First-time customers are more likely to tell their friends about your business than longtime customers, writes Andy Sernovitz, a word-of-mouth marketing teacher. With this in mind, go out of your way to impress newcomers. He also advises finding out who is referring customers to you and thanking them. "Saying thank you to your talkers isn't just the right thing to do, it's also a fantastic way to generate more referrals," he writes.