Your most effective salespeople aren’t the ones you pay. They’re the ones that pay YOU.
What am I talking about? I’m talking about your customers, the people who already use and love your service, and equipping them with the resources they need to sell your offer to their network. When done correctly, your customers can become your best advocates and drive new business directly to your doorstep.
In this article I share the top three techniques I use at Brand Builders Group to turn our customer base into a dynamic sales force.
### 1. **Ask for Referrals**
The first step is surprisingly straightforward: you need to tell your customers that you’re looking for referrals. Make it clear that you not only welcome but actively encourage them to spread the word about your offers to their network—friends, family, colleagues, and beyond. Don’t overthink it. It can be as simple as: “Hey, we’d love for you to refer us! Do you know anyone who might benefit from [x]?”
### 2. **Align the Incentives**
While we’d love to believe that our customers would refer us purely out of the goodness of their hearts (and many do because they genuinely love what we offer!), incentives boost the likelihood of them doing so. At Brand Builders Group, we give our customers lifetime referral fees as “thank you” money. And we do this because we genuinely want to make our relationship mutually beneficial. Why spend our budget on impersonal ad campaigns when we can invest directly in our customers who, in turn, help us grow? Win-win.
### 3. **Make It Easy**
The process must be frictionless for it to work well. We provide our customers with three simple options to refer new business our way. They can use a custom link that tracks referrals, fill out a simple form, or even just send us an email with an introduction. The key is to remove barriers and make the referral process as easy as possible for them.
### The Power of Customer-Driven Growth
Turning your customer force into your sales force will shift how you view business growth. Customers who love your product or service enough to recommend it to others bring in leads that are pre-vetted and often have a higher lifetime value. Referred customers are also more enjoyable to work with and infuse your business with a sense of trust and community.
Another bonus of working with referrals: They save you from the pitfall of working with less-than-ideal clients out of necessity. We’ve all been there, taking on a project or client that doesn’t quite fit because you desperately need money. It’s draining. But by fostering a referral-based system, you align your work with clients who truly resonate with what you offer. Which, in case you haven’t picked up on yet, is far more fulfilling and often leads to better outcomes for everyone.
### Let’s Connect and Grow Together
If you’re curious about how to apply these techniques to your business, or if you’re looking for more ways to grow your personal brand, schedule a free Brand Call with Brand Builders Group. We’d love to hear about your business goals and figure out a plan to help you achieve them faster.
