6 Tips for Generating Referrals

Aspen Custom Electronics doesn't do any advertising at all. It's not even listed in the Yellow Pages.

Yet, it is steadily growing its client base and expects to double its revenues from 2008 to 2009. It must know a little something about generating referrals.

According to Matt Hall, CTO, and Scott Cochrane, director of design and implementation, the company's 100-percent referral-based growth is based on customer service.

Here are six of their tips:

Make sure all employees are fully-invested in your approach to customer service. "It's important that they agree with our philosophy on how to deal with customers and with our ethics and moral practices," says Hall.

Don't judge, just deliver. "Our employees are not to editorialize on how our customers spend their money or time," Hall says.

Be available 24/7. This goes for the bigwigs, too. Cochrane and Hall both provide their cell phone numbers to customers. "I've talked to clients late at night and while on vacation," Cochrane says. So has Hall. In reality, they get very few customer calls on their cell phones, but it's the gesture that goes a long way.

Give gifts to clients Aspen provides a gift to each of its "major system install" clients," Hall says.

Give another gift to clients. If a client provides a referral that ends in a sale, they are rewarded with a gift.

Value clients' privacy above all. "We prohibit our employees from discussing customers outside of work and, in some cases, even among themselves," Hall says.