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How Your New Marketing Campaign Could Create Business Chaos (And How To Avoid It)

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When it comes to marketing, you don’t want to be a victim of your own success. Done well, marketing can create incredible results — Getting your products, and services in front of a new audience, putting your brand front and center, and generating lots of new business.

That could be a disaster.

Let’s back up a bit…

You see, marketing affects every part of your business — If they’re not ready to handle an influx of new customers and the demand that brings, it can create big problems that damage your brand and reputation. As responsible marketers (and, frankly, lovely people), we want to make sure that doesn’t happen.

So, here’s how to look at all the “operational” bits of your business to make sure they can channel the torrent of new customers!

Your website, eCommerce store, or online presence. Make sure your website can handle the load. You’ll want to double-check response times, even when there’s lots of people on the website. Ensure all your calls to action are super clear, track how your visitors are using your site, and make tweaks and updates to make the sales and conversion funnel easier.

Your sales and onboarding process. Talk to your sales teams, sales call center, and onboarding operations. Make sure everyone knows what’s coming and that you have enough technical capacity and the right number of staff to handle all your calls.

Ensure all your sales staff are properly trained and know all of the processes, incentives, and other information they need to close sales. Find out if your sales department needs more resources. The aim is to deal with all your customers quickly, efficiently, and well, and ensure they don’t have to wait too long on the phone. Because hold music sucks.

Your logistics and distribution[/x_custom_headline][cs_text]If you need to ship products to wholesalers, retailers, or customers, make sure you’ve got the right logistics and distribution in place. Ensure you can pack up and dispatch your products quickly, so there are no delays or problems getting them delivered.

Your customer service area. When you get more sales, you also get more customer service requests. Ensure your customer support center is properly staffed and that you can handle and resolve customer issues quickly. If you’re marketing new products or services, ensure all of your support staff are properly trained on their use and possible problems.

Your software and business processes. Make sure you’ve got good communications and collaboration tools in place across your business. Your teams need to be able to talk to each other efficiently, track customers and actions, and ultimately provide a high level of service to everyone.

That goes for the software, systems, and processes your business relies on. If possible, stress test workflows, handoffs, and other possible bottlenecks so you can identify and resolve issues before they become a big problem.

All of this might seem like a lot of work, just because you’re launching a new marketing campaign, but if it does as well as you hope, you’ll be extremely happy you’ve got the right resources, training, and support in place to create super-happy customers.

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If You Can’t Keep Top Talent, It Could Be Your Culture

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You posted the perfect job ad, read through dozens of resumes and narrowed them down. You shortlisted some great candidates, interviewed them, and found a standout applicant — You knew they could take your business to the next level. So you hired them, with high expectations and excitement for the future.

Six weeks later, they’re in your office with a resignation letter. Through your disappointment, you ask “Why are you leaving?” They respond “I’m not sure I’m a good fit.” Translation — Your company culture might not be working, and you need to do something about it.

What is company “culture?” Lots of experts talk about company culture, but what does it actually mean. Think of it as the “default emotional state” of your company. It’s how working in your business makes people feel. Does their business environment excite, motivate, and inspire them? Does it feel oppressive and authoritarian? Does it present the right mix of challenges, problem solving, and support?

Why does culture matter? Culture matters because it has a huge impact on how your people feel. It impacts morale, productivity, hiring, quality of work, autonomy, and so much more. In fact, the better a company’s culture, the more it contributes to your bottom line. The University of Warwick found that, “Happy workers are 12% more productive than the average worker, and unhappy workers are 10% less productive. In fact, unhappy employees cost American business over $300 billion each year.”

Ask your employees what they feel the current company culture is. You probably already have a pretty good idea of how the company culture feels to you, but you need the perspective of the people who really matter — Your employees. If you’re concerned about your culture, talk to your people about it. Discuss it in one to ones, let them know that whatever they say is fine. Don’t assign any blame — Listen, and understand.

