Here are five ways to help your business get more referrals.

1. Give Referrals and help others grow there business.
Giving value first is probably the best way to start. People love to help those who have helped them.  If you can help another business attract clients they will be more than willing to tell people about what you do.

2. Network with other professional.
If you’re not out there marketing yourself, how will people know to refer you? Choose a few groups and start networking with other successful entrepreneurs and business owners. Growing your list of connections can help you open the door to valuable contacts in the future.

3. Share your knowledge.

• Consider giving a speech for a local chamber or trade organization
• Submit articles to your local paper
• Reach out to blogger’s and ask if you can write a guest article.
• Find business websites that you can partner with  to help establish yourself  as an expert in your field.

4. Go above and beyond what your customer expects.
While this sounds like common sense, many owners overlook the day to day operations of there business which can give customers a bad impression.  If you go above and beyond what your clients expects, they will not only keep coming back, but they will tell others about your service.

5. Ask.
Many business owners never ask there customers for help. If you do a good job for your customers,  don’t pass up the opportunity to use them to build your business. When you finish with a job:

• Suggest that your client pass along your name to others.
• Keep in contact with your customer and remember to add value to the relationship.

1. Make sure you’re  going into business for the right reasons. Do you have a passion to own a business or are you just sick of your current job? Look at your reasons and make sure that you are passionate about the type of business you plan on opening.
2. Have solid plan of action with a clearly defined set of goals. You must be able to clearly articulate your business idea and have a clear plan of action.
3. Starting a business requires a large amount of time,  probably more time than you are spending at your current job. You must have the commitment and dedication to manage, market, learn and deal with the various other tasks that you will be required to do in the day to day operations of your business.
4. Know your Market. Study the competition, analyze your market and be aware of what outside influences will affect your business.
5. Don’t be too proud to ask for help. From online channels to local business owners and trade associations, there is a wealth of knowledge out there for you to pull from. Learn from the mistakes that others have made and you will save yourself a lot of wasted time and energy.
6. Do it legally – Apply for your business licenses, fill out the correct tax papers and consult with a licensed CPA to make sure you have everything in order.
7. Have Fun

Signing up for alerts is easy, go to  http://www.google.com/alerts and fill out the information you want to receive alerts on.

How you can use Google Alerts

1. Track Your Company. I have a Google Alert running for “Network in Vegas” and various other businesses that I monitor. I am updated everytime something is published about one of my companies.
2. Track Your URL. “Yourbusiness.com”
3. Stay on top of Industry News – To stay on top of industry news, create alerts for keywords and key phrases related to your industry.
4. Track Your Products. Set up alerts for your branded product names. If you have multiple products with different names, set up alerts for each one.
5. Track Your employees. You can also setup alerts for key people within your company. If you have employees who speak publicly about your business, it’s a good idea to track their name with an alert.
6. Track Your Competitors. You can also setup alerts on your competitors business. Doing this can give you a huge edge on your competition and allow you to respond quickly to their latest sales and marketing efforts.