Industry friends and those alike. Have you heard the saying, ask and you shall receive? It IS that simple! Ask for referrals to gain more referrals!
In topics to come I'll piggyback this simple strategy with ways to implement a referral program, but the starting point to gaining more referrals really is this simple.
First Step! Sit down for five minutes and make a list of your TOP 10 clients. After you've created your TOP 10 list, you have choices on how you'd like to communicate your referral request. You could call them, text them, message them through Facebook or LinkedIn of course ;) You could email them or send them a letter in the mail. However your method, I'd recommend the verbiage to be short and sweet.
EXAMPLE: Dear friend! I want to thank you for being an amazing client. I'm reaching out to you today because I'm looking to grow my business and I'd like more people like you in my life. If you could refer me the person in your life who is most like you, I'd be so appreciative! The best way for your referral/friend/colleague to connect with me is online/phone/email. Thank you so much! Your advocacy is so important to my success. Cheers!
You SHOULD absolutely rewrite this to fit your audience. Use verbiage that fits WHO you're writing to. If your best client is in college, communicate their way. (This is a whole other topic...stay tuned...)
TIPS ON THE ASK:
1. Use their name in the conversation
2. Thank them for their patronage & continued support
3. Ask them for the referral. In fact, if you KNOW they're close with a potential client you'd love to work with, you could specifically ask they refer that person to you!
4. Give them a call to action. Meaning, they have a way to send their referral to you.
5. Thank them again!
Finally, upon receipt of a new referral, DO NOT forget to follow up with a THANK YOU to your referral source. This reinforces your client's action of sending you a referral and encourages them to continue to do so!
