As we have discussed before, you will always do better selling more to your current customers. But how can you focus on your current customers while still trying to spend a reasonable amount of time bringing in new ones?  The answer is simple: Have your customers bring more customers to you. 

By initiating a referral program, you can easily double or triple your customer base in a very short period of time.  Think about it:  If each customer brings one friend to you, your base has just doubled.  What if each of those customers brings just one more friend?  Your base has just doubled again.

Using just the customers to which you currently sell, you are able to keep the focus on your most loyal shoppers AND add new members to that list.  Here are some ideas on how to harness this power:

1. Discount for new customer.

This is as simple as it sounds.  If a new customer is referred, they get a one-time discount.

2. Discount for referring customer.

This is simply to thank your current customer and encourage them to tell more friends.  This can be as big or small as you desire, but it needs to be substantial enough to generate new referrals.

3. Two for One specials.

A current customer can be encouraged to share a company by having extra product on hand.  Perhaps it can be given as a gift or sample.

4. Old-fashioned customer service

By treating your base in way that makes them feel appreciated and looked after, you can create a spontaneous boost from word of mouth.  A happy customer will always tell at least one friend.  Always remember to keep your current customer base happy.
 
With these ideas in mind, you can create a format to essentially invite your customers to work for you.  This in turn will free up your time to do some more widespread advertising and copywriting.  Your customers will pull from one pool or resources while you can focus your time elsewhere, all while making your entire customer base feel appreciated.

It’s that easy.  Simply provide an incentive.  By simply using the resources you currently have, you can increase both your traffic and profitability.