5 Tips for Building a Referral Network
Networking is important for any business. But if you are a moving business, the size of your referral network can directly relate to your success in the industry – especially since word-of-mouth referrals are so common. The problem most face when trying to build this network is that moving company owners are great at moving, but they may not always know where to start when getting their company’s name out there.
Good news! Here are 5 tips for building a referral network.
1. Provide Extraordinary Customer Service
It doesn’t matter how new you are to the industry or how big your client base is. If you provide incredible customer service and go above and beyond what is expected of you, your company will grow.
Make your customers feel good. Moving is one of the most stressful times in a person’s life. And, when hiring a moving company, many people are likely to feel very vulnerable with strangers handling all of their personal items.
As their chosen moving company, you ought to hand deliver customer service on a silver platter by:
- Providing fast and accurate quotes
- Communicating promptly with the customer
- Listening carefully to their needs
- Respecting any special requests
- Being punctual
- Keeping the move neat and clean
- Being transparent with fees/charges
2. Invest in Software to Boost Your Business
You don’t have to be tech-savvy to take advantage of software. When it comes to your moving business, you cannot run everything by jotting down notes on paper and keeping a running tab in a notebook. You need to create a more efficient process so that you can be more efficient and have more satisfied customers.
With the right software system, you will easily be able to keep all your jobs in one place – with all of their details. It will allow you to:
- Send accurate estimates
- Streamline operations
- Give customers complete transparency
- Manage your storage efficiently
So, how does this help with building a referral network? Easy. Being organized will help you to impress your customers which, in turn, will show them that you are serious about what you do and that you’ve got it all together.
3. Request Reviews
There is no shame in requesting reviews. When someone is truly happy with your service they are more likely to give you a review if you request it.
Your customers are moving and the last thing that is on their minds is jumping online to give your business a review. Not that they wouldn’t want to, but because they have a lot going on. A gentle request for a review is often enough to spark them to do it.
Why reviews? These work because your future customers will read them. And these future customers will see the positive experiences your former customers have had. It is easy marketing – especially when you have a lot of satisfied customers.
4. Take Advantage of Social Media
Take some time to build a presence on social media. Post pics, videos, how-to’s, and so forth. Share helpful information and also promote your business. But don’t just promote your business. Make it a place where everyone can learn and share and laugh. The more you engage your audience, the more you will build a following.
Just as you would gently encourage someone to write a review about you, ask them to share their experience on social media and tag your company in it. This is another great way of getting your successes out there in front of future customers.
5. Promote a Referral Program
Finally, consider creating a referral program. You know, one of those “refer a friend and you each get $100 off your moving service” type of programs. The reward can be anything you’d like – as long as it rewards the person for the referral and entices the one referred to book your services.
This is something that should be mentioned by your staff upon booking and even in the time leading up to the move, such as via a flier, email, or the like. And, we should add that this will be easy to track and monitor because you have invested in a very efficient referral program, right?
Everyone loves to be rewarded or feel like they are getting a deal so offering an incentive such as this can often lead to great outcomes.
SmartMoving offers a CRM System that helps moving companies of all sizes grow their revenue, streamline their operations, impress their customers, make accounting effortless, and so much more.