In the desire to build your business and generate new leads, it’s all too easy to forget the most obvious source - your existing customers. You’ve no doubt done a great job for them so they’re the perfect ambassadors for your service. They’re often only too happy to speak of their experience, which has real credibility with prospects. Business owners, in our experience however, can be reticent in approaching existing customers so here are our top tips to make it a natural part of doing business.        

Ask for referrals

Rule number 1 - don’t be afraid to ask! It’s no good assuming your customers will remember you and sing your praises. Once they’ve actually used your service, people can easily forget what you did for them. But someone, somewhere will always be looking for a similar service, whether that’s a piece of financial or legal advice, a mortgage or insurance policy. You‘ve probably heard of the six degrees of separation; the idea that we’re only six handshakes or fewer away from each other. Make sure you’re the person your friends or colleagues automatically think of and actively seek referrals.

Get online reviews

Online reviews are a great way of generating enquiries. How many times have you checked review sites like TripAdvisor before booking a holiday or restaurant? Well, the same applies for advice in professional services. Potential customers are more likely to choose an adviser with a good online rating. Google also looks at a site’s reviews when deciding how to rank sites in their search engine. So get an email template ready and ask your customers for reviews as part of your day-to-day activities. To add to your online reviews, you’ll just need one or more of the following for your business: a Facebook page, a VouchedFor account or a Trustpilot account.   

If you’re worried about someone posting something negative - don’t be. We all know the saying - there’s no such thing as bad publicity. The best course of action if you’re faced with negative reviews, is to tackle them head on and improve the service. Research has shown that a third of customers will either delete their original negative review or replace it with a positive review, if their issue is dealt with. Whether they are good or bad, a review is a customer service opportunity so should take the responsibility to respond.

Negative feedback may well be classed by your regulatory body as a complaint and therefore should be managed using the same response process. This will ensure you remain compliant with regulatory guidelines. If you receive a YBS related complaint please follow the normal process.

Use e-newsletters

It’s a competitive world out there so it’s important to keep front of mind with your existing customers. If you don’t do so already, keep in touch on a regular basis by putting together an e-newsletter. This is your opportunity to position yourself as someone in the know. Use it to share any top tips, industry news or happenings within your business. Remember to keep your newsletter friendly, engaging and topical.  

There are lots of free email marketing platforms, such as MailChimp and Campaign Monitor that you can use to build your monthly newsletters.

Be active on social

The ‘6 degrees of separation’ principle is particularly relevant on social media. If you reach one person, just think how many followers they may have on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. It’s not enough, though, to just ‘be’ on social to generate leads. You need to engage with your contacts, show interest, post a comment and get involved in discussions. Networking online in this way will deliver more connections and ultimately more leads. Don’t expect results overnight but it’s worth it in the long run.

Make them feel special

It’s the little things that stand out and get remembered. Consider the entire journey a typical client will go on with you. Now think of ways where you can surprise and delight your customers along the way. Sending birthday cards, new home cards or small gifts will make a lasting impression and go a long way in cementing a relationship.  

Important notes

Yorkshire Building Society has worked together with a growth marketing agency, Clients First, to supply this content. We hope it helps you grow your core business and you have found it of interest. Please ensure that if you apply any of these tips to your YBS agency that you comply with the specific marketing guidelines which can be found in the YBS ‘Working Together’ Agency Operations Manual.

YBS A004 23/01/19