What Your Referrals Tell You About Your Brand Message

What kinds of clients do you want to work with? Who is a great fit for your business?

In a recent podcast interview , I shared that no matter how long they've been in business or how big the team is, the first answer I hear is typically some version of, "Our ideal client values our service and is willing to pay for it."

That's not wrong...

But you have to peel back a few layers to discover something meaningful.

If your business relies on relationships and reputation to fuel it, a deep dive into the sources, quality, and timing of the referrals you're getting today can help you quickly identify gaps in your marketing messages.

Before we dive into questions, here's what you stand to learn with this approach:

One, it helps you focus on what's really happening in your business instead of the theory that "ideal client" work can sometimes lead to. We can make clearer, confident decisions when we're out of our heads and grounded in data.

Two, it shows you which investments from your past have yielded fruit, both good and bad. Patterns can emerge and you can ask yourself better questions like, "Where can I find more of THESE kinds of partners?" "Is that network still right for my business?" "Why do accountants seem to love me so much?"

Three, it makes it easy to spot opportunities to clarify your messages and offers a testing ground for trial and learning. Just last week I was wondering why I hadn't heard from a past partner in a while. I asked her and found out she thought I only work with solopreneurs—an audience she no longer serves herself. Since my client roster is mostly small teams these days, it tells me that I haven't brought this particular partner along my journey (micro level, something I can fix right away with a phone call or email) and that my website may not be clear enough for other agency partners (macro level, something I can explore further).

Want to try?

I’ve pulled together questions to help you unlock some juicy insights about the strength of the referrals coming your way:

1) When referrals come, are you happy with the business you’re getting? Do you and your team like the humans, the work, the money? Do you feel passionate about it? Does it matter if you don't?

2) What’s the frequency of referrals coming in? Is it sustainable or is it putting you into a 'biz dev' frenzy until the next big project comes along? Are there natural cycles in your industry that you should take into account?

3) How informed are the people who are arriving on your doorstep? Are you spending time correcting misconceptions during sales calls? How long is the close cycle? What would you want them to know before you talk to them and could that shorten the sales cycle? What would need to happen for those referring partners to be better equipped?

4) Which category of referral is most frequent? Most fruitful? How does it break down? Are you being referred to based on your:

1. experience (like from clients who are singing your praises),
2. expertise (showcasing your knowledge publicly, positioning as an authority on your subject matter), or
3. reputation (people who have heard of you enough to pass your name along, even though they've never worked with you themselves—or don't know you personally at all)?

The quality of your referrals and the speed at which they come your way are inextricably tied to the clarity of your brand message.

The best thing you can do for your referral-based business is to equip your team and your referral partners with clear messages about what you do, for whom, how, and why. Doing the work to get to that message means it's also easier to broadcast it through other marketing channels. These questions are a great place to start. Let me know if you try them!

This article was originally published in my bi-weekly(ish) newsletter, Insights & Inspiration. I share stories and tips designed to help service providers and their teams share clear marketing messages. Click here to join the list.