MBA2576 Q&A Wednesday: What’s the Right Way to Ask for Referrals?

0:00There's a simple way to double your customer base without spending a dollar on marketing. I know because when I got started, I had to use this strategy because I didn't have any money to spend on marketing. I'm talking about referrals. Referrals are one of the most powerful tools for growing your business, but most people ask for referrals all wrong. Today, I'm going to show you the right way to ask for referrals and when to ask them to maximize your results. I'm going to share with you some of the best tips I got from my father when it comes to referrals, who was one of the top salesmen in his field for over 20 years.

0:39Welcome back to the$100 MBA show. I'm your host, Omar Zinhome, where I help you start, grow and scale your business with practical business lessons. Three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Today's Q &A Wednesday, where we answer a question from one of you, one of our listeners, one of our subscribers, one of our community members. Today's question is from Franco, and he asks, what's the right way to ask for referrals? Franco, this is a great question, because when you have a happy customer, they can become your best salesperson. Referrals is not just about the asking. It's about the timing, the strategy, and understanding human psychology.

1:13I'm going to break it down for you. Don't worry. Starting with step one, ask for referrals the right way. One of the biggest mistakes people make when asking for referrals is being too vague. My dad was in car sales. He was one of the top salesmen for Acura cars in the US. He was the number one salesman on the Eastern Seaboard. And I learned a ton from him because I used to go to work with him on Saturdays. I used to work at the wash base, wash cars at the dealership. But my job ended at 3 p.m. And he continued until 9 p.m. He was my ride home. So I went up to the showroom and I used to watch him perform, do his thing and sell cars.

1:50One of the things I remembered was after somebody signed on the dotted line, a customer just bought a car, most salesmen would ask for referrals all wrong. My dad never asked for referrals this way, but most salesmen would ask like this. They would say, do you know someone who would be interested in buying a new car as well? Do you know anybody in the market looking for an Acura or looking for a reliable luxury car? Now, in and of itself, this sounds pretty normal, right? That sounds pretty good. And what's wrong with that? The problem with phrasing it that way, by phrasing it, do you know someone?

2:25It puts the burden on the customer to think hard about, do I know somebody who wants to buy a new car too? And most people don't bother. I remember clearly that people used to just say to the salesman, if somebody comes to mind, I'll let you know. I have your business card. I'll let you know, or I'll, I'll offer them to you. And of course that never happens, right? They're not going to really do that. So what's a better approach? My dad used to do something a little bit different. It's slightly different, but makes all the difference. Instead of asking, do you know, he would say, who are the three people you know, right?

3:02So number one, changing from do you know to who you know, and making it specific, saying three people. Who are the three people you know who would really be interested in a new car in the next six months? So what does this do? Well, it makes people think about who they know instead of do they know anybody. Do you know is like a yes or no answer. Who you know is, OK, let's think of three people and would be interested in the next six months. So that's a pretty big window. And also the specific number of three. Now, my dad would add a little bit of an element here. He would give him a paper and pen.

3:38It was like a small little like post-it note type of thing, something like this. Right. And he would say, write down those three people, their name and their phone number. Now, this was a 90. So phone numbers were what people use to communicate, not email. And he would say, take your time. I'm going to go and pick up a gift for you that I got prepared for you before you arrived. And he would leave them at his desk as they would just kind of do this homework and write down three names, three phone numbers. I think my coworker, I think my cousin, I think my uncle might be in the market. and he would come back from the parts department with like a set of new floor mats that would fit the car.

4:16My dad was planning on giving them this gift anyway, but it was an interesting situation where I would watch where they were write things and maybe they wouldn't finish it. And then he would present them that gift and they'd be like, oh, wow, that's amazing. Thank you so much. And they just continue finishing the homework and get those three names and numbers down. At the very least, they would say, I got you two names and numbers. I will come back and give you more. I want to do my first service. Again, choosing a specific number makes the task actually easier, more actionable while still being open ended and enough to encourage them to kind of participate in this action.

4:54So stop saying, do you know someone who would benefit from my product? And start saying, who do you know? Or who are the three people who would benefit from my product or service? And I like phrasing it with who do you know would benefit from? Because this is your opinion. I think this person would benefit from this product or service instead of would be interested. Who do you know would be interested? Well, I don't know if they're going to be interested. I don't know what they're thinking. I know what I'm thinking. So that's a different little phrasing. They're saying, who do you think would benefit?

5:23So as an action step, the next time you ask for a referral, be specific, give them like a very specific assignment. Your customer will really appreciate having a clear task and watch how much more responsive they will be. Step two, timing is everything. The best time to ask for referrals isn't random. It's not just like, oh, this is a random situation or like an automated email as soon as they buy. It's when your customer is most satisfied with your product or service. So usually in car sales, what my dad did is like you would negotiate a deal and then they would prepare the car for delivery the next day and the car will be all clean.

