Referral Marketing

By Jeffrey D. Roth, CEO

We recently had the entire SWK staff come to our headquarters in suburban New York City for some training; our annual post-holiday, non-holiday outing; a quarterly staff meeting and just some good ‘ole camaraderie with their fellow SWK teammates. It was productive and worthwhile, and everyone seemed to enjoy being together.

The "face-time" reminded me of just how important it is to do the same, and often with customers and business partners. Throughout the year, I try to visit those who literally drive our business. Some customers, who are loyal and true, enjoy the excellent support they receive from our dedicated Help Desk. While this is something that we consistently get high-marks on, it doesn't replace the need for a personal visit.

Invariably, a scheduled meeting on-site by the CEO of a service provider does a number of beneficial things:

• It puts a face with a name.
• It reminds the customer of who we are and what services we provide.
• It provides a sounding board like no other.
• It binds the customer closer to us.
• It often can result in additional revenue for us and efficiencies for the customer.
• It provides referrals (when you dare to ask for them!).

These benefits are the same ones that any business owner or executive can derive just by reaching out to customers who haven't been on our minds lately. Yet, the last one is the critical one. If you have a relationship with a customer who is happy, don't be shy about asking for referrals. They are known as “warm leads” and yield a much more desirable result than any other form of marketing.

In our world, CPAs are one of the greatest sources of referrals. They know our business AND they know their clients' businesses. This is a win-win. We make them look good, we make a new sale, we get a new customer, and the customer gets a new, experienced solutions provider that they can grow to trust.

There are many techniques to referral marketing, but the key is to work on your key relationship often and regularly! You also want to offer your services, advice and assistance to your referral sources, which strengthens your relationship with them, and keeps you and your company on their radar as often as possible.

If you would like to discuss additional strategies and techniques for building relationships and keeping them close, please do not hesitate to contact me at jeff.roth@swktech.com or on my direct line at 973-758-6110. Happy networking!

Jeff Roth, CEO