Understand where your company culture comes from. Lots of things go into building a company culture, but the main one is this — It mainly comes from the people at the top of the business. If they’re exciting, inspiring, and approachable, the culture will be too. If they thrive on conflict and authority, that will permeate down through the business. It’s called Leadership and you need to lead from the top down.

That means if you want to change the culture and make your business an awesome place to work, change has to start in the leadership team. It’s a bitter pill, but a necessary one.

Talk to your team about what they want the culture to be. Once you understand how your staff currently see your company culture, and where it comes from, you can work to change it. Talk to people about what their ideal company culture looks like.

What would motivate them to enjoy coming to work more? What changes do they want to see in attitude, approaches, and management styles? How can you make doing their job easier and more pleasurable? Listen to all of it. No-one knows how to improve culture better than your people.

Create a plan. Now you know what your people’s priorities are, you should get a plan in place to change things. You’ll need strong commitment from your leadership team, a project manager who deeply understands culture change, a project team who can get things done, and a review and feedback group who can check actions are having the desired impact.

Actions you can take might include:

  • Improving employment perks — Give your employees the right benefits — Healthcare, time off, retirement planning etc.
  • Give employees control over their time — The ability to work from home, a sensible work / life balance, autonomy to work how they want.
  • Build confidence and trust — Encourage an “open door” policy, positive feedback, and collaboration within and across departments and teams.
  • Provide a better working environment — Relaxed, informal break spaces, a flatter management structure, a relaxed working environment, fun team events and parties.

Enhance your culture. And now, it’s a case of just getting that stuff done. Make changes to your culture, get metrics in place to measure success, track how you’re progressing, and see employee morale and productivity improve.

That way, the next time you spend thousands of dollars on hiring and training, you’ll have the reassurance that your employees are more likely to stay, and your company is likely a “good fit.” And that’s great for everyone.

If You Can’t Keep Top Talent, It Could Be Your Culture Read More »

Do B2B Companies Need Social Media?

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Everyone is using social media these days. In fact, so many people are using it that businesses have dived into the fray. You can connect and interact with some of your favorite brands – even the biggest companies in the world. Social media is so prevalent, in fact, that it’s changing the way big and small businesses think of marketing. But what if you work in a business-to-business (B2B) environment? You don’t sell consumer commodities or anything suitable for mass-market consumption. Your target is actually quite specific. Your product is definitely not sexy.

You may think social media isn’t suitable for your B2B company, but you would be wrong. B2B companies are run by people. And those people are using social media like everyone else. They are looking for new ideas, solutions to their problems, and content that inspires and entertains them.

Build trust with a strong B2B presence. If you were cold emailed by another company, you would probably look them up before committing to their offer, wouldn’t you? You would Google their name, check out their website, and exam their social profiles if they have any.

Undoubtedly, you would be reassured if that company had a robust online presence. If they are investing in content publication, community engagement, and customer support through social media, you could assume they aren’t a fly-by-night operation looking to grab your cash. You would even use that online presence to learn more about the company before you responded to their pitch.

By making yourself present on the Internet, you build trust and authority that supports everything else you do.

Move short term sales to long term value. Keeping your brand in front of the customer is an important part of securing future sales. If the customer forgets you exist after the sale, they’ll seek a similar solution when the problem arises again, instead of returning straight to you.

Many salespeople make the mistake of only approaching a customer when they want a sale. That creates an antagonist relationship, where the salesperson is always looking to take and the customer is always trying to avoid giving.

Instead of ignoring the customer until it’s time to buy again, social media can be used to delight the customer over and over. Solve their problems, offer resources and education, and make yourself available for their questions – even if it doesn’t entirely relate to your specialty.

This keeps your brand in their face between sales. When it’s time to buy anew, the customer knows right where to go.

LinkedIn is your Holy Grail. LinkedIn was designed for professionals. It’s a natural place to begin your B2B marketing because it’s tremendously effective for collecting leads. Companies regularly use LinkedIn to make connections, hire new talent, arrange deals, and even convert big sales.

Create a profile for yourself as well as a business page. Publish content related to your business for other users to find. If you’re looking to create a business opportunity, use the advanced searching feature to find other professionals who meet your specific needs. You can drill down by location, industry, title, etc.

