How referable are you?

Good businesspeople are referable, for the most part. If you were to ask all of your current clients if they would ever refer business to you, most would say that they would.

In fact, for healthy businesses, 80 percent of the clients on average would say that they would give a referral. So if they say they would give a referral, why don’t they?

Sometimes, if you believe you are delighting your clients and still not receiving regular referrals from them, it’s possible that there may be a disconnect. The insider perception of the business is not the same as how the clients of the business see things. And, it doesn’t mean that you are doing something wrong – but it’s worth checking out.

One way to find out for sure is to conduct a “Client Delight Survey.” You can mail or email the survey. Or, you can use an online survey service like SurveyMonkey to give your clients an easy way to give you feedback. With this tool, you can easily design your survey online and send a link to your clients for access. You can then view your results as they are collected in real-time, including live graphs and charts, and then see individual responses.

Below are some typical survey questions. Make sure that respondents grade them on a scale from A to F, like the grades one would get in school:

1. Our organization is totally committed to the idea of keeping you informed and delighted.

2. We seem to “do things right the first time.”

3. Our firm exceeds expectations.

4. We regularly provide information of value to you.

5. We have adequate contact with you.