There are many different approaches to keeping our names in front of our clientele. Here are just some of my quick suggestions;

1) ONE school of thought is not to ask for referrals at the time of delivery. It’s their magic moment, not ours. Besides our customers won’t care enough to send us referrals until they know how much we care about them. Remember, in the long run, it’s not the first impression that makes us the most money, it’s the last impression we leave. (Alternatively, here's an approach to ask for referrals at the time of delivery: How To Get Testimonial Videos)

2) a thank you note immediately after the delivery with a few biz cards included (to set up the referral pipeline). Better yet, push your contact info from your smart phone to theirs,

3) a 24 hour phone call to make sure everything is okay and to answer any questions they may have (no asking for referrals yet, we still need to set up that pipeline some more and they haven’t gotten our TY card yet either),

4) a 72 hour phone contact again to make sure everything is okay and to answer any questions and also to explain the biz cards in the thank you note. (“Mr. Client, in the next few weeks, many of your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members will be gawking at your new car. If any of them mention an interest in a car for themselves, new or used, any make or model, would you do me a favor please? Would you please give them one of my business cards? I promise to give them the same kind of professional service and show them the same respect I showed you and your family.)

5) a 7 day phone contact, mainly for referrals. (“Give out any cards yet?”)

6) a 30 phone or video message contact, again mainly for referrals.

7) short postcard greetings like Happy New Year, Safe & Fun 4th of July, Scary Halloween (with a TINY, and I mean T…I…N…Y referral reminder)

8) Birthday card/video greeting and a Season’s Greetings card/video greeting in December. (with NO mention at all of referrals)

9) a newsletter every other month or at least once a quarter (we have tons of examples, just ask)

10) periodic e-mails or videos with info pertaining to the individual client (new lift opening at ski resort if they ski or great article on spotting signs of child abuse if they are counselors, etc.)

11) check service EVERY DAY to see which clients are scheduled to get (or are getting) their car serviced and leave them a note, shake their hand, or have their car cleaned and filled-up.

12) host an occasional social gathering for your clients. (for instance a catered new car showing at your dealership, a networking lunch at a local hotel, a client picnic at a local park, etc.)

13) invitations to join your social networking platforms (your website, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.) and regularly engaging with them there.

14) post "how to" or "useful info" videos with a brief personal tag at the end.

15) of course the occasional text or call to simply say your were thinking of them and you hope all is well is a good idea too!

Be creative and have fun.
Put our name in front of our clientele every 45 to 60 days.

Have a systematic method of data control (preferably digital) and follow up and work your system every day, not just when it’s slow.

Ask your dealer to cover some of the cost for you (postage, printing etc.).

Consider offering inventive incentives to your clients for referrals not just the common and increasingly less effective $50 bird dog fee and consider putting up some of your commission too. Things like; making half of their car payment for each referral that buys (or one monthly car payment) or paying half of their next scheduled service, or tickets to a local sporting event, etc.

Make sure you call to update and thank your referring customer for every prospect they send to you, whether or not they actually buy.

And get off of the sales floor (I mean stop taking fresh ups, not get into management!) as soon as you can!!

By the way, the one monthly car payment per referral works as a close too! “Hey, would you like to hear of a way you can drive your dream car for free?"

© 2016 by Michael D. Hargrove and Bottom Line Underwriters, Inc. All rights reserved.

Michael D. Hargrove is the founder and president of Bottom Line Underwriters Inc. and and My Success Company, which are success coaching firms serving the automotive industry for over two decades. You can find more of his work here: http://bluinc.com/free-stuff/articles/selling-skills/. He can be reached at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Amazon, or e-mailed at mhargrove@bluinc.com.