January 7, 2021 | by Mark Wald
When you provide a professional service, as Supporting Strategies does with outsourced bookkeeping and controller services, word-of-mouth can be your greatest marketing asset. Over-deliver for one client and they refer you to another client. Do well for that client and they tell another one. Gradually, your growth becomes exponential. That's how I was able to expand Supporting Strategies | Los Angeles to nearly 250 clients in less than seven years, as I outlined on a recent episode of The Staying Power Podcast.
But a powerful word-of-mouth referral network doesn't just happen on its own. Here's how to create one the right way.
First, Make Sure Your Service Is Worthy of Referral
This ought to go without saying — but I'll say it anyway: As a provider of services that your clients count on to keep their businesses running smoothly, your team must consistently deliver high-quality service that truly adds value. Word-of-mouth works both ways — if you develop a reputation for over-promising and then under-delivering, that word will get around, too.
Fortunately, coming through with referral-worthy service isn't complicated. Regardless of the field you're in, it's all about some basic do's and don'ts …
A Gesture They'll Remember
It might take a little time to get comfortable with the approach I've described. That's understandable. But keep in mind: Stepping outside your typical role to help a client is a gesture people are bound to appreciate and remember. The key is to ensure the first part of the exchange — going above and beyond the expected scope of your professional services — is genuine. You have to mean it.
We do that a lot at Supporting Strategies | Los Angeles, like when we referred an overseas client to a lawyer who helped them set up a U.S. subsidiary. (We never get paid for our referrals. Instead, we make them in our clients' best interests because what comes around, goes around.)
Going the extra mile for clients is one of the core values that our team members live by every day. Our best clients appreciate that and reciprocate by referring us to their colleagues. There's simply no better compliment for us than that!
At Supporting Strategies, our experienced, U.S.-based professionals use secure, best-of-breed technology and a proven process to provide a full suite of bookkeeping and controller services. Are you ready to learn how you can move your business forward? Contact Supporting Strategies today.
Topics: Small Business Advice, Santa Monica, Bookkeeping Services, Los Angeles, Ventura County, Business Advice
This website is created by Supporting Strategies to provide general bookkeeping and accounting information only. Supporting Strategies does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice, and the information contained herein is not intended to do so. As such, the information provided should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional tax, legal, and accounting advisors, and you should consult with a tax, legal and accounting professional before engaging in any transaction.
Supporting Strategies is not a CPA firm.