How can happy customers bring you new business?

Businesses spend a lot to reach new people. We run ads, meet people, and post online. We seek leads and follow up with them. We hope strangers will learn to trust us. We want them to trust us with their money. Then a person buys and has a great time. They really like us. What do we do next? We go right back to finding another stranger.

I love getting new customers. But do you have happy customers already? Do you have room for more business? Then pay attention to those who already love you. Your favorite customers may know more people like them. We often live and work with people like us. We spend time with them for fun, too. They may be people you would love to serve. Trust can pass from one friend to another. I can tell a stranger my business is great. It means more when her friend says it.

Give people a story to tell

Start by doing great work. That is what your customers should expect. But great work alone may not make a story. Imagine a woman at work on Monday morning. Will she rush to share this news? Her accountant did her taxes right! That was what the accountant was meant to do. Now imagine the accountant remembered her second business location. They sent a gift to mark its opening. She might tell her friends about that.

People remember kindness they did not expect. They remember a thoughtful follow-up or handwritten note. They remember who paid attention to them. You do not need to spend a lot. Just give them a nice change from the norm.

You also need to stay in their minds. Someone may ask for help six months from now. They may say, “Do you know a good dentist?” You want your customer to answer right away: “Oh, I LOVE my dentist. You need to go there.” I like that small word, “my.” My dentist. My accountant. My insurance guy. At some point, a business feels like our people. We like to tell others about our people.

When someone sends a friend, think what that means. A referral is more than a sales lead. They put some of their good name behind yours. Take great care of the person they send. Help them look smart for choosing you. Then thank them as though it mattered.

Grow relationships with care This is why I call it Relationship Farming™. I do not want to shake customers like fruit trees. I do not want to force referrals to drop. I want relationships that grow into more relationships.

Happy customers are a great place to start. If you have room for more business, value them. Take great care of them. Give them reasons to remember you. Be generous with your time, focus, and thanks.

Give people a story worth telling.