Treat your clients well and earn referrals

What business owner doesn't want a referral? A referral means your client or friend is telling others what a great business you have. This person feels confident informing others about you and your service or product. If you are doing a good job, you should be getting a lot of referrals. If your business isn't receiving them, there might be a few reasons.

Christina Velez, owner of Skintopia in Brighton, says, "You need to be careful how you treat your clients. There is a fine line to walk between being friendly towards your client and being too friendly. You should never feel like the client is your friend so you can go ahead and be 20 minutes late because they won't mind. Oh yes, they will.

"The best thing to do is treat the client how you would want to be treated. Don't be late and don't ignore them when they are in front of you while you talk to the person behind them."

Do your friends or clients know the right people? Perhaps they are talking to people who are unable to use your services. There is no point giving a referral to someone who would not be your ideal client. You will end up wasting both their time and yours.

Are you making referrals yourself? The "pay it forward" concept suggests that when you give referrals, referrals will come back to you.

Lastly, are you asking for referrals? You could encourage them by posting a sign at your business that says, "A referral is the highest compliment you can pay us; then we will know we are doing a good job."

Whatever you choose to do, remember your clients are your most important asset. Without them, you would have no business, so treat them well.

Luyk is CEO of Midnight Janitorial Inc. She may be contacted through her company's website, www.midnightjanitorial.com. This column is written by members of the Rochester Women's Network (www.rwn.org).