefits from it with awesome reviews and referrals.
Inspire customers to share your services.
To get customers talking about you to others – telling stories of how you went “above and beyond” to give them what they needed – you need to routinely do things that are attention-worthy. When customers do have that fantastic experience working with you, remind them that you’d love to have them share it on social media. You may even want to reward them based on how many social media platforms they post on. For example, you could offer a coupon for a percentage off their next purchase if they post a positive review on Yelp, share a photo of their new look on Instagram, or tell others about their experience on Facebook.
Empowering your field crews.
Have your field crew offer an incentive for your customers when they putt together a review that’s more than just clicking five stars. For example if your crew member is intentional about leaving a name with their customer and specifically asks for a Google Review. Then if the customer responds and mentions the technician by name, the customer gets a $25 gift card and your crew member gets a $50 bonus. The goal is to give incentives to your crew based on the customer’s ratings. As your company grows, empower your crews and sales team to get those positive reviews, post them online, and watch your artificial turf business grow.
Build relationships.
Developing a great relationship with your client is so important. Have a good system in place to check in with your customers during the process and to follow up after to find out how they’re enjoying the artificial turf and if they’re having any issues. Also, have a system in place for when a problem arises. Your field crew should be fully aware of how to handle a situation when something goes wrong. Believe it or not, you can still get a five-star review even when a problem arises. It’s all in the way you handle it. Make sure they’re heard and taken care of.
Be a part of a community.
Contributing to a charity is another positive way to bring in new clients. Supporting a Little League team or donating time or services to make someone else’s life better has its own rewards, but can also provide informal networking opportunities with clients who share the same interests. Doing this builds your reputation and will encourage more referrals.
Respect marketing opt-out.
Make sure you check if customers want to be involved in your referral program in the first place. Ask them if they’d like to receive marketing messages and don’t send them program communication if they don’t want to be included.
Keep your branding consistent.
Design your referral program email and landing pages so that they’re consistent with the rest of your brand. Getting this look-and-feel wrong may leave advocates and their friends wondering if the referral program is really run by the business they want to refer.
In conclusion.
If you’ve built a great product, you’ll already have customers who want to help you by telling their friends. With a referral campaign, you have an opportunity to fulfill your customers’ natural desire. But this doesn’t just happen by accident and you’ll need to be deliberate about it.
These tips should give you good head start.