Other social media networks are valuable too. It all depends on your industry. Check where your competitors are spending their resources.

\"B2B

Expand your reach. The Internet has made the world a lot smaller. Suddenly people and businesses on the other side of the globe are just as accessible as the company next door. You just have make yourself present in the digital world and give your brand a voice – even B2Bs.

Don\’t forget to share your most engaging posts with us. We love getting feedback on what types of posts work best for different industries.

Do B2B Companies Need Social Media? Read More »

5 Tips for Using LinkedIn to Help Grow Your Business

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The beauty of social media is that it allows us to extend our network far beyond our physical location. We’re no longer limited to the people nearby.

As a business-to-business tool, LinkedIn is unmatched. 450 million of the world’s professionals and business leaders use it to connect, share ideas, and develop business opportunities. According to Content Marketing Institute, LinkedIn is the most effective social network for sales (63% of marketers report positive results).

Fill out your profile, adopt a professional demeanor, and then use these smart LinkedIn strategies to grow your business.

Speak with decision makers. If you have ever cold called a business, you know how frustrating that process can be. You get transferred around a bit, dropped into voicemail, and you’re never sure if you’ve reached someone who can make actual decisions.

Use LinkedIn to find the decision makers of a business. Many people publically display their contact information. If they don’t, ask for them by name when you call the business. This has a much higher chance of putting you in touch with someone who matters to you. If this still doesn’t work, you can always connect with them on LinkedIn itself.

LinkedIn’s search capabilities are more sophisticated than any other social network. You can add filters to your searches such as job role, industry, and company size. This allows you to put together a list of targeted potential business opportunities.

For instance, let’s say you sell payroll software designed for small businesses with less than ten employees, but only in your own state. You only want to speak to the owners of those companies, because there usually isn’t much middle-management at that size. With proper filters, you can search for those people exactly.

Become active on the network. Having a quality profile isn’t enough- although it’s EXTREMELY important! You have to be present on the social network if you expect to derive any value from it. If other users see that you haven’t posted, commented, or shared in a while, they won’t bother making a connection. This could cost you valuable opportunities.

The solution is take your social media presence seriously. Facebook and Pinterest are fun, but make LinkedIn part of your job. Set aside a little bit of time every day (not much, just five or ten minutes) to look for connections, share articles, images and videos you like, and comment on other people’s submissions.

Use groups to meet new people. A group is a collection of people around a common theme. You’ll find groups for just about everything, and multiple groups for each topic. Some are broad; others are specific. Some are public; others require permission. You don’t have be connected with anyone in the group.

Find three to five quality groups with lots of members. It should be a subject that relates to your business and something you know well. Contribute to this group often. Provide as much value as you can without selling. This will establish you as a thought-leader and expert in your field. Eventually people will clamor to connect with you.

Jump on those new leads. People connect on LinkedIn because they know one another professionally or they want to. If you are extended a connection from someone you don’t know, consider it a lead. This new person is seeking to create a relationship, so don’t waste the opportunity.

After accepting the connection, immediately send a private message – or InMail introducing yourself. If you receive a lot of connections, you can use a copy/paste response, but tailor it a bit so you don’t seem aloof. Ask some questions about the connection to find ways they could help grow your business.
Once you put these strategies in place, always remember to provide as much value as you can. Be a helpful person who’s generous with information. Eventually the connections and opportunities will come to you.

Interested in some one-on-one LinkedIn training – Give us a call!

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Lizard brains, values, trust, and the awesomeness of being you

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Starting a business is one of the most awesome things you can do. You’re making something out of nothing, building new products and services that are going to improve people\’s lives, and creating jobs for people who’ll support your vision. It’s like magic — There was nothing before, and now there’s a living, breathing entity, making amazing stuff.

And every part of this comes down to you. Your views, your beliefs, your values, perspectives, influences, hopes, and dreams — All of those things are indelibly stamped on every part of your business. In short, the things that fire you up, that give you passion that you’re awesome at, are the very same things that make your business stand out. And there’s a simple reason for that — Authenticity.

