referral tip

[huggytree]

I give out referrals daily to other small business friends of mine....i find over 50% never call. I have a drain cleaner who i give out the name of 3x a week. yet he says he gets only 1 or 2 a month from me. these are all customers who specifically ask me for a electrician or a drain cleaner. its not about me begging them to use my friends or looking for an up sell.

my friends say the same thing...some have given out 20+ of my cards and ive never gotten a call from any of them.

now when a customer asks me for an electrician i give them the card, then ask if i should call him for them and set up their appointment. 100% have said yes and now 100% of the leads turn into sales for my friends....its only been 3 customers over the past 2 weeks. Being a bit more aggressive works.

anyone else use this tactic?

[Steve B]

No, but I will now. That's a great tip.

[huggytree]

it doesn't seem to turn people off, but its a little aggressive....i only use it when the homeowner specifically asks me for a phone # of another trade

[phanio]

Great tactit if it is working - just make sure that those who refer to you are doing the same thing.

[vangogh]

Great tip huggy. Being more aggressive can definitely work. In fact you generally do need to be somewhat aggressive in your marketing. The trick is always not to push it past the point where you lose customers.

You found a good way to push things a little without pushing them too far.

[KristineS]

This is a great idea, as it takes the appointment set up out of the customer's hands.