Every small business needs (and hopefully appreciates) referrals. They’re cheaper and more effective than any ad or spam message. If you want to get more of them, here’s a good place to start.
Think about the last five times when you’ve referred a friend to a business. Doesn’t matter whether it was a restaurant, a hairdresser, or a mechanic. What made you put your reputation with your friend on the line and recommend she spend money where you spend it?
I’ll bet it wasn’t because the business paid you a referral fee or because they just did what they were supposed to do. Just doing the job might satisfy you, but it doesn’t make you rave.
You probably referred someone because the business did something unexpected that made you want to talk about them. You talked about them because they always remember your name and your favorite dish, or they fixed—free of charge—the dye job you didn’t like and obviously felt really bad about it. You talked about them because they admitted that Jiffy Lube would do the job for half what they would charge. You talked about them because they did something remarkable worth talking about.
If you want to get more referrals, don’t think about how to bribe people to refer their friends. Think about how you could give your customers more experiences worth talking about.