Becoming 'referable'

摘要

Any business leader will tell you that referrals and word-of-mouth introductions are the most effective sources of new customers for companies in a business-to-business environment. A recent review of our client base showed that well over 50 per cent of our current clientele originated from referrals, and, in some cases, we could trace numerous new clients back to one raving fan.But ask business leaders if they have a systematic process for generating and capturing referrals and many will say "no." Rarely does "referral process" appear explicitly as a line in the marketing plan or drive specific, measurable activities within an organization.Why is this the case? If referrals are so important, why don't organizations recognize them and have a defined referral process as part of their growth strategy?