Referrals can be the cheapest form of marketing, particularly when they are of the word-of-mouth variety.  Someone loves your business – they had a wonderful experience with you and want to share it with others.  They become your raving fans.

In his book, “MORE...: Word of Mouth Referrals, Lifelong Customers & Raving Fans” Matt Ward provides 40 different ways to capture that enthusiasm and connect with contacts, each of which will result in more referrals.

In this episode, we hear about these strategies and how they can be applied to all parts of our business, whether we are looking for more guests, or owners, for a management program.

Matt shares a great story about a basketball fan coming to his property in Florida and the creative idea that made this guest a marketing ambassador for him. It involves a Michigan basketball team, a breadboard, and no branding.

He references a Maya Angelou quote that should be front and center in all our workspaces:

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

• What makes a referral strategy such an essential part of an STR business?
• Why you should listen more and pay attention to every communication
• The top 3 actions property managers can take to bring in new business
• How we can use the art of storytelling in our daily business of finding new owners…or guests
• Ways to use new technologies and platforms to create and foster relationships, even if someone is not ready to enter a business relationship just yet
• How to over-deliver naturally
• How adding a $5 sports channel and having a $20 cutting board created, earned him a raving fan
• The value of a surprise, however small
• What a non-self-serving act looks like, and why you need to incorporate them into your workflow

Links mentioned:

MORE...: Word of Mouth Referrals, Lifelong Customers & Raving Fans

Matt Ward – Breakthrough Champion