KYC - Know your customers

How well do you think your clients and customers know you?

Do they know you well enough to refer business to you?

A good friend and mentor of mine says that "people will do business with and refer business to those people they know, like and trust" he should know he has written (or co-written) some of the best business books on the subject. Bob Burg not only wrote Endless Referrals, but co-authored the 2 biggest business books this century - The Go Giver and Go Givers Sell More. I can't emphasize this enough - if you haven't read them and you want to launch your own business into the stratosphere, you really are missing out if you don't.

Do your clients and customers know, like and trust you to do the right thing by them? Or are you only interested in how much they have to spend this quarter?

Now I am not saying that money isn't important, if you're in business, money is extremely important. But you can make millions dishonestly - just look at Bernie Madoff if you want a very large example of that in recent times. But if you want to help your clients and customers make money as well as yourself, then you are going to have to find ways to help them - and sometimes we can do that by referring other people to them.

Think about it, if we have benefited from someone or something surely we would be willing to pass that information on to our friends, co-workers and acquaintances. To give you a very personal example, I telephoned a family friend tonight, just wanting to touch base. Not only was she full of flu, but she eventually started bemoaning the cost of air conditioning as she needed her unit replacing. As you know I had air conditioning installed a few weeks ago, so who do you think I recommended? Absolutely - not only did MY air con people give me the only genuine discount out of all the quotes going, they were spot on with every aspect of their customer service. Do they know I've referred someone to them - NOPE, will I do so again - ABSOLUTELY.

Can you say that about your own business?

What can you do to ensure you do get that kind of word of mouth referral?

Apart from being honest, polite, doing what you say you are going to do, when you say you are going to do it and genuinely being interested in the people who you serve that is?

If you haven't spoken to your clients / customers in recent times may I suggest you start picking up the telephone and talking to them. And no, not with the intent to sell, but with a genuine curiosity to find out how they are. Believe me when I say this - you will be streets ahead of your competitors who only phone when they want something.