6:07They're all ready to go. And they've, you know, sorted out all the legal paperwork and the license plating and all that kind of stuff in the DMV and the car's ready to be picked up. So basically the customer is going to pick up their car. This is as much in love that customer is going to be with that product. Okay. It's like, yes, I am on a high. I'm going to get my new car and drive it home. And my neighbors are going to take a look at it. It's just so beautiful and shiny. It's got zero kilometers or miles on it. So when you ask for the referral is super important when they first get the first value of that product or service.

6:42And this is the case for buying a new car where they're about to get into the car and drive a home and they're getting their new floor mats and all that kind of stuff. So this is when they're on a high. So you need to analyze what is the moment your customers achieve their first win with your product or service. That's when their expectation and appreciation for you and the product is at its best. So for example, let's say you're a business coach and you want to ask for referrals. The best time to ask is when your client hits their first milestone, like they sign their first client or make their first sale.

7:15That's the perfect time to ask for a referral and say, hey, who are the three people that you know that would most benefit from the training that you just received? Another good strategy that I learned from the book, $100 million offers by Alex Ramosi is to ask when they ask for a discount. Ask for referrals when they ask for a discount. If a customer asks for a discount, you can say, hey, I'd be happy to offer you a discount or a bonus if you could provide me three referrals because these referrals can help me get more business and cover the cost of this discount. This creates a win-win situation where they get the value, they get something really cool, a discount or a bonus, and you potentially gain a new customer.

7:55So as an action step, look for the key moments in your customer's journey to make that referral request. When are they going to be so excited about the product or when are they going to get their first win? When are they going to be really in love with what they just bought? That's the perfect time to ask for a referral or they're in negotiation and they're asking for a discount. Good time to ask for a referral. Step three, make it easy for them. OK, the easier it is for them to give a referral, the more likely it's going to happen. Pretty logical, right? Even when people are willing to give referrals, you need to remove any kind of friction as much as possible to make it easy for them to give you what you need.

8:33For example, when I ask my customers over email to give me referrals, I give them a script, make it super simple. They can just copy and paste it, change your variables, and they can just send it to a friend. So for example, I would give them a script that says, hey friend, I've been using the$100 MBA. It's been an amazing program. I thought you'd benefit from it too. Check it out. Here's the link. So simple. This could be a text message, a WhatsApp message, whatever. You can even offer incentives to referrals. So the people that are referring and the new customer that are referring to you that make it a win-win.

9:04Okay. So for example, you could say, when you sign up, email the customer support team and tell them I referred you and the support team will give you a free month and me a free month. So you could tell the person you're asking the referral from, hey, I'll give you a free month and the new customer free month if you refer them. So as an action step, make it easy for them. Create a referral template, some sort of incentive and share with your customers when you ask for referrals, whether it's via message or on the phone call or on email. Make it simple for them. If you make a copy and paste, you're really just doing all the work for them.

9:41And it's just a no brainer. Lastly, this is a step a lot of people forget. Step four, follow up and show some gratitude. When someone gives you a referral, it's critical. It's critical to follow up with both the referrer and the person they referred. Okay, why does this matter? Well, showing gratitude builds goodwill and increases the likelihood of future referrals. Okay, if you show that, hey, I'm really grateful for what you did for me, that you referred this person, this is going to incentivize them to continue to give you referrals. It also ensures you don't let a warm lead go cold. So let me be clear, you are showing gratitude, not only to the person that referred the new customer, but also obviously the new customer, the new lead.

10:30So for example, I like to send a quick thank you note or a small token, a small gift to the person that referred me. I want to let them know that I really value their support. I actually like to send physical gifts like in the mail. It could be a gift of just off Amazon. And I send a little thank you note from Amazon for them referring somebody to me. And it doesn't have to be expensive. It could be something very simple like a book or a candle or even just an Amazon gift certificate. That's at least something to show that you care enough to take the time. And you get your VA to do this, your assistant to do this.

11:03And it could just be a system that you fulfill every time you get a referral. So as an action step, I want you to set up a system to track referrals. You just be a simple spreadsheet and follow up with personal thank yous. Even if it's just a message, like just a quick text message or email saying, thank you so much. I got your referral. I'm going to take care of them. I really appreciate you. So Franco and everybody who's listening, asking for referrals isn't about luck. It's about strategy. It's about being specific. It's about asking the right time, making it easy for your customers, and always showing gratitude.

11:38Don't forget that. If you want more practical business lessons like today's, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on any podcast app you like to use or on our YouTube channel. And of course, if you have a question you want to ask here on Q &A Wednesday, go on over to 100mba.net slash Q, the letter Q, and you can submit your question there. Thanks for tuning into the$100 NBA show. I'm Omar Zenholm, and I'll see you in the next episode.