Last year, we had a pigeon problem.
Out of all the houses in our neighborhood, they chose ours to roost, rest, and nest. Every morning, we woke up to their coo-ing. Everytime we left the house, we’d see dozens of them perching happily on the ridges of our roof.
At first, I thought it was sweet.
But as it turns out, pigeons are dirty. Their poo is toxic. And my husband and I were both feeling the effects.
Our options were pretty limited. The job requires a hazmat suit, so it’s not a do-it-yourself or hire-a-friend kind of project. Done wrong, it can create health risks.
So here we were, trying to make a smart decision about a service we had no experience with. And with a four-figure bill coming our way, we had to get it right.
Maybe you’ve experience something similar. If so, you know how stressful these decisions can be. Every company offers the same things. Their price tags are all ridiculously high. How do you decide?
In our case, we talked to a neighbor and chose the company they recommended.
Now flip this scenario.
Imagine you’re the pigeon clean-up company. You’ve got a portfolio of happy clients, and you know there are homes in your area that need your service.
But your website looks exactly like your competitors’ and, ultimately, your services are identical.
How do you stand out?
A lot of companies resort to underpricing the competition. But that’s no way to grow your company, and there are other, better ways to set yourself apart.
One of them is to proactively seek referrals.
Don’t wait for a potential customer to ask exactly the right neighbor for a recommendation. Get creative and find ways to encourage your customers to give reviews and recommendations.
A few ideas:
- Ask for a testimonial when the project is complete
- Create a referral campaign that is sent to customers a few days after the project is complete
- Create a rewards program and give bonus points for referrals and testimonials
So often, we focus our efforts at the top of the funnel, but there’s a well of untapped revenue below the funnel. This is just one idea that could work for services and local businesses. I’m exploring others for subscription-based businesses like SaaS.
Hang tight. I’ll be sharing more soon.
Until then, stay awesome! And let me know if you need help driving growth for your business.
