Ever wondered what drives marketers to rave about different B2B businesses? We've gathered some real stories from the trenches, broken down by product category. Let's dive in!

SaaS and Tech Solutions

Tech and SaaS businesses were the stars of our survey. What makes them so referable? Most B2B referral marketing pros pointed to the product itself, but value and customer service also played key roles.

BigScoots

• Referrer: Peter Song of Haki Review Mashup

• Referred Business Type: Hosting platform

• Word of Mouth Driver: Product

Peter’s Story: “I referred a hosting service platform, BigScoots, to a friend starting a blog. The quality of their product and amazing customer service were the main reasons. Since switching to BigScoots, my site speed has significantly improved, and their support team always resolves issues within 24 hours. I'd definitely recommend them again.”

Asana

• Referrer: Cauveé

• Referred Business Type: Productivity solution

• Word of Mouth Driver: Value

Cauveé’s Story: “Asana all day! I absolutely LOVE them. Before they offered an affiliate service, I referred so many people because of how much Asana helped my business. Their continuous updates and improvements make it a 12/10 service for me.”

• Referrer: Andrea Loubier of Mailbird

• Referred Business Type: Productivity solution

• Word of Mouth Driver: Product

Andrea’s Story: “As a leading email client for Windows, I like to refer software that integrates well with us. Asana is my go-to for team organization. It’s essential for assigning tasks and tracking workloads effortlessly.”

ClickFunnels

• Referrer: James Canzanella of Captican LLC

• Referred Business Type: All-in-one sales/marketing tool

• Word of Mouth Driver: Value

James’ Story: “I’ve been recommending ClickFunnels for almost 3 years. It initially helped me build and grow my online business. It’s a comprehensive tool that saves money by replacing multiple other services. It’s an easy recommendation for online business owners.”

Heap

• Referrer: Quincy Smith of ESL Authority

• Referred Business Type: Product analytics

• Word of Mouth Driver: Customer Service

Quincy’s Story: “I recently recommended Heap to a friend because of their outstanding customer service. Their product is intuitive, and their customer success team goes above and beyond, responding within one business day and following up on our history. Their support is simply incredible.”

Liondesk

• Referrer: Keverne Denahan of KardZee

• Referred Business Type: CRM

• Word of Mouth Driver: Customer Service

Keverne’s Story: “Liondesk CRM is affordable and meets our needs. I referred them today because of their great referral program, customizable features, and excellent customer support. They also have a helpful Facebook Group.”

Ahrefs

• Referrer: Oksana Chyketa of Albacross

• Referred Business Type: SEO tool

• Word of Mouth Driver: Product

Oksana’s Story: “We use various tools at Albacross, and I often mention Ahrefs. After contributing to an expert roundup, Sergey Aliokhin from Ahrefs thanked me personally. Their tool is outstanding, and it’s always a pleasure to recommend it.”

• Referrer: Dale Johnson of Startup Trove

• Referred Business Type: SEO tool

• Word of Mouth Driver: Product

Dale’s Story: “Ahrefs provides insightful tools for keyword research, competitor analysis, and tracking rankings. It’s become a strong competitor to Moz. When I needed a powerful SEO tool, Ahrefs delivered. It’s a go-to recommendation for anyone serious about SEO.”

• Referrer: Patrick Algrim of Algrim.co

• Referred Business Type: SEO tool

• Word of Mouth Driver: Product

Patrick’s Story: “I refer Ahrefs because it offers insights other products don’t. Unique tools like this are rare, and when you find one, you want to share it with friends. Ahrefs has consistently impressed me.”

SerpStat

• Referrer: Saurabh Jindal of Talk Travel

• Referred Business Type: SEO tool

• Word of Mouth Driver: Value

Saurabh’s Story: “I recommended SerpStat to fellow startup entrepreneurs because it’s affordable and feature-rich. Their customer support and training materials are excellent. SerpStat provides great value, making it an easy referral.”

Gusto

• Referrer: Calloway Cook of Illuminate Labs

• Referred Business Type: Payroll service

• Word of Mouth Driver: Product

Calloway’s Story: “I referred Gusto for its reasonable costs, fantastic software, and excellent customer service. It’s been problem-free for me, so I confidently recommend it to other small business owners.”

Avalara

• Referrer: Brooks Flanagan of SCS Cloud

• Referred Business Type: Tax service solution

• Word of Mouth Driver: Product

Brooks’ Story: “As a NetSuite partner, I’ve recommended Avalara for their excellent tax solutions. They’ve been a great fit for our clients’ unique tax situations and integrate well with our services.”

Intercom

• Referrer: Aditya Sharma of Hiration

• Referred Business Type: Live chat software

• Word of Mouth Driver: Product

Aditya’s Story: “We’ve tried various customer messaging platforms, but Intercom stands out. It offers comprehensive features like product tours and in-chat FAQ linking. Its ability to track customer data and history enhances our customer experience, making it a top recommendation.”

Conclusion

Think outside the box when marketing your SaaS or AI tool. The strongest marketing tool is often the one that's most overlooked. Its not griding out SEO until your fingers bleed, not paying some influencer gobs of money to tell people how cool it is. The best lead funnels in the world are recommendations from other companies that compliment your product perfectly. www.b2bhive.io is the ultimate growth hack. Cross promoting your products with tons of other companies with similar user bases is a no brainer.