6 Steps to Successful Recommendations

At the end of this post I am going to ask you to share this with others so that they can be aware of these key points of how to use recommendations to grow their business

All of us in the wedding industry realise that our business growth is dependant upon our clients sharing the wonderful stories of how we helped them have the most amazing wedding day.

Now we are going to run through the following 6 points on how to effectively use recommendations to grow your business. These points have been shared with us by 2 professionals who have successfully built their business on referrals from existing/previous clients

#1. Set your stall out

Right at the first time that you meet your potential client be sure to tell them that you want them to be that delighted with the service that you provide, that you would expect them to have no problem with recommending you to their friends. This will fill them with confidence of the level of service that you are going to provide them and therefore make them more comfortable with taking on your service/product. It also sows the seed in their mind that you will be asking them to recommend you.

#2 Have some recommendations of your products/services to show potential clients

A real recommendation isn’t just a bit of text that says “Thanks! You were Great” stuck at the bottom of a leaflet or website. A real recommendation has a name attached and even better a name, a picture and a link to the person who wrote it. Utilizing the social media plugins such as Facebook comments provides just that (See any advert on our website for an example of this). Having a previous client be willing to attach his name and picture in their recommendation to you will add so much strength to your claim that you will provide a great service.

#3 Do exactly what you said you were going to do.

This may sound obvious, but the last thing you want to do is disappoint any of your clients, especially when you are going to be asking them to recommend you to others. If you promise to get in touch with them by a certain date then make sure you do, if you promised to have your product/service available at a certain time then make sure it is. If you fail to do anything you said then you can kiss your recommendation goodbye

#4 Do something extra

You need to be remembered for something special and this is the area where you win the heart of your client. Always have some small, but thoughtful, act or product that you provide right at the last moment to woo your client. For example a Bridal Dress supplier might also provide a storage box with for the dress after the wedding with the Brides name on it.

#5 Use their social media to share their thoughts about you!

And this is what it leads up to. After the wedding, and the honeymoon has passed be sure to contact the couple and ask them to share their experience of your product/service with their friends through whatever means of social media they use. You want a platform where they can share to all their friends but also be available for you to refer future clients to. Facebook Comments plugin provides the perfect opportunity for that and that is what we use for our suppliers to get their recommendations placed on.

#6 Offer an Incentive

In order to make someone remember that you want them to recommend you then you need to have an incentive to be playing on their mind. Perhaps if you were a cake maker, you might offer half a dozen cupcakes for each recommendation that leads to another sale for you! The work of producing the cupcakes is easily outweighed by the new business gained and everyone is a winner

So as I mentioned at the beginning, here is what I am asking you to do! Please recommend people to follow us on Twitter (@CreateMyWedding) and like our page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/CreateMyWedding) . We will be giving out fantastic promotional opportunities on our launch date for those who recommend other. Make sure you are there!

What ways have you used Recommendations to get results, share some of your experiences below about what has and hasn’t worked