There’s only one sure answer to “How can I get referrals?” Unlock the secret by adopting a marketer’s mindset and positioning yourself as unforgettable.

DOWNLOAD: How 5 Top Producers Generate Referrals

Customer referrals are the secret weapon of business growth—it’s like getting two leads for the price of one. The statistics about referrals vary widely, so let’s forget about pinning down specific numbers for a minute to focus on the big picture. (If you really need some numbers, you can consult this article.) Numerous consumer studies have come to pretty much the same conclusions:

• Consumers often trust recommendations from family and friends when deciding on purchases.
• Referrals typically have a higher and faster conversion rate with lower marketing costs than leads from other marketing tactics.
• Customers acquired through referrals tend to stay loyal longer and offer a greater lifetime value than those brought in through other channels.
• Referred customers are more inclined to pass on referrals themselves.

But here’s the catch: referrals don’t happen by chance but are the result of intentional actions and strategic thinking. Even if you are in the habit of asking for referrals (and I don’t want to minimize how important it is that you do), you can only ask one client at a time. But by thinking like a marketer and applying the strategies below, you can expand your reach and generate referrals more consistently.

Continue reading, and you’ll discover how to adopt a marketer’s mindset to become a referral magnet along with proven strategies for producing an unforgettable brand. Enact them consistently, and you can better ensure that your name is the first that comes to mind when an opportunity for a referral presents itself.

How to get more referrals

The best way to generate customer referrals consistently is to think like a marketer. Marketers know how to create value, build strong relationships, and position a particular product or service as the top choice. These are all skills that translate directly into more business referrals.

To consistently generate referrals, either as a business owner or a service professional, you must shift from a reactive approach to a proactive, strategic mindset. That’s where thinking like a marketer comes in. Marketers don’t wait for opportunities to land in their lap—they create them by understanding their audience, strengthening connections, and depicting their brand, product, or service as indispensable. Here’s what that looks like when applied to referral marketing.

Understand your audience

Customer referrals start with happy clients who feel valued and understood. To achieve this, you must thoroughly know your audience inside and out. If you haven’t yet developed a portrait of your ideal client (i.e., a client avatar), now’s the time. First write down their needs, pain points, and desires then determine how you can uniquely help solve their problems. When you focus on delivering value in ways that resonate, you naturally position yourself as someone worth recommending.

Build and nurture relationships

Marketers know that relationships are the foundation of any successful campaign, and the same goes for generating business referrals. Stay consistently engaged with your clients and network by showing genuine interest, offering assistance when needed, and providing them with useful information. A strong relationship increases the likelihood that someone will think of you when asked, “Do you know a good [X]?”

Be omnipresent

Have you ever recommended a business you haven’t used yourself? I know that I have, whether because its name was top of mind, I’d seen it everywhere, or I simply heard good things about it. Such recommendations may not have the clout that referrals from clients do, but they do contribute to growth, so take steps to make your brand highly visible and easy to recall.

By adopting the mindset of a marketer, you’ll go beyond simply asking for referrals—you’ll make your customers so satisfied and happy that they won’t be able to wait to share your name with their friends and family. And when that happens, you’ll open the door to steady, sustainable growth.

With this foundational approach defined, let’s discuss some practical strategies for how to get referrals.

Create a referral-worthy brand

When you’re a service professional like a real estate agent or financial advisor, you must craft a personal brand that’s consistent, trustworthy, and speaks to your integrity. No one will recommend someone who doesn’t have these traits because the risk to their own reputation isn’t worth it. So whether it’s your professionalism, your expertise, or how you go above and beyond, your brand should never fail to reflect qualities that make clients feel secure when referring you to friends and family.

Deliver exceptional value

Building a brand that garners referrals begins with delivering remarkable value. This means consistently exceeding expectations (not just doing your job well, as that’s a given) by creating memorable experiences that encourage customer referrals from those eager to share their positive stories.

Consider businesses like the local coffee shop with personalized service—where the baristas know your usual, bring your beverage to your table, and surprise you with the occasional free muffin. Or the real estate agent who drops everything to drive you two hours to see a house you just found on the internet and then treats you to dinner. (My agent did that for me!)

These professionals garner endless word-of-mouth referrals because they make their clients feel valued and appreciated. When your brand is synonymous with exceeding expectations, such recommendations become a natural byproduct.

Remain authentic

I don’t know when it became necessary to tell people to “be authentic,” but I have a feeling it happened when social media became a thing. It made it easier for businesses and professionals to craft and shape their narratives based on how they wanted to be seen, which sometimes isn’t always reality.

However, you should always ensure that the person you present to your audience through your marketing is the same person who clients meet face-to-face. And that relies on two keys: trust and consistency.

Trust born of authenticity is crucial for building a brand that inspires customer referrals. When your behavior and interactions with others are genuine, you foster relationships that feel sincere and mutually beneficial. And, as I suggested above, people need to feel confident that recommending you will reflect well on them.

Consistency, on the other hand, reinforces your relationship marketing strategy. When your actions, messaging, and communication consistently align with your values and promises, you establish a reliable reputation. Over time, this dependability makes you the go-to professional in your field.

Stay in consistent contact with clients

Finally—and many service professionals miss this point—you need to make sure that you take steps to become memorable. A client who doesn’t remember you can’t refer you, and there are many reasons why you may slip from their mind. Fortunately, you can adopt any number of tactics to prevent this from happening, and among the most important for staying top of mind is to remain in frequent contact with your clients.

For over 20 years, ReminderMedia has been helping small businesses and solopreneurs be unforgettable, and we’re frequently asked how often they should reach out to their clients. The truth is that you can’t connect too often; if you have fifteen touchpoints a year, you ought to have sixteen. You aren’t bothering them, and that’s especially true if your touchpoints include real value. Below is an example that proves this point.

Touchpoints that create referrals

Stephen Acree—founder of Acree Brothers Realty Team in Lynchburg, West Virginia, and the brother of ReminderMedia’s president, Luke Acree—creates 200+ touchpoints with his clients every year, following the advice of our marketing strategists and testing all our products to ensure that they deliver as promised. The results? They’ve been nothing short of remarkable.

What stands out most about Stephen’s business—beyond its impressive growth—is that over 50% of his deals come from repeat business and customer referrals. In consultation with him, we’ve designed a comprehensive annual customer touchpoint plan that makes it easy for him to consistently deliver high-quality, engaging content across multiple channels. This plan keeps him and his team top of mind with clients and prospects year-round.

Want to see exactly how Stephen gets 50% of his business from referrals? Download a free copy of his customer touchpoint plan.

How to get more referrals by thinking like a marketer

Referrals are the result of intentional, value-driven actions that create lasting impressions. By adopting a marketer’s mindset, you can build trust, nurture strong relationships, and stay top of mind. To generate more customer referrals, concentrate on delivering exceptional value, building an authentic and consistent brand, and staying in regular contact with your clients. Doing so will help encourage them to perceive you as the go-to professional in your field.

If you’re ready to take your referral strategy to the next level, download Stephen Acree’s Client Touchpoint Plan. This free resource gives you a complete breakdown of his proven 12-month schedule with links to the tools he uses to create over 200 touchpoints that feed the consistent flow of referrals on which his business relies.