{"id":6655,"date":"2021-02-24T17:36:36","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T17:36:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.n-able.com\/?p=6655"},"modified":"2022-07-27T11:05:33","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T10:05:33","slug":"earning-word-of-mouth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.n-able.com\/pt-br\/blog\/earning-word-of-mouth","title":{"rendered":"Earning word-of-mouth referrals for your IT business"},"content":{"rendered":"

IT business owners often follow a few regular paths. They may have been in-house IT staff who decided to strike out on their own for more freedom, decided to dip their toes into the entrepreneurial waters after a layoff, or simply started moonlighting as a service provider. Whatever the reason, they decide to take the plunge and start selling IT services, likely break\/fix to start and then more recurring managed services as they grow.<\/p>\n

While the paths may diverge, one commonality in the early days is how they pick up their clients\u2014word-of-mouth. This pattern\u2019s common among most people who strike out on their own to offer some form of consulting work. And to be honest, word-of-mouth business like this can be the best\u2014it\u2019s easier to close the sale because you have a recommendation and, if you like the original client, there\u2019s a good chance they\u2019ll be a delight to work with as well.<\/p>\n

Eventually you\u2019ll want to branch out and market yourself to cold prospects. Some companies do make a full living only on their reputation, but it\u2019s [ital]extremely[\/ital] important to diversify how you get customers (plus, active marketing does give you a bit more influence). Still, you shouldn\u2019t neglect word-of-mouth marketing. Today, we want to talk about how to increase the odds of winning referrals.<\/p>\n

Great support<\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s the deal. When it comes to gaining referrals, a lot of it comes down to the quality of the service you offer. It\u2019s not the only thing you have control over, but let\u2019s start there.<\/p>\n

First, the term \u201coffering great service\u201d can be a bit vague. It\u2019s worth sitting down and defining \u201cgreat service\u201d both within your team and among your customers. Try to get specific. For starters, here are a few ideas:<\/p>\n