If You Get Clients by Referral, Do You Really Need a Website?
Doing business by referral is awesome, right? Any service-based business owner will tell you this, because it’s one of the best ways to get clients.
You kind of get to skip a lot of the harder work when it comes to getting clients this way, because this new lead has already seen or heard about the amazing work you do first-hand, from someone they know and trust. In that way, you don’t need to do any hard-selling or big sales pitches, you’re halfway “in” and have a nice head start to actually closing the sale.
Not only that, but if you enjoyed working with the client that’s referring you to someone new, chances are you (and the new client) will also love working together. This is why referrals are just so great!
So let’s say you’ve been doing business for years, and you’ve had a steady stream of clients through referrals - why is a website so important?
Let me first ask you if you have a website at all? If you do, and it pretty much exists for the sake of existing and doesn’t bring you new leads consistently, then it’s no wonder why you don’t give a shit about it.
But here’s the hard truth: you website sucks. That’s why it’s not working for you.
It’s not because of your industry, or the type of clients you serve, or where you live…
If you’re a human on planet Earth in 2018, people will be actively looking for services like yours online.
Ignore this and you’ll be left in the dust. Your competition is online and people are finding them instead.
...So don’t be the best-kept secret in town.
Not only that, but…
a website can actually get you more referrals
If someone wants to tell others about you and your business, having a great website will be an easy way for them to refer you. When all people need to do is send others to your website, you’ll encourage more referrals by making it so easy for them to show you and your business off. They’ll also feel confident when sending friends and family to you, because your website provides credibility to their amazing claims!
Especially if you’re in an industry where a lot of people have been burned in the past (I’m talking to you, general contractors!) people will want to verify not only that you’re a real, legitimate company owned by a human with a beating heart, but also to see the quality of your work.
Along with helping to get you more referrals…
a website can be its own income stream
If for any reason your referral sources stop sending you potential clients, then what? What if they move, have a major life event, or simply don’t have anyone for you over a few months?
Referrals, as amazing as they are, are not a guaranteed income stream, so you need to have another way for people to find your amazing business and the work you do.
If you set up your website the right way, it’ll do the heavy lifting for you - pulling people in, getting them to browse through your portfolio, learn about what you do, how you can help them, and get them to take action.
Please, use your website as a tool and not as a thing to have just to say you have one!
Ever heard of the Know, Like, and Trust Factor? Those are 3 crucial pieces of a buying decision. People need to feel like they know, like, and trust a person or business before doing business with them.
Your website is a great way to build up all 3 of them! You can make an awesome first impression, allow people to get to know you, the business, and your mission. Then you can explain how you can help them, throw in some reviews and testimonials, as well as show off your beautiful finished projects.
See, your website is like an invisible sales team that works for you around the clock to bring you potential clients. By the time you get in touch with them, they’ve already been somewhat ‘pre-sold’ on hiring you for your services.
No matter what industry you’re in or what you do, you need a great website where people can find you and get in touch to hire you for your awesome services.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: KATIE BRIMMER
Hey! I'm Katie. I help service-based business owners just like you create stunning websites & smart marketing strategies designed to help you stand out online so you can start turning visitors into paying clients and take your business to the next level.