There is one absolutely crucial item you need to incorporate to grow your virtual business. No matter how perfect your website is, or how well-optimized, your chances of finding clients remains minimal compared to competitors who ask for the referral.
It’s easy to do.
Five Simple Strategies to Grow Your Virtual Business
Here are five simple but effective suggestions to get referrals to grow your virtual business.
- Ask for referrals right on your website (e.g. “Tell a friend about my services!”)
- Bribe web visitors to refer you (e.g. “Tell a friend about my services and your name will automatically be entered in my August draw for an iPad.”)
- Hand out business cards to every likely person you get into conversation with. Tell them “if you can’t use it, please pass it on to someone you think might be able to.”
- Update your website at least four times a year. Each time you do, contact existing clients and say: “I’m updating my website and I would really appreciate it if you would provide me with a recommendation or written testimonial.” (Point them to an actual sample – or enclose one. Tell them it is just a sample – and make sure it’s a highly specific testimonial.)
- Ask clients to recommend you whenever they thank you for a job well done. Almost every online entrepreneur knows that outsourcing contractors have (and need) more than one client: So don’t be afraid of offending them – just say: “Thank you. I’m glad you’re so pleased with my services. If you know anyone else who would benefit, please recommend me.”
Reviews and Recommendations
Other important types of client testimonials to grow your virtual business are reviews and recommendations on social networking sites.
Take note of social networks your client uses (if any). If they maintain a presence on LinkedIn, ask them to give you a LinkedIn recommendation.
If they use Alignable, ask them to give you a recommendation on Alignable.
If they use Facebook, ask them to write a review for you in the review section of your page (if they haven’t thought do so already).
You may feel uncomfortable at first, asking clients outright to refer or recommend you – but follow the recommendations in this post, and you may be surprised at how quickly enthusiastically asking becomes second nature to grow your virtual business.
Knowing When to Fold
You can also refer clients who are not your ideal fit to a fellow peer who is: Most of the time, your peer will return the favour, when she has to turn away a client who is not her ideal fit.
It works like this: Someone wants you (copywriter A) to write sales letters, but you specialize only in blog posts, so you send them to copywriter B, who lives for sales letter writing but hates writing blog posts.
That way, when a potential client comes along who wants blog posts, both copywriter B and the client you referred become possible sources of referral back to you. The client you referred, because he remembers you specialized only in blog posts and he’s grateful to you for sending him to the perfect Sales Letter-writing copywriter; and copywriter B because she’s returning the favour and referring a client who is your ideal but not hers.
Referring your peers to others is a great way to grow your virtual business
Leave a Reply