How to Boost Your Referral Network

You may think that "word-of-mouth" and the Yellow Pages are all you need to generate new business. "It's always worked well for us, so why should I get a website?" you may say. The reason is that a website will boost your referral network. The truth is that if you have a "bricks and mortar" business that functions in the "real world" and not just online, word-of-mouth will probably always be your best way to generate business. And combined with the Yellow Pages, that is an excellent source of new clients. But here's how a website will make your referral network even more powerful!

When a client wants to tell a friend or business associate about how you have helped him, he may not have the language to fully describe what you do. But, now, if you have a website, he can recommend you highly and send his friend to your website. Visiting your website, she learns more about you than her friend could ever tell her. It's as though she reads a full-color magazine about you. She can see pictures, she can read about all the services you offer and about what makes you unique in your market. Since we know that people believe what they read more than what they hear, she will have a higher opinion of you than she did after her friend told her about you. Your credibility is boosted, and she feels like she knows you before she even picks up the phone to call. She is more inclined to do business with you. Your sales cycle is shortened. This is the real secret of how a website will bring you more business.