This week's blog post on Duct Tape Marketing, A Laser Targeted Referral Strategy by Tony Messer, was pretty thought provoking and provides an interesting perspective on referrals.
I've always believed that referrals are one of the most overlooked and under-used aspects of marketing. But when most of us think of referrals, some type of pushy or scary sales process often comes to mind.
But what we don't think about is how providing a fantastic experience - and really educating your customers - can in itself create a powerful referral machine.
In Tony's post, he talks about how while he was at the gym putting in his contacts, a guy standing next to him told his story about laser correction surgery. Tony had always been a bit fearful of the process, but this guy had not only had a great experience, but had been educated on the entire process and was able to speak to every one of Tony's objections. This guy was essentially acting as a sales person for the surgeon.
Tony's story made me think of a company I have been talking to a lot of people about lately - Girl Friday Errands. I've known Lisa, who founded the company, for a while. And when she told me the story of why she left the world of marketing to found the company, it really resonated with me.
Essentially, her mother had become very ill, and she and her sister dedicated their time to helping her. They got some relief when the home nurse would come in, but instead of getting some rest themselves, they ended up spending time on all that day-to-day stuff we all have to do - the laundry, the cleaning, picking up prescriptions, grocery shopping, changing light bulbs - the list goes on.
They tried to find a service that could help them with all this, but couldn't. There were individual services for personal assistants, cleaning and driving - but they were all very expensive.
Today, they help seniors, new moms, people who are sick (or injured), or people who are just overwhelmed for a variety of reasons (I am sure we can all relate!).
In telling their story, they created a powerful reference point for me. I could relate to needing that help, and was pretty shocked that it didn't already exist. I also learned about the other types of services out there, and why they are out of reach for most people (like seniors) who really just need friendlyand affordable help for odd jobs.And a single person to call for that help.
I have shared this story no less than five times in the past few months and because I am educated, was able to clearly outline the other options and why Girl Friday is different. I believe I am am a fantastic sales person for their service!
The best thing they did was publish their story on their website. Their story is personal, heartfelt, and resonates with their target audience. It is highly memorable and sharable. It's a great story that gets across their difference and prepares their customers to be powerful referral marketers for them.