It’s all about our lizard brains. Back in the early stages of our evolution, we relied on our “limbic system,” one of the most primitive parts of our brain to keep us safe. It commanded fight, freeze, or flight, and the deep instincts we used to survive. As we evolved, we sought out social groups for safety and comfort, gravitating towards others who held the same beliefs as us. Those cultural beliefs are a huge part of who we are now.

That lizard brain never went away, and it still drives us today. It’s why we react so strongly to a well-told story, why we’re moved by the smallest things, why we feel an inherent trust around certain types of people. We’re picking up on subtle cues, and seeking out others who think the same way we do. A respected business thinker, Simon Sinek, has built an entire thought system around this called “Start With Why” and it’s got some pretty good ideas.

People make decisions based on emotion as much as they do on information or data. We use “gut instinct” and “intuition” to choose the right direction, and make snap judgements based on little more than a feeling.

That’s why authenticity is so important. People want to do business with others who believe what they believe. So once you know what you believe, once you can inject it into every fiber of your business and your brand, you can create something powerfully deep and compelling.

So, spend some time digging into what you really believe. The reasons that get you up in the morning and light the fire in your belly. Think about how you can change the world, the value of what you do and how it changes people’s lives. Then, find a way to encapsulate that in your messaging and your brand — Show, don’t tell. Demonstrate what you believe, and you’ll create people who will mobilize to your cause. You’ll get your 1,000 true fans, and you’ll keep building something as amazing as you are.

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Community outreach — How your bank can make a big impact (and get more customers)

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With so much emphasis on online marketing and digital advertising, it’s easy to forget that one of the most powerful ways a bank or credit union can reach people is in the real world. We’re not talking about TV, radio, or print ads (although they can help) — We’re thinking of something a bit more grass roots — Outreach and giving something back, through networking, education, and other activities to help teach people about their financial options.

As a local bank, you thrive when you get out there. It’s a great way to raise awareness, educate customers, help your community, motivate your employees, and let people know you care about them. These events matter because they’re a great way to build trust. By investing your time, effort, and money into community and financial education events, you’re creating powerful change. People get something out of these events, and when they do, they’ll remember it was your bank that helped to make things happen.

Relationships between a bank and its customers can last a lifetime, so creating trust with people is a vital first step to bring them onboard. That starts by sharing something that genuinely useful — Here are some ideas on how you can do that.

Holding free classes, seminars, and forums on money and finance. Generally, people don’t know enough about finance and money to make the best informed decisions. One of the ways to change that is to share easy to understand information and free courses that educate people on how to get the most out of their money, for example:

Encouraging children to save — Aimed at getting young people interested in saving for their future. Showing how powerful compound interest can be over time, and why starting to save now can give you big rewards in the future.

Planning for retirement — Educating people on how important good retirement planning is. Letting them know about their options when it comes to the different retirement plans and funds that are available. Encouraging them to start saving for retirement right now.

Good financial management and budgeting — Teaching people how to use their money wisely, including working out how much you need to live each month, income, expenses, and disposable cash. This can be tied in with saving for the future for life events like getting married, planning for a vacation, having children, buying a house, and making big purchases.

Buying a house — Talking through the process of getting on the housing ladder. Covering deposits, mortgages, moving, and other financial protections you’ll want to have in place.

Protecting yourself and your loved ones — The need for insurance and life assurance. How to manage financial risk and make sure that all the people and things you care about are protected financially.Partner with your local schools, colleges, further education classes and community organizers to create opportunities to teach others.

Professional networking – Get involved with your local Chamber of Commerce and Better Business Bureau. Look for other opportunities to network with business owners and executives.

Ask entrepreneurs about any new plans for expansion or other opportunities. Find out about their financing and provide alternative solutions. Provide advice and support, answer questions and let people know about your products and services. These events are a great way to build up your authority and visibility with other local businesses.

