Gain Client Referrals by Building Credibility Trust and Loyalty



If your clients are not referring business then your business could be suffering the credibility, trust and loyalty needed to be referred.

Marketing communications consultant Jennifer Woodard offers tips to gaining client referrals.

The first step toward getting referrals is knowing and understanding your current clients, says Woodard. Truly understanding the challenges, your clients are currently facing and providing solutions to their challenges. When you provide a solution to their problems, they will refer others to you who are facing similar challenges.

What are some of the things that business can do to help increase their chances of gaining referrals Woodard gives these 15 tips to help gain referrals. According to Woodard, clients tend to refer businesses that will:

> Provide easy ways for clients to keep in contact
> Listen to what they have to say
> Provide useful relevant information that they can use
> Be easy to do business with                       
> Be available when they need them
> Show consistent performance
> Ask them questions
> Speak their language
> Keep them informed
> Provide solutions tailor made to their problems
> Show their expertise and knowledge
> Demonstrate shared basic core values, common ground, and personal goals
> Make them feel that they are being taken care of
> Go the extra mile
> Treat them as people

Woodard also provides these tips on building credibility with clients:
1. Company website: It should be well designed and updated on a regular basis. The website should demonstrate to visitors and clients that you are an expert in meeting their needs. You have to provide reasons for clients and prospects to visit your site and visit it often. Provide content that allows them to become knowledgeable about their problems.

2. Write articles: Get published in the type of publications that your clients read. Don's8217;t forget to have your articles published in trade magazines, local business magazines and newspapers. Write reports and white papers on industry topics and have them published. Every article, report or white paper should address a topic that is of interest to your target market. Provide valuable information that will fill a need or solve a problem. Include all articles, reports and white papers on your website.

3. Provide seminars and speeches: Provide seminars and speeches on topics of interest to clients and prospective clients. Provide transcripts on your website, along with video and audio recording. Try giving speeches and seminars to associations and civic groups where your clients and prospects are members. Make the seminar informative, but also leaves them with the desire to do business with you. You should also have a way to get contact information so that you can add prospects to your database.

4. Become a guest on television and radio shows: Provide transcripts, video and audio clips of your interviews. Becoming a quest or hosting your own television/radio show causes your credibility to jump greatly.

There are many ways that you can build trust with clients and prospective clients. Here are some tips from Woodard on building trust with clients and prospects.

1. Offer a monthly e-zine or e-mail newsletter. This will give you 12 chances to show your expertise, let your clients know that you understand their needs and have the solutions to their problems. You can also use the e-zine/newsletter to let clients know of upcoming seminars, workshops and important news concerning your business or investments.

2. Keep in touch: Call or visit your clients quarterly to discuss any questions or concerns that they may have.

3. Send reprints of articles: Send articles that you have had published and where you are quoted as an expert of subjects of interest to them.

4. Get to know your clients and prospects: Ask them questions about themselves, lifestyle, motivations and desires. If you read an article on a subject that you know is important to them, clip it and send them a copy.

's8220;A highly satisfied client is a loyal client, by building your credibility and trust you build client loyalty's8221; says Woodard. Woodard offers these last few tips on gaining referrals.
> Ask clients outright for referrals.
> Include two business cards with all written material sent to clients for them to pass along to a friend.
> Add a referral form to your website that includes a place to add referrals name, email address, phone number and referred by.
> When a client refers a prospect send them a thank you note.
> If a referred prospect becomes a client, send the person who referred them a small token of appreciation.

's8220;If you truly know your clients , you will know what to send that they will truly appreciate. Don's8217;t send a run of the mill promotional item. Keep track to the things they tell you they are interested in and send them something that only they would like to receive's8221; says Woodard.
Show your clients that they are truly respected and appreciated and they will return the favor.
                                   
Jennifer Woodard is a Marketing Communications Consultant that specializes in working with professionals, service firms, authors and publishers that want to become known as experts and/or sell more books. To contact Jennifer visit her website at www.jenniferwoodard.biz.

To learn more about Jennifer please visit her blog at www.jenniferwoodard.blogspot.com.





Gain Client Referrals by Building Credibility Trust and Loyalty