Asking for referrals for your business can be tough. Often times it can feel like you are being pushy and leave you feeling worried that you are imposing on that individuals time. In reality, if a customer feels happy with the product, service or experience, most of these happy customers will be more than willing to give you a referral if asked.

Referrals are a very important element to promoting your brand and instilling a sense of trust within your brand. The first stage to overcome in asking for referrals is getting over your own insecurities or mental blocks associated with the process.

Here are five tips that will make asking for referrals from your customers less intimidating.

While this one might seem a little bit obvious, the first step to feeling confident when asking for a referral is to provide the best service possible. Of course you will feel a little timid when approaching a customer for a referral who has had less than a wonderful experience when working with your business, however, if you are transparent, responsive and helpful from the start of the project to the finish, then why would your client or customer not feel excited to pass your name along to others?

We are all human and do make mistakes, so it is inevitable that there will in fact be a time where a customer or client does not feel fully satisfied with the results of a product or service, or feels like the interaction with the business was less than satisfactory. Just because a customer had one bad experience this does not mean you should count them out for giving you a referral. If you are proactive about reaching out to them, apologizing, and asking for a second chance to make up for the experience and another chance to wow them, you might be able to create an even more loyal customer because they know that you will do whatever you can to satisfy the client and keep the relationship. People appreciate when you are transparent with them and when they know you will go the extra mile to keep them happy, even if it is making up for a mess up.

Sometimes it can feel difficult to ask for a referral because it feels like you’re asking for a favor out of the blue. One way to help ease this feeling is to create a meaningful conversation with the person before you ask them for the referral. Some great ways in which you could reach out could include: sending congratulatory notes when you see their business doing well or having reached a milestone, forwarding an article that you think they may find interesting or useful for their business, or even donating a small amount to an event they are hosting. There are many ways in which you can easily start a conversation and show that you support the mission they are trying to achieve. Once you have showed them that you care asking for a referral should be no problem.

It is always a good idea to ask someone for a referral directly as it is more personable and the chances of them giving you one is higher. However, whether asking for the referral in person or indirectly, it is important to make sure you are making it easy for customers to refer you by giving them multiple ways in which they can give the referral. Some simple ways to indirectly ask for a referral could include doing things like adding a referral link under you email signature, or creating a “refer a friend” button or page on your website. This makes it easy for you to collect referrals from customers by just sending them a link to the page. It also allows customers you haven’t reached out to directly to still submit a referral if they feel decide they would like to.

A great way to generate referrals can by by creating partnerships with other business owners. Most small businesses are facing the same struggle when it comes to gathering referrals, so what’s the harm in reaching out and asking for a referral in exchange for doing one for them? A great social media platform for this is called Alignable, which is an online networking platform where small business owners across North America can drive leads and prospects, generate referrals, land new business, build trusted relationships, and share great advice.

Work to find businesses that are providing a product or service that compliments or makes sense with the work your company does. If you own a shoe store it may be beneficial to talk to the cobbler down the street. If you’re a DJ for weddings and events, reach out to the local party equipment rental company. Asking another business owner for referral is not only less intimidating than asking a customer, but it also helps to establish a steady flow of referrals. Business owners will continue to come across prospects who could potentially benefit from your services, whereas past customers might only meet someone every once in a while who’s looking for the good or service you provide. This is not always the case though, for example, say a digital marketing company works closely with an individual who does consulting work. He or she may be a get asset to use as they see several business owners and offer them advice such as getting a new website.

Often times people are hesitant to ask for a referral when it seems broad. For example, “If you know anyone who needs any services or products I offer, let me know.” A good way to counter this is by doing some research. As website designers we often create a list of local businesses that we would like to target just by looking at the businesses websites. We come up with specific thoughts on ways to strengthen each of their site designs or content to help them grow their business. This can be done for all types of businesses looking to expand their customer list.

Asking for referrals can be stressful, but if you provide great service to your customers there is no need to feel shy or nervous about asking. If people are satisfied with your product or service they will want to share this good experience with others. Of course not every person you ask is going to be willing to write a referral, and that is okay. If you’re able to muster up the courage to ask for referrals, you’ll be sure to get at least a few great new leads for your efforts.