How to get more referrals

Anyone who interacts with clients on a regular basis knows just how important referrals can be. While there are numerous ways to secure new clients and attract new business, referrals are by far the most reliable. If you’re having a hard time attracting new referrals, here are a few techniques for increasing the number of interactions with potential clients.
March 21, 2014
2 min read

Anyone who interacts with clients on a regular basis knows just how important referrals can be. While there are numerous ways to secure new clients and attract new business, referrals are by far the most reliable. 

If you’re having a hard time attracting new referrals, here are a few techniques for increasing the number of interactions with potential clients. 

Put your best foot forward

You can market yourself in many different ways in a quest to get as many referrals as possible, but after a certain point, the quality of your work will more than speak for itself. Before you start using guerrilla-marketing tactics or paying referral services to do heavy lifting for you, remember that the referrals have to be earned the hard way. If you aren’t putting your best foot forward through the quality of your work, no magic referral trick in the world will be able to help you.

Involve and reward employees

If you have a large number of employees working for you, incentivize them to try to drum up as much business as possible. Perhaps a bonus can come in the form of a gift card or a certain percentage of the overall income from a new client. If you give your employees some type of incentive, they will be much more likely to get involved and help you in your quest for quality referrals.

Give referrals to get referrals

If you have business colleagues or friends in the same industry who also operate on a referral system, be sure to share referrals with them whenever possible. Giving a referral is likely to be seen by most as a favor that you’re doing to them. And when the opportunity arises, they will be much more likely to return the favor.

By providing excellent products and services to your clients, keeping your employees happy and helping your business friends, you will earn both referrals and goodwill.

Read more from the BQE blog.

Editor's note: This is sponsored content. The text was provided by the sponsor company. 

About the Author

Steven Burns

Steven Burns, FAIA spent 14 years managing the firm Burns + Beyerl Architects, and during that time the firm’s earnings grew at an average rate of 24% per year. After founding his own software company, Steve took his management expertise to BQE Software, where he is refining their business strategy and product development for the company’s groundbreaking project accounting solution, BQE Core.

Sign up for Building Design+Construction Newsletters