Sponsorship is another great way to increase awareness of your bank and brand, while giving back to your community. There are bound to be lots of local opportunities for sponsorship, whether that’s the Little League, the Humane Society, charity drives, or anything else that gives back. Think about how you can enhance your visibility:

  • Have your employees attend the event as advocates.
  • Do branded giveaways of items people want.
  • Setup a booth providing free financial advice.
  • Be a speaker at the event.

In addition to donating money, you can also encourage your employees to donate their time and effort by giving them paid time off for community projects.

These might all seem like simple approaches, but sometimes going ultra-local really is best. Putting some time, effort, and money into community outreach and helping people gets your name out there, which can be great for winning more customers.

Have you attended an event that you thought was really amazing – let us know what it was and what made it stand out to you.

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Getting Your Content Shared — When Less Is More

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Many SEO and marketing firms will tell you that content is king. They’ll share stats about how longer pieces of content get better placement in Google search results, and why having really in-depth articles and information builds your authority and business brand.

While all this is true, it’s not the whole picture. The fact is, sometimes we can overdo it on content, and that means you could be missing out on a big audience — And who wants that? (Certainly not us, that’s our Kryptonite.)

Now, before you dismiss us and say “Yes, that’s fine RBC, but it’s not what the stats show,” we’ll just tell you that 54% of statistics are made up on the spot. Seriously though, different types of content appeal to different audiences, and don’t you want everyone to love you? Besides which, even if this stuff doesn’t feature that highly in search results, it is the type of content that gets shared on social media. And that makes it incredibly valuable.

So, changing up your content strategy can be a great way to get more eyeballs, and whether you’re a witch brewing a potion, or a business selling products and services, that’s a good thing. Instead of going for “War and Peace” style blog posts, why not try the following:

Infographics – People love to take information in visually. Infographics are a fab way of bringing out really important information and making it obvious to people. Infographics are some of the most shared content online, so creating one can be a surprisingly good way to share your brand.

Galleries – People love great pictures, and not just of cats. (Although if you can get a cat to advertise your product, go for it and you might want to search #catsofinstagram if you are a feline fancier.) Creating a really thematically strong collection of images based around your brand and products is a fantastic way to show them in their best light.

Personal stories -In a world of facts, data, and information, people yearn for a personal touch. Writing real-life stories can create a deep and profound connection with your audience.

Widgets – Not something you’d buy off of a 24 hour shopping channel, but little apps and games that spread like wildfire. Think quizzes on Facebook, fun mini games, web apps, and other entertainment that passes ten minutes with a smile on someone’s face.

Video – You don’t need to create the next Gangnam Style (not everyone can dance like that) to have a really successful video. Add some quirkiness and fun to your product marketing, or just share something unique. Video is an increasingly popular way to share content.

Audio and podcasts – People are busy, busy, busy! That\’s why content they can consume while doing other stuff (like chores, walking, driving, or daydreaming) is becoming incredibly popular. You can get your message into people’s ears.

With the world going increasingly mobile, you need to make your content a snap to download and digest. Make sure it’s fully mobile responsive, and that people can find it quickly and effortlessly. Next time you sit down and think about your content strategy, think about all of the marvelous, exciting, and splendid ways you can share your awesome content with the world.

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When salespeople fail, it might not be their fault

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Being a salesperson is a tough job. Trying to convince the public they really need a product or service is very challenging, and with a cold-call conversion rate some way below 1%, it’s (very) often a thankless task.

You don’t shrink from a challenge though, especially when your business needs to hire great salespeople to survive. So, you read up on hiring theory and practice, read endless resumes, conduct interviews, and hire candidates who are so red-hot their personalities could power small towns.

Three months later, and they’re not exactly living up to expectations. Their conversion rates are the pits, their pitches are more like strikeouts, and the client list you dreamed of is just a wish list. You were told to hire for attitude, and everything else would follow, just what went wrong?

Here’s the truth, and it’s an uncomfortable one — It may not be down to your salespeople. At all.

