customers who One of the ground rules for getting new customers is to use your service to create clients who refer your business to their peers. Logistics companies who want to make it big need to work on creating satisfied would rate their services as ‘excellent’ and recommend your company to others. In other words, a customer referral programme will help you create an army of customers who will do considerable legwork on behalf of your company and do the job of your sales and marketing departments. Customer referrals can be a great tool for business generation for independent freight forwarders and in today’s blog we are going to discuss how to go about this process.
How referral programmes can help logistics companies?
A client referral programme is basically a word-of-mouth marketing tactic by which companies seek to encourage their customers to advocate for their brand by sharing their experience with a company with their partners and industry peers. This is one of the most sought-after marketing strategies for small and mid-sized entrepreneurs since it often doesn’t entail any expenditure on your part. A referral programme allows you to find new leads from your existing customers so that your marketing team can nurture them and convert them into existing customers.
Additionally, the fact that these clients have been referred by their associate, they are more likely to trust your services thus allowing you to create a positive customer experience. To quote Mark Zuckerberg, “People influence people. Nothing influences people more than a recommendation from a trusted friend. A trusted referral influences people more than the best broadcast message. A trusted referral is the Holy Grail of advertising.”
A bit about Globalia Logistics Network’s referral programme
Globalia Logistics Network which has over 200 agents in 134 countries also has a referral programme in place to incentivize the freight forwarders to refer our network to their peers in the industry. Globalia members who refer other qualified freight forwarding agents who then successfully become members of Globalia will receive a 25% discount on their next membership fee for every successful candidate up to a maximum of four per year. In other words, members stand the chance of paying zero membership fees for four successful referrals in one year.
Customer referral programme tips for independent freight forwarders
Create templates for customer referral
Creating customer referral templates can be of great help to logistics companies who want to find new referrals for their satisfied customers. You will find several free customer referral templates online and you only need to adjust them according to the tone of your brand and the services you are specializing in. Now you need to mail these templates to your existing customers as a part of your email marketing strategy.
Offer a reward to the referring clients
More often than not your customers are more likely to refer your services to others when they receive some kind of incentive for doing so. Even though there are many instances when a reward might not be necessary to incentivize your customers to refer your services, most customers expect rewards and benefits. For example, logistics companies can reward their customers with free gifts, discounted prices, and even free services for every referral that is converted into a client. A small token of gratitude on your part will further motivate your customers to create referral opportunities for you.
Make a list of possible advocates for your business
Creating a database of your possible referral sources should be one of the first steps for freight forwarding companies looking forward to building a strong customer referral programme. Making a list of all existing and past customers who were contented with your services and then reaching out to them can be greatly helpful in expanding your client base.
Create a plan to reach out to your customers
Now that you have a list of possible advocates for your business, it’s time to create a plan and reach out to them. To begin with, you need to reach out to your inner circle advocates – customers who are most likely to refer your company and ask them to participate in your referral programme. Although these days many businesses reach out to their clients via social media, a well-thought-out email marketing strategy is still considered the ideal way to connect with your customers and ask for a referral. Writing the perfect referral or cold marketing email should involve a precise heading, to-the-point content, and adding your CTA or call to action.
However, while implementing your customer referral strategy, you should under no circumstances pressurize your customers to give you referrals. You need to be patient and ensure that you are not overburdening your customers by any means.
Follow up on your referrals
Once you have a good lead from your customers, make sure to take immediate steps to make the most of it. Letting your referrals sit around for too long could lead to missed opportunities for your company. Always remember that the customer who referred your logistics company to their peer might have referred them to your competition as well. This is why you need to be proactive and start working on converting your referrals into existing customers by reaching out to them and making an impression.