Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Simple's best - why don't you simply adopt a practice to always ask a new customer how he heard about you? When you find out it's another customer, you can find them in your customer database and make note. With that you can do all sorts of things - like sending a card or small gift to the referrer to show appreciation or anything else you want to do. This much better than giving present customers a card to give to someone else - especially for your customers.

If you're question really is, "How do I generate more referrals?" Then, the answer is different. You generate more referrals by asking for them of customers who are definitely very happy with your parts/service and who have a trusting relationship with you. Cards and rewards and "asking, 'if you know someone, pass our name along...'" don't work so well. Ask first for permission to ask for referrals occasionally and then ask for two or three names of people who might benefit from doing business with you - point blank.

I hope this helps.

Wayde

A simple Excel spreadsheet would do the trick.

If you need to access it from home, set up a Google Docs account. Then create a spreadsheet. It is super easy. Don't let anybody else work with the live spreadsheet though.

Column A= Whether they are they are the referrer or the person who was sent to you, Column B=the referrer (or parent) C= Name of the referred, D=address, E=city, F=State, G=Zip, H=phone, I=email.

For the referrer (or parent) you just put their names in to column B and C

I used a component that we added to my client's web site. It asks for the referer's name and email address as well as the name and email address of the person being referred. All this information is captured into a database for follow up and/or future use.

The system sends an email to the person being referred, but it is contructed in such a way that the message appears to come from the person making the referral. There is some content the web site owner wants included.

At one time, we were rewarding both the person referred, and the customer making the referral using my autoresponder system, but we ended that particular campaign.

See the live system in use here:

https://www.feigenbaumcleaners.com/index.php?option=com_recommendfriends&am...

We are now making a paper based referral system. If I can get it done before this question closes, I'll post a link to the completed image file for your perusal.