It’s easy to assume that if you aren’t making sales, it’s your salespeople at fault. In fact, much of the time, it’s the systems, support structures, and training that determine how successful your salespeople are. If your people are failing, explore these areas and see if the problem might lay elsewhere…

Your prospects lists – A salesperson is only as good as the prospects they have access to. Do you have a superb, highly converting prospect list? Do you have the Glengarry leads? Option 1: Spend some time, effort, and money to acquire high-quality, cleansed prospect lists and your salespeople will thank you. Option 2: Work with your team to develop a solid prospecting system using LinkedIn, networking group, associations and centers of influence. Option 3 – a Combination thereof.

Your sales system – Does the software you use to track leads and sales support your salespeople? Is it easy to access from everywhere, does it give them information at their fingertips? Ask your salespeople what they think of the software and how it could be improved. PS – Post it notes do NOT count as a CRM tool and frankly neither do spread sheets.

Your sales process – Your sales process is about more than just the software you use. It’s all of the admin, handoffs, interactions, and other hoops salespeople need to jump through to get things done. If your sales process isn’t as efficient as possible, it can massively drag down your sales numbers. Look at every part of your sales process to see if it could be improved. BTW – all sales systems and processes should be written in manual format and managed to. Sales is indeed….a process whether you are selling widgets or wombats the process is essentially the same.

Your training – Great salespeople are made, not born. Yes, they need to have the right attitude, but they also need the right skills. That comes from training. Provide training on your products and services, the psychology of selling, negotiation skills, and whatever else your salespeople need to become experts. Training needs to be ongoing – it isn’t one and done. During your weekly sales meetings (yes you need them), have debriefs on accounts won and more importantly on accounts lost. What can the team learn?

Your incentives – People need to be incentivized in the right way. This isn’t just pay and salary, it’s opportunities for career advancement, providing constructive feedback, having a good work environment, and ensuring your employees are cared for. Can we say equity? Many salespeople have an entrepreneurial spirit – at least the top dogs do. If your company structure allows for it – why not offer some equity based on performance?

Your management – Is your management process as streamlined as it could be? Remove as many layers from management as you can and give your salespeople more autonomy. Assign well-performing salespeople as mentors to help teach new hires the ropes.

If you’re able to tweak and improve some or all of these areas, you’ll start to see big improvements in conversions and sales. Spend some time, effort, and money on these vital functions now, and you’ll create better equipped, motivated, and trained sales reps who can sell more stuff!

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Urgent Care Centers and Protecting Your Practice’s Bottom Line

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When a new urgent care facility opens up around the corner, should you begin to worry about patient retention and reduced profits? Perhaps. Anything that impacts your medical practice’s bottom line could ultimately compromise your patient satisfaction due to reduced staffing, fewer services, reduced hours and more. I’m sure none of this is shocking news – but you do have options.

The appeal of urgent care – If you want to compete effectively, you need to know what makes urgent care centers appealing. Specifically, it’s:

  • Open long hours, so people can go at weekends or after work.
  • No appointment necessary so people can go when they need to.
  • Specialized services – Some urgent care facilities provide highly specialized services like orthopedics.
  • It’s less expensive. Many people view health care services as a commodity – price is the point.

So how do you compete?

Proactively marketing your medical practice differently. We know more than a little about marketing, and when it comes to healthcare, it’s all about standing out, providing a personal touch, being there for your patients, and building trust. In short, it’s all about creating a connection, a compelling reason for them to come to you instead of going to your competition, where they’ll just be treated as a number.

This is about creating an excellent customer journey for your patients. Training your staff to be flexible and accommodating, providing a complete, holistic suite of healthcare services, and being accessible and convenient.

It’s about becoming a bigger part of your patients’ lives, when they’re well in addition to when they’re sick. Marketing can help you do just that – Email, interactive websites, patient portals, referral networks, and more all help to promote your services and encourage patients to trust you.

Will this help retain patients? Not all – but many will see the value in the connection and forgo the convenience and the dollars. If your patient goes to an urgent care facility, ensure you follow up.

You know your patients well, much better than an urgent care facility or similar provider. Use that to your advantage, to build a connection. Ensure your patients know to list you as their PCP or preferred specialists so medical records get routed back to you or your patients know to send you record of those visits.

