The 4 R’s of a robust referral program

By Jenny Yu.  

Learn how to position yourself as the champion in your market. 

In this episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Megan Ellsworth sat down with Rebecca Mayo, director of partnerships at gFour Marketing, to discuss the importance of implementing a comprehensive referral system to turn leads into loyal customers. Rebecca shared the four R’s of a strong referral program: referrals, reactivating customers, rehashing lost leads and securing five-star reviews. 

1 - Referrals 

The first step to a robust referral program is, of course, securing those referrals. This means implementing a consistent system of making sure to follow up after a job well done.  

Business owners can underestimate the time it takes to implement such a system, from training sales staff to developing consistent, effective language. Additionally stressing is the cost of generating new leads. That’s why Rebecca recommends working with a partner like gFour to take on this load so that clients can focus on their work in the field.  

“We aim to give our customers time back in their day so that they can focus on closing new business,” Rebecca shared. “We streamline those operational processes on the marketing side to give them that time back and give them peace of mind knowing that we are running a program behind the scenes that is going to generate leads for the business.” 

2 - Reactivate customers 

Next, it’s important to turn past customers into repeat customers. This includes staying top of mind for your customers when they have other home improvement needs in the future. 

“A lot of our customers do different types of work. A lot of our clients will do roofing, but then they'll also do some siding and exterior and gutters,” Rebecca stated. “We can encompass all of their services and go after that repeat customer to build a fence around them so they keep coming back to you.”  

3 - Rehash lost leads 

With so much to manage in a roofing business, leads can often slip through the cracks. The good thing? Lost leads don’t have to stay lost.  

“A lot of people don't do this, and I think it's a missed opportunity,” Rebecca started. “But I recommend looking at your current CRM with your team and asking, ‘Who have we done work for in the past that we let fall off the radar?’ Take a look at leads you may not have followed up with.” 

4 - Reviews 

Finally, the last step of the referral program is getting those 5-star reviews. This means creating a positive customer experience from the first pitch to the final workday. The cherry on top after excellent service? A premium gift box! 

“When a customer gets a premium box with our client's brand and logo, it's really incredible,” Rebecca shared. “It looks like [the gift box] is coming from our client, but really, we are the ones taking the work off their plate.”  

This last gesture of gratitude shows that you go the extra mile and is a great opportunity to remind your customer to leave that glowing review.  

Read the transcript or Listen to the episode to learn more about gFour Marketing and how they can help implement a referral program that keeps on giving.