Building advocacy into delivery rather than after it has finished

4 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Introduction

Referral activity is almost always treated as something that happens at the end: the work concludes, and then somebody thinks about asking. By that point the answer is already determined. Either the experience produced something worth repeating or it did not, and no request changes which.

The alternative is to treat advocacy as an output of delivery, designed in alongside everything else. This means deciding, before the work starts, what the customer will be able to say afterwards — and then making sure that thing happens.

It is a small shift in when the thinking occurs, and it changes the result substantially.

1. Building advocacy into delivery rather than after it starts with a decision

The first step.

Decide in advance what you want the customer to be able to describe. One specific thing, chosen deliberately. Everything else follows from that choice. Write it down where the people doing the work will see it.

2. Choose something you can deliver reliably

The consistency requirement.

An occasional flourish produces occasional advocates and inconsistent expectations. Whatever you pick must happen every time. Reliability is what makes it describable. An advocate is staking their word on it recurring.

3. Make it observable

The visibility requirement.

A customer can only describe what they noticed, so the chosen thing has to be apparent to them. Excellence they cannot perceive earns nothing. This rules out most technical quality. Ask what part of the work they could actually see.

4. Speed is the most reliable candidate

The practical suggestion.

Responding faster than anybody expects is noticeable, repeatable and rare enough to be worth mentioning. It requires no additional cost. Most businesses could adopt it this week. Set a response time and hold it.

5. Communication is the second candidate

The alternative.

Being told what is happening without having to chase is unusual enough to be remarked upon. It is also entirely within your control. These two account for most of what customers actually describe. Neither requires spending anything.

6. Ask their opinion during the work

The involvement effect.

People who have been consulted feel some ownership of the outcome and speak about it more readily. A question partway through is enough. It also catches problems early. Ask about something specific rather than in general.

7. Give them the sentence during delivery

The vocabulary transfer.

Explaining plainly what you do and how you differ, at a natural moment in the work, means the description exists before it is needed. This is more effective than any leaflet. Say it once, conversationally. They will use your words if you give them any.

8. Close the job in a way worth describing

The final moment.

A proper handover, a clear account of what was done, and a tidy finish are what people remember. Endings are remembered disproportionately. This is the cheapest place to invest. Ten minutes at the end outweighs an hour in the middle.

9. Then ask, once, at the right time

The last step.

With the willingness already built, the request is a formality rather than persuasion. Ask after the customer has had time to form a view. The work was done long before.

Be careful about designing a memorable moment that is disconnected from the work itself. Gestures that feel like marketing are described as marketing, and the things customers actually repeat are almost always about competence, speed or being treated properly.

Conclusion

Decide what customers will be able to say about you before the work begins.

Choose one specific thing, make sure it happens every time and that the customer can observe it, favour speed and communication because both are noticeable and cost nothing, consult them during the work so they feel involved, tell them plainly how you would describe what you do, finish the job in a way worth remembering, and only then make the request.