How to Ask For Referrals [Scripts and Examples]
Customer referrals are vital to the success of your company, and knowing how to ask for referrals will help you to win new business by tapping into satisfied clients.
Starting a referral program is a great way to save marketing dollars and get more clients. But for your program to work, you need to know how to ask, who to ask, and when to ask.
In this guide, you’ll get practical ways you can ask for referrals without being pushy. It’ll become second nature in no time.
Get more referrals with these tips and strategies:
How to ask for referrals over the phone or in-person
When you’re asking for referrals over the phone or in person, keep it short and sweet.
You should ask for a referral when you follow up once a job is complete. Just make sure to listen to their feedback first, so you know they’re happy with the services you provided.
Here’s a script you can use for your next follow-up call.
Follow-up call script:
You: Hi [Name]! It’s [Your Name] calling from [Your Business]. How are you doing today?
(greeting returned)
You: I’m doing great, thanks for asking. [Name], I don’t want to take too much of your time but I wanted to check in with you and see how you found your service the other day?
(if positive, continue)
You: That’s great to hear, we always love to hear feedback like that and of course we want to continue to provide this level of service to our customers. So I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts on your experience with us.
(positive chatter)
You: Because you had such a positive experience and you’ve been a [Your Business] customer for a while, I was wondering if you knew anyone else who would be interested in booking a [Service] with us? We have a special referral offer I can tell you about.
(if positive, continue)
You: It’s pretty straightforward. If someone you refer completes a service with us, you’ll get 50% off your next appointment. All they have to do is mention your name at the time of booking and we’ll be sure to apply the discount the next time you book. This would apply every time a new customer is referred by you.
(positive response)
You: It adds up quickly! We would really appreciate your continued support.
(positive chatter)
You: Thanks again for your time and your business. As always give us a call if there’s anything else we can do for you. We’re always around. Have a great day!
Use this as a guideline to structure your call. Swap out details that aren’t relevant to you and add your personal flair to the call, all while respecting your customer’s time.
Here are some ways other questions you can ask to get to the referral:
- Do you know anybody who’s having similar problems?
- Did we provide a great service for you today?
- Have you heard about our referral program?
Remember, the way each question is worded depends on the services you provide. Tailor the script so it works for you.
How to ask for referrals in an email
Asking for referrals in an email is probably the simplest way to ask. It can be less stressful, and once you have a template you can copy, paste, and re-use it hundreds of times.
Use these helpful templates to get started with your referral emails.
Template #1 – Service follow up with referral request
This template can be used to email clients who have recently given you positive feedback.
Subject line: Thanks for your business! + Offer inside
Hi [Client Name],
Thank you for choosing [Your Business] for your [Service Type] needs. I’m very happy to hear you’re satisfied with [Service Work] we provided last week. Please let me know if there’s anything else we can do for you!
I also wanted to let you know about our referral program for friends and family who may need similar services. For every person you refer that mentions your name and completes a service with us, you’ll receive 50% off your next booking.
Thank you again for your business. Let me know if there’s anything else we can do for you.
– [Your Name]
With a field service CRM like Jobber, you can capture the name of the referrer, right on the new client’s file.
Template #2 – Feedback and referral request
If you haven’t heard your customer’s feedback on your service, this is when you can ask for it. Depending on their feedback, ask for a referral and let them know about your program.
Subject line: We’d love to hear your feedback!
Hi [Client Name],
Thank you for choosing [Your Business] for your [Service] needs.
I wanted to check in to see how [Service] went for you this week? We always strive to outdo ourselves to provide the best service to our customers and our community. Your feedback is very important to us.
In case you haven’t heard, I also wanted to let you know about our referral program for friends and family who may need similar services. For every person you refer who schedules an appointment with us using your unique code, you’ll receive [Free Service].
I appreciate your time and value your feedback.Thanks for your business,
[Your Name]
For this type of email referral request, you can create a unique code or URL to share with your clients.
You can put these unique codes (ex: “REFER2020” or www.businessname.com/referalprogram) on your postcards, business cards, or email marketing. When a new client books work and uses the code or link, you’ll know they came from your referral program.
You can’t forget to thank your client for a referral, especially if they’ve helped you acquire a lot of business.
Template #3 – Referral reward
Depending on how your referral program works, you can reward referees with a discounted service or delight them with a gift.
Here’s a template to help you do just that.
Subject line: A gift for you!
Hi [Client Name],
Thank you for referring [Referral Name] to [Your Business] for [Service Offering]. I sincerely appreciate your recommendation in referring them to our business.
I’m sure our [Services] will be as helpful for them as it has been for you.
As a token of my appreciation, use this link to schedule your next [Type of Service] appointment with us and receive 20% your bill.
Thank you again for your referral and I look forward to seeing you again soon for your [Service] needs!
[Your Name]
Template #4 – Email signature to ask for referrals
Another easy way to get more work is to rewrite your email signature and snag those referrals.
Here’s what it could look like:
John Smith
Founder, Your Business Landscaping
123-456-7890
www.yourbusinesslandscaping.com
[logo]
Like our work? Refer us to your friends, family, and neighbors for 50% off your next service!
[Social media buttons]
To make the most out of your referral program, remember to:
Build your client email list
Create your email list and identify the right customers. You can make use of client reporting to pull lists of your happiest or more recent clients.
Email at the right time
Timing is everything. Follow-up with your clients shortly after you finish the job. This can be immediately after the job is complete, a few days later.
Use software to create, send, and track referrals
Jobber makes it easy to promote your referral program to customers with a professional email campaign that’s ready to send in seconds flat.
Then reward your customers for bringing in new business by offering a dollar or percentage based credit toward their next service for every successful referral. When a referral is made through a customer’s unique link, it’s automatically tracked.
