By Lisa B. Carlton, MEd, IECA (TX))

Think for a moment about how you chose your favorite service business—for example, your doctor, trainer, hair stylist, or accountant. The typical starting point in selecting someone is determining whether they are qualified, which generally still leaves you with a vast array of choices. For most service-related needs, the ultimate selection comes down to what you’ve heard about a person or a service from people you respect. In fact, Nielsen’s 2012 Global Trust in Advertising Survey found that 92% of Americans trust referrals from family and friends more than any other form of marketing.

In a business that is all about people, marketing may be a challenge for many independent educational consultants (IECs). But Peter Economy (2015) suggested that there are three simple elements that form the foundation of any successful word-of-mouth campaign: delivering a service that inspires something bordering on love, understanding and engaging with influencers, and then giving your community a “talkable story” that they will want to carry from person to person.

Remarkable Services

Marketing expert Seth Godin once said, “Remarkable products and services get discussed more often.” That is clearly the case for many IEC practices across the country. I interviewed several members with thriving practices, asking them why they think potential clients reach out to them. Stephanie Mauler (TX) pointed out that “the best way to get a referral is simply to be really good at what you do.” She went on to say, “I think a lot of my clients appreciate that I am able to address the needs of both parents (who are my customers) and the students (who are my clients).” Laurie Weingarten (NJ) mentioned that families often call her because they have heard about the success of a student she has worked with. She also said that parents recognize her depth of knowledge and her ability to make each client feel like they are her only client—details that made their way around the proverbial grapevine. These thriving practices are examples of the type of remarkable service that Godin mentioned.

Influencers and Connectors

So couldn’t you just put testimonials from your happy clients on your website and be done with it? Not really. McKinsey & Company found that customers who buy a service or product directly from a referral tend to be 35–40% more satisfied with their experience and are three times as likely to refer other people themselves (Bughin, Doogan, and Vetvik 2010). If that’s not great incentive to starting thinking about your referral story, we don’t know what is. So, how do you get started, exactly?

Jeff Levy (CA) suggested that “the trick is finding clients who are ‘connectors’—people who are seen by their peers as leaders, early adopters, well-informed, and ahead of the curve.” He explained that when he secures a client from a new area, he is proactive. He sets up an informal presentation at the client’s home and encourages the family to invite friends, knowing that many of them will also be wondering about working with a college consultant. Kristina Dooley (OH) said, “Even some of my closest friends and family didn’t understand what I did as an IEC. I’ve since made a concerted effort to share info with them about what I do and, specifically, how I help families. I now receive many referrals from my personal connections because they are sharing the anecdotes that I’ve passed on to them about my work with students.”

Stories to Share

One of the keys to successful word-of-mouth referrals is to keep the conversation going with your clients and the people in your personal and professional network. There are a variety of ways to provide a story that they will want to share. Social media provides endless opportunities through Twitter and Facebook, for example, as do old-school tools like email newsletters. Although it may seem like a throwback in the world of Google Adwords and Infusionsoft, our monthly newsletter (for which we use Constant Contact) has been extremely successful for our company’s growth in terms of nurturing awareness and triggering referrals. And it’s important to note that Emarketer consulting firm reports that email newsletters are three times more effective for high-ticket services than Facebook or Twitter (Stiglitz 2016).

Get Started

Making referrals a serious part of your marketing strategy can start with some basic steps. Find out what motivates people to reach out to you. Use the resources you already have: Who are the people inside and outside your practice who can spread the word about the fantastic work you are doing? A simple starting point is to ask new clients how they heard about you and listen to determine who the influencers among your past clients are and which stories are already circulating about your practice. You may find that by strategically maximizing your success stories, your practice becomes the talk of the town.

References

Bughin, Jacques, Jonathan Doogan, and Ole Jørgen Vetvik. 2010. “A New Way to Measure Word-of-Mouth Marketing.” McKinsey Quarterly, April. www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/a-new-way-to-measure-word-of-mouth-marketing.

Economy, Peter. 2015. “3 Ways to Improve Your Word-of-Mouth Marketing.” Inc. Magazine. www.inc.com/peter-economy/3-powerfully-simple-ways-to-drive-your-word-of-mouth-marketing.html.

Stiglitz, Kim. 2016. “70 Email Marketing Stats Every Marketer Should Know.” www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/email-marketing/2016/01/70-email-marketing-stats-you-need-to-know.

Lisa B. Carlton, College MatchPoint, can be reached at [email protected].