Marketing to referral customers is the most sure-fire way to build your sales today. It's much cheaper than advertising to cold prospects, referral customers are generally more satisfied with your services, and the closing ratios are much higher. But most importantly, IT'S EASY TO DO!

Follow these 5 tips to increase your referral business:

1) Don't ask right away Although conventional wisdom says to ask for a referral right after closing a deal, give your customers a little bit of time with their new car before asking for a referral. Only ask at close if the customer is already satisfied with your business (a repeat customer).

2) Send a personalized thank-you card Within a week of closing the deal, send your customers a handwritten card thanking them for their business. This will establish the trust and rapport necessary to build referrals.

3) Provide service that is worthy of a referral. Give your clients extra services and support (service coupons, follow-up calls, etc.) to make sure they are completely satisfied with their experience. They're obviously not going to give you more business if they aren't happy.

4) Offer an incentive Reward your customers with a "finders fee" or service discount for every customer they refer to you. Do this only after you have built up enough trust to ask for a referral.

5) Do some external prospecting Set up meet-and-greets with past customers at their place of work. Ask the employer's permission to offer special employee/corporate pricing for their workers. It doesn't cost the employer anything, workers in the market for a vehicle get better pricing, and you get more referrals.

Start executing these simple tips today and watch your referrals grow!