After twenty years in business, architect Dale had a problem he couldn’t quite explain. His longtime clients were loyal, but new business was slowing down. He began to wonder whether his firm’s experience was becoming a disadvantage.
There was something else about Dale. In more than two decades, he’d never asked a client for a referral. And he wasn’t interested in starting.
What happened next challenged the way he thought about getting new business. Three years later, his firm had grown by about 40%, and his referral rate had roughly tripled. He still hadn’t asked for a single referral.
In this episode, you’ll discover what Dale changed, why satisfied customers don’t always become a source of new business, and how the relationships you’ve already built may hold more potential than you realize.
This week’s Small Action: Take a closer look at how referrals happen in your business. Identify one thing that might be making it harder for customers to recommend you, and take one small step to improve it. Add that action to your Fan Plan.
Resources mentioned:
- Free Raving Fans Scorecard — Six questions, less than two minutes, to identify where your marketing needs attention.
- The Next Move Session — A one-on-one working session to identify your next marketing move. Click Book My Session.
Next week: Your existing customers may be your most overlooked source of new business. We’ll explore how to help them spread the word without making them feel used.
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