Referral Gifts

REFERRAL GIFTS

Do they work?

This is a topic that is always hotly debated with opinions widely spread. I know some businesses will have a strict “no gift” policy, some businesses have an informal policy regarding gifts, some have never thought about the benefits to a policy where on the other end of the scale some businesses have formalised a well structured “referral program” as a major part of their business model.

In this article, we will focus on why you would reward people for sending you clients and business. We will touch on why and then in the next article how. Let me start by saying on the simplest level, you should reward everyone and anyone that sends you business your way. It is that simple. It is not hard, it doesn’t have to be expensive or complex and you should acknowledge and reward your clients or business associates instantly after a referral is pasted your way to show how grateful you are that someone has gone out of their way to help you grow your business. Unfortunately referrals are not something that happens every minute of every day (although with the right plan it will happen more often). The very first simplest step is to be grateful! Thank them! Thank them lavishly! Send a note, a card, a phone call, a gift box or all of the above! If someone has gone out of their way, and put their own reputation on the line, to recommend my business and my services, then I am going to be grateful...genuinely grateful! It doesn't happen that often. As good as our services are I know this is not enough and I know that the vast majority of my current and past clients do not wake up in the morning with a burning desire to see who they can refer to designagiftbox today. This would be fantastic if it did happen this way and would save a sales salary but this doesn’t happen very often, so we need to go back to basic and focus on each referral as they come and start with being genuinely grateful and thankful!

The next step in implementing a referral system is to go to the next level and think about sending a gift. Do I recommend using gifts and I do I use them myself? Absolutely I do ! All you need to know is what types of gifts give you the best return on your dollar and of course, the most satisfaction. I love to give people gifts! Its part of my job but that is why we started the business, because we genuinely believe and have seen the benefits. Think of a time you received an unexpected gift, how did it make you feel? In the next blog we will talk more about thoughtful and effective gift selection and those of you with the strict “no referral gift" policy, prepare to be challenged!