The next time they use your service, their referral credit will automatically be applied to their invoice.
With a single glance, you’ll see how many referrals have been generated, the number of jobs earned, and how much revenue those jobs have brought in.
Tips for asking for referrals
Here are some important considerations before you start asking for referrals and putting your customer referral program into practice.
1. Identify and ask your most loyal clients
Don’t ask your entire client base for referrals. You might know your most loyal clients off the top of your head and already have a close relationship with them. If so, make a list of your top 10 clients—they’re the ones who’ve been with you for months or even years.
But, this method isn’t watertight. To make sure you’re not missing anyone, you can also systemize and track this process in your field service CRM.
Pull a report of clients to narrow down those who’ve recently booked a lot of work with you. Make it a point to ask these clients for referrals first.
2. Make use of compliments
Take advantage of customer compliments. This applies to both in-person compliments and online compliments, for example, if a customer gave you a high rating on your client satisfaction survey.
You can use this as an opportunity to thank them for their business, and ask if they know others who would find your services useful as well.
Pro Tip: Survey follow-up emails are an easy and effective way to get a pulse on how happy your clients are with your customer service. This is especially helpful for getting feedback from clients you may not see in person while you’re at their property.
3. Set weekly (or monthly) referral goals
The best way to become a pro at asking for referrals is to practice. The more you ask for referrals, the more your confidence in doing so will grow.
Set a weekly goal for yourself. For example, aim to ask for 10 referrals a week for a month and see how it goes.
Make referring easy for your clients
Make sure what you’re asking customers to do is easy or else you’ll block them from following through with giving you a referral.
For example, if you’re sending a referral code via email, ensure links are clickable, the action is easy, and it makes sense.
With Jobber, you can automatically prompt clients to share booking links with their friends and family from your CRM, so you never miss an opportunity to ask for a referral and general quality leads.
4. Remember to thank your client for their referral
Showing your gratitude and appreciation for your client’s referral is just as important as asking for the referral itself.
You can do this after the referrer has made their first appointment and purchase.
The goal with a thank you campaign is to keep the relationship and the customer loyalty strong. They might even give you more referrals since they know how much you appreciate it.
5. Leverage social media
Point clients to your social media channels to share positive experiences and tag your business. You can also ask for Google business reviews as well.
Social referrals give your business high reach potential, and the more positive reviews you have, the more likely you are to get noticed by other users looking for services your company can provide.
6. Offer a referral incentive
Give your clients the opportunity to get discounts, gifts or free services by creating a referral program. If your existing clients already plan to work with you again, a good referral reward will give them even more motivation to share your business with others.
A referral program is a good way to incentivize the clients, designers, subcontractors, to referring clients to you.
It can be as simple as a thank you note, you know, a bottle of wine, box of chocolates, giving them a call to tell them how much you appreciate it.
7. Ask at the right time
There is a time for everything, and referrals are no different. Asking clients for a referral at the right time is the key to getting your foot in the door.
For example, after you’ve completed a job and the client is happy with the result, they are more likely to hear your request for a referral and share their positive experience with others.
Alternatively, if you’re pushing for a referral before the job is finished, it might leave a bad taste in the client’s mouth and make them feel like you’re using them for gain before you’ve finished their project.
8. Make it personal
Make your referral request feel more genuine by addressing the client by name and talking to them specifically about the job you did for them. If your client is happy with the result of your service, they are more likely to be specific when referring you to others.
9. Host referral events
Put on a fun event for existing clients and ask them to bring friends and family to learn more about your business and your services.
A comfortable environment for happy customers and their networks will help you connect with people and increase your chance at earning referral business.
10. Educate your clients about your referral program
If you’ve got a list of happy clients and a great referral program full of discounts and other exciting offerings, make sure your customers know about it.
Provide details and instructions to your clients so they know how to give a referral and earn the benefits.
I definitely promote my referral program. Every customer that I talk to when I’m quoting the project and when I finish the project, I let them know.
So at minimum I have told that customer twice about my referral program.
How to promote your referral program
The best way to promote your referral program is to make use of other marketing channels you already use.
While face to face, phone, and email referral requests are effective, there are lots of other ways you can ask for referrals indirectly.
Here are examples of referral marketing channels where you should plug your referral program:
- Flyers
- Brochures
- Door hangers
- Your business website
- Social media posts and ads
- Email signature
- Invoices
- Quotes
- Customer follow-up emails
- Your branded vehicle
- Business cards
READ MORE: 15 brilliant customer referral program ideas (with examples)
How to ask for employee referrals
Employee referrals are a reliable way to improve your team. With quality candidates coming from trusted employees, you can be confident in your hiring pool.
Here are some strategies to encourage employee referrals:
1. Communicate the importance of referrals
Share the benefits of referrals with your employees, such as working with people they trust or internal incentives, so they know how it can help grow your business and earn more for themselves.
2. Offer referral incentives
Give rewards like paid time off, gift cards, or even additional income to employees that refer a candidate you hire. This will make your employees feel motivated and empowered to recommend qualified candidates.
3. Create a simple referral process with templates
Make sure your referral process is easy to understand and straightforward for your employees to do. You can do this through your processes, whether it’s an online form to submit referrals, or pre-configured templates and scripts they can share with trusted candidates.
4. Regularly remind employees about the referral program
To show that it’s a priority for your business, make sure to frequently talk about the employee referral program in meetings and through company communications.
If employees have the program at the top of their minds on a regular basis, they are more likely to incorporate it into their regular activities.
Taking the next step with referrals
Whether you’re asking clients to share your business with their family and friends, or your employees to bring in high-quality candidates to grow your team, asking for referrals is a skill that takes preparation and practice.
Build a process that works for your business, continue to test and learn how to improve, and start spreading the news!
Originally published in May 2020. Last updated on July 19, 2024.