There will be times patients will go to Urgent Care facilities out of pure convenience when you are closed. Acknowledge the fact and support your patients in their decision but make sure you stay in the loop of their care!

Focus on the positive things your practice does. You do much more than treat the sick. You almost certainly have wellness programs, specialized clinics, great advice on diet, exercise, and lifestyle, counselling services, guidance, and other services you can tailor to every one of your patients. Spend some time thinking about how you can promote those services, and become more than just a place people go when they need help.

Be more accessible and convenient. If a patient is ill, they need help there and then. One big advantage urgent care facilities have is that they can easily deal with walk-ins and are open long hours. Well, two can play at that game! Consider opening for longer and creating “walk in” slots and specialized clinics for your patients. You might also want to make signing up and onboarding patients quicker and easier, so that’s not a barrier to them coming to you.

Taken together, these three things can help you build more trust with your patients, let them know about your full range of services, and be there when they need you. If you get this in place, you’ll be in a much better position to give them the care they need. It’s not such a delicate balancing act now, is it.

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The Gentle Art of Insurance Referral Marketing

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There’s a powerful force we instinctively use every day when we make decisions. It’s a force that business marketers want to tap into, because it can create powerful, profound results — And it’s a force you can take advantage of when it comes to selling insurance.

What is that force? One simple word — Trust.

More specifically, building trust by having people recommend your insurance products and services to others. The fancy-schmancy marketing term for this is “Customer advocate led referral marketing” but that’s entirely too much of a mouthful. What you need to know is that encouraging and incentivizing your insurance clients to refer their friends, family, and associates can get you plenty of new business, stat.

So, how do you go about doing just that? Glad you asked…

Learn about your existing customers. The first thing you need to do is to find out all about your existing customers — Who they are, what they do, the things they care about, what they need insurance for, and the lines of business they have with you.

Although you’re aiming to build an emotion (trust), ironically, it’s from cold, hard data you’ll be able to find the people who will speak up for you. Once you know who they are, you can start communicating with and incentivizing them.

Look for long-time clients, those who you solved a messy claims issue for – The ones who drank your proverbial Kool-Aid. They’re the ones who love you and wouldn’t dream of going elsewhere unless the zombie apocalypse forced them to (and even then, who doesn’t need insurance against zombie attacks?)

Provide truly exceptional customer experiences. Trust starts by making your insurance clients feel great — That means providing them with fantastic customer service, getting a deep understanding of their needs, speaking to them as individuals, and having a personal touch.

Maybe that’s sending them a card during the festive season or on their birthday, perhaps it’s notifying them about new insurance options that would give them better coverage or save them money. Essentially, anything that adds value is going to give them the warm fuzzies. And warm fuzzies equal glowing referrals.

Incentivizing your customers. We are all busy people! In the cold, hard world of business, that means you often have to provide strong incentives for people to recommend and refer their friends and family. Now, those incentives are often cash rewards or money off, but you can also offer vouchers and coupons, entry into competitions, specialized insurance, or other unique opportunities.

Sadly, people aren’t going to refer just because they really, really like you (although that definitely helps) — You have to give them a little extra. Big tip here – check with your State Insurance Department on the rules and regulations for your state regarding any type of incentive program. Often you can provide referrals but it can’t be contingent on the sale. So regardless, if there is a sale, the incentive must be rewarded.

Make it easy for them to make a referral. In marketing, friction (making something harder for someone) is always a bad thing. That means if you want to get insurance referrals, you have to make it easy-peasy. How you do that depends on how you want people to refer.

If they’re doing it through social media or email, have a unique referral link they can send to friends. If it’s going to be over the phone, have a special number they can call. Doing it via an online form? Have a specific section where they can enter referrer details. The art here is to not make your customer or prospective customer think too much.

Say Thank You. Lastly, always personally follow up with the people who made a referral and thank them. This is important, not just because they made the effort (and people like to know they’re appreciated) but because it creates positive reinforcement. In other words, the more you thank people, the more positive they’ll feel about your insurance business, and the more they’ll recommend you.

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