As a tradesperson, you’re no doubt aware that one of the best leads you can get is a word of mouth referral from a customer. The reason for this is simple, it’s all about trust. When somebody is looking for a tradesperson, there’s no better recommendation than from someone you trust. Here are 4 ways you can actively encourage more word of mouth referrals:

#1 - Leave a Card

This is such a simple idea, but the amount of tradespeople that forget or totally neglect to do it is massive. If you’ve completed a good job, and the customer seems really happy with the work you’ve completed, be sure to leave a card. It might be months, or even years before someone they know needs a similar job completing, make sure they have something to pass on to their friends. There’s nothing wrong with politely asking for them to bare you in mind should they know anybody who could use your services.

#2 - Make Sure You’re Active on Social Media

How many times have you seen a Facebook status like this - “Anybody know any good plumbers/ electricians/ builders etc”, cue a raft of comments with people tagging in their most trusted tradesmen. If you’re not on Facebook then there’s no way your past customers can tag you.

Added bonus, you can encourage your happy customers to rate you and leave a review on your Facebook page. This is great for building authority as many will check you out on Facebook before they decide on hiring you. Make sure your page is regularly updated with images of the work you carry out. See our post on using Facebook to generate leads for more detailed info.

#3 - Incentivise it!

This might not work for everybody, but if you can incentivise your customers to spread the word about you then why not? Offering discounts on work for successful referrals is quite common. You’ll often find that your customers have many friends who need similar work completing.

It could even be as simple as (gently!) encouraging them to share your work on their own social media profiles to help improve your reach.

#4 - Go Above and Beyond

Treat every job as though it’s your most important one. If a customer feels like you’ve really gone that extra mile for them, and your pricing is fair then they’re so much more likely to recommend you to someone else. Neatening something up, or making sure everything’s clean before you leave the job might only cost you an extra 15 - 20 minutes, but it could well lead to more jobs.