The time I wasted 2 years not asking for referrals in Edmonton

I used to just hand out my card at the West Edmonton Mall networking mixers and hope people called me back. Then my accountant told me she gets 80% of her new clients by directly asking for introductions after every job. Have you guys ever tried putting a referral ask right into your follow up email template?

3 comments

3 Comments

theac6318d ago

Figured out a script for asking after every single job yet... or do you just wing it every time? I tried adding a referral request to my email footer but it felt too pushy after a while. How do you keep the ask from sounding salesy while still being direct about it?

stellaa6918d ago

Knew a friend who used to paste a short script right at the bottom of his email after every job. He'd write something like "If you know anyone else who could use this kind of help, feel free to pass my info along." He said it worked better than a footer because it felt like an afterthought, not a sales pitch. @theac63, he told me he stopped worrying about sounding pushy once he realized most people don't even read past the first paragraph anyway.

jake6388d ago

That thing about people not reading past the first paragraph is so true though. It's like how everyone skips the terms of service or the fine print on anything, they just want the gist. Your friend's trick is basically gaming that same lazy behavior people have, where the last thing they scan looks more like a genuine thought than a planned pitch. Kinda reminds me of how grocery stores put the candy right at the register, because they know you're already done thinking about what you actually came for and just grab whatever's in front of you.