Blog Post: The Professional's Guide to Asking for Referrals

Asking for referrals strikes most professionals as...unprofessional. It can feel like a plea of desperation, or somehow beneath us. You can "kick start" referral generation efforts in your office with a simple shift in perspective. Here's how:

1. Referrals are only about helping more people. Asking for a referral is how you extend the reach of your expertise and wisdom. The world would be a better place if more people availed themselves of that expertise and wisdom.

2. Only ask for referrals from people you enjoy working with. These should be the clients who brighten your day when they enter your office, or call you on the phone.

3. Send a hand-written thank-you note for every referral. There are several services out there that will create computer generated "faux" hand-written notes. From a volume standpoint, those services can be valuable; say when you're sending holiday cards. Referrals come from individuals though, not en masse, and so your response should be individual.

4. Preface your referral request with a sincere compliment. That might sound like "Jerry, I value your trust in me, and I don't say it enough but I really appreciate your business. Given that my practice depends on referrals, may I ask you to think of two or three names of folks who you trust, who might benefit from hearing from me?"

5. Make an appointment to ask for referrals. Scheduling this simple task in your calendar keeps it top of mind throughout the day. Develop relationships with like-minded business-people in other walks of life; ask them how they generate referrals from existing clients.

Asking for a referral should be a pleasure. It's a compliment to the client, because you are letting them know that they are your "model" working relationship. One note: referrals are not a quid pro quo. If you're asking for referrals and the response is "I'll give you one if you give me one", then you're asking the wrong person!