You’re hard at work planning your holiday strategy deciding what campaigns to run and how to attract more business but one area you may not have thought of is ways you can partner with other businesses so you can both get something out of it while helping your customers.
Everyone loves ease, especially during the already busy holidays. This is a win/win for both businesses and your customers. Here’s an example of how it might work: your carpet-cleaning customer mentions that her parents are staying for Thanksgiving. She also needs someone to fix the guest bathroom faucet and watch the dog because he doesn’t do well with people and noise.
You can help with the carpet. But those other two needs are opportunities to make an introduction.
Meanwhile, a local plumber and pet sitter probably have customers who need you. After all, plumbing messes can easily become carpet messes.
Holiday preparations create overlapping needs, often with firm deadlines. Businesses that recognize those connections can help customers get more done while introducing each other to potential clients. A small holiday referral circle gives those introductions a little structure.
And you can start small with two other businesses, one shared customer need (getting things ready for the holiday), and a few clear expectations.
Start With the Customer’s Plans
Agreeing to promote each other is a start. But it also tends to produce a few social media tags before everyone gets busy. Then crickets.
A stronger starting point is a specific task your customers are trying to accomplish. Getting the house ready for guests. Preparing to travel. Thanking employees. Closing the office for a few days.
Think about what happens immediately before or after someone needs your service. Who else could help them finish the job?
For example:
- Ready for company: A cleaner, plumber, and handyman help homeowners prepare for overnight guests.
- Ready to travel: A pet sitter, mechanic, and alarm service help customers prepare to leave.
- Ready to close the office: An IT provider, bookkeeper, and virtual assistant help owners handle loose ends before taking time off.
- Ready to thank the team: A restaurant, promotional products company, and florist help employers arrange thoughtful employee appreciation.
Choose a situation that already comes up in customer conversations. You’ll have an easier time explaining the partnership when the need is known.
Choose People You Can Confidently Recommend
A referral puts your reputation in someone else’s hands. Pick partners whose work and customer service you trust like people you might know through the chamber.
Before agreeing to promote each other, have a short conversation about availability, service areas, pricing expectations, and response times. Ask what a good referral looks like. A cleaner who serves residential customers may have little use for introductions to large commercial properties.
Check holiday capacity, too. Someone who’s already booked through December might welcome introductions for January, but customers need to know that before they call.
You should also agree on how to handle a customer concern. If someone tells you a partner never returned their call, you need a way to follow up.
Keep the circle small enough that you know who you’re recommending.
Give Customers Something Useful
Create one resource that helps customers act.
For the “Ready for Company” group, that might be a one-page checklist covering guestroom cleaning, minor repairs, and household preparations. Each business contributes a few useful tips and provides its contact information.
A group serving business owners could create a “Before You Turn On Your Holiday Autoreply” checklist. Include reminders about invoice follow-up, computer backups, customer notices, and coverage for urgent requests.
Use your expertise to make the resource worth keeping. Avoid turning it into three advertisements sharing a page.
Make the next step easy: identify who handles each service and how to reach them. Each business can share the resource through its own email, social accounts, or customer conversations.
Agree on How Referrals Will Work
Decide whether you’ll hand out contact information, share a booking link, or offer a personal introduction. Get the customer’s permission before sharing their contact details.
A natural recommendation might sound like:
“If you’re getting the guest room ready, I know an affordablelocal carpet cleaner. Would you like their information?”
There’s no need to force every customer into the referral circle. Make introductions when they fit the conversation.
You also don’t have to offer a discount. Reliable help, easier planning, and a trusted recommendation can be compelling on their own. If you do create an offer, make sure each business can afford to honor it.
Businesses who refer may also agree to give one a referral fee for every signing client or even give a discount on their services to the referring business. This gives an added incentive to have these kinds of “how can we help” conversations with customers.
Keep it Manageable and See What Happens
Choose a short campaign window and a few commitments everyone can keep. Perhaps each partner shares the checklist once by email, posts it twice on social media, and keeps copies available for customers.
Track referrals with a simple “How did you hear about us?” question or a code. After the campaign, compare notes. Did introductions turn into inquiries or bookings? Did customers find the resource useful? Was anyone receiving referrals they couldn’t serve?
Your chamber can help you identify potential partners, especially businesses that serve similar customers in different ways. Ask for an introduction around a specific need: “Who helps homeowners prepare for holiday travel?” gives chamber staff more to work with than “Who wants to collaborate?”
Start with one customer situation you hear about every year. Find two businesses that can help with the next steps. Then give your customers something especially useful during a crowded season. Peace of mind and one more thing checked off the to-do list!
Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of the award-winning book, The Glinda Principle, rediscovering the magic within.
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