Look who's talking! At this time of year customer referrals are critical to the building of your studio. The key is how to get your customers raving about you! Referrals are the life blood of every dance studio. To build your studio you will not only need to find new customers but to hold onto the ones you already have. Keep selling to and connecting with your current students and it will not only bring them back for more but they will happily tell all of their friends about your studio.
Tips for building word of mouth
1. To build word of mouth you need to find ways to differentiate yourself from the rest. This sounds easy but it needs to be looked at not only from your point of view but from your customers. The best way to find out is by doing a survey or by sitting down and talking to your best customers!
2. Go that extra mile in customer service. A little will make a BIG difference. Everyone talks about how much they love their customers but talk is cheap. It is much better for the growth of your business if you can give your customers something to talk about.
3. Find out what your customers like and give them more! Seems easy enough but if you have very some popular classes why not offer more of those and lose the duds? Sometimes it is better to give your customers what they want not what you want!
Tips For Building A Strong Following:
1. Give them something to talk about: Create WOW moments. This one is easy. Just find ways to surprise your customers and they will be happy to tell their friends!
2. Build a referral network: More than just a thank you! Do you offer a monetary offer for your customers? If not, it is a great way to help motivate your fans. Giving cash back when a current customer brings in a friend who registers for your program is easy to implement and administrate.
3. Get out of your studio: This is the key to building strong community ties. You may be the best kept secret in town. Join local clubs and local business groups.
4. Be the "go to" person: Make your studio the one everyone wants at their event. Do you have a performance group? Get your name out there as the top dance studio in your community to come to when someone is looking to incorporate dance into their event. The only way to do this is to connect with other businesses. Hand out cards and tell everyone that your studio is available for private events and that you have a pre-professional group that is available to perform at local events
5. Use ideas from other businesses and tweak them to fit your business model:. There are many great referral programs that major companies offer. Do a little digging in your area. There may be a program that you can become a part of as a bonus for another business. You can offer the same for the businesses you partner with. In the end all of your customers win by receiving more value for their money!
