Referrals—Who, When, and How Should You Ask?
“You don’t get if you don’t ask!” That’s something I learned from a former sales manager of mine back when I was in the corporate world. It’s a good mantra to keep in mind for freelancers, too. If you want to be a wealthy freelancer, you need to get into the habit of regularly asking for referrals.
Let’s identify who can send you referrals and exactly when and how you should ask for them.
Who Should You Ask?
Not all clients will be a great source of repeat business, but virtually any client may have the potential to hook you up with friends or colleagues of his who need your services.
The key is to ask. It’s up to you to ask because most clients—even good ones—won’t automatically assume you’re looking for referrals, especially if they view you as having a vibrant freelance business. Ironically, the more successful your business appears, the greater the odds are that your client will assume you’re not interested in receiving referrals! They’ll assume you don’t need them!
How do I know this is true? Because I’ve been surprised several times by clients asking me, almost apologetically, for permission to send a referral my way! They’ll say something like, “I have a friend who needs some copywriting help with his company … but you’re probably not even taking on new clients right now, are you?” Or “I don’t know if you’re even looking for new clients right now, but I know some people who could use your services. Do you mind if I give them your name?” (Keep reading for tips on exactly how to respond to this.) So you should absolutely come right out and ask each one of your clients to refer you to his or her friends, colleagues, and contacts.
It’s human nature to want to help. And lots of people love to play match-maker, so do let go of any hang-ups you may have about asking for referrals. It’s not cheesy, salesly, or desperate. It’s a very common, very acceptable practice in the business world, and it’s very easy to get referrals when you know exactly when and how to ask for them.
Make Friends with Nonclient Referral Sources
When it comes to referrals, new business doesn’t always have to come from your clients. You can pick up business from a referral source, which is simply another professional, freelancer or not, who can send business your way. Steve Slaunwhite tells a story that illustrates just how lucrative this type of informal partnership can be:
Early in my copywriting career I invited a local freelance designer out for a coffee. We met, drank overpriced café lattes, and showed each other our portfolios. I told him I was impressed with his work and was confident I could recommend his services to my clients and prospects.
He said he could do the same for me, too.
That was over eight years ago. Since that time, that freelance designer—who eventually went on to found a successful B2B design firm—has referred more than two hundred thousand dollars in business my way!
That’s quite a nice return on a $4 cup of coffee! Steve even has a great script for reaching out to someone—even someone you’ve never met—who you think might be a great referral source:
Hi Rick. This is Doug Anderson. I’m a freelance copywriter, and I noticed on your website that we both target the same market: business-to-business companies. I often get asked by clients to recommend a design firm. And I’m sure you get asked to refer copywriters from time to time, too. Should we be talking? I’d be happy to buy you a coffee next time I’m in the area ….
When Should You Ask?
Most of the techniques for asking for repeat and referral business require that you build up a bit of a reputation with the client before you make your move. You wouldn’t fly to Vegas and get married on a first date, right? Likewise, you should establish a baseline relationship with your client before offering to get more serious.
When it comes to asking for a referral, timing is everything. My friend Allison Graham, author of Business Cards to Business Relationships (elevatepress, 2008), calls the act of sending someone a referral “the single greatest business compliment ever.” She has this to say about the importance of timing:
You can’t stuff a marshmallow into a piggybank. No matter how hard you try, it just won’t squish through the slot. Asking a contact for a referral before you have established trust or developed a business relationship will generate the same frustration for both of you.
So when exactly is the right time to ask for a referral? The answer is, as soon as you’ve earned the right to do so! And when exactly is that? Well, it’s actually quite easy for us freelancers to know when we’ve earned this right because the work we deliver tends to be project based, with definite start and stop dates.
You’ve earned the right to ask for referrals when you’ve delivered the project and your client is happy with the result. That is precisely when you ask—exactly one moment after your client tells you how happy you’ve made him or her. Do not wait a month, a week, or even a day later to go back to the client and ask.
Consider this: when is the better time to kiss someone? At the end of a romantic candlelit dinner, when both you and your date are enjoying a second glass of wine, holding hands, and looking dreamily into each other’s eyes? Or eight days later, at 2:30 on Sunday afternoon when you’re driving by the object of your affection’s house and you see him or her outside, cutting the front lawn? (SCREEECH! “Hey! Fancy bumping into you again! Hot date, wasn’t it? Wanna smooch?”)
How Should You Ask?
Asking for referrals is no big deal. Provided the timing is right, there’s no reason to worry that you’ll look pushy, presumptuous, or out of place. To boost your chances of success, however, it’s important to know just how to ask your client for referrals.
For example, if you just blurt out, “Do you know anyone who needs a photographer right now?” like an overbearing game show host, what answer are you likely to hear back?
“Ummm … ahhh … hmmm … no.”
End of conversation. Asking the question in that manner puts your client on the spot. It makes her brain lock up.
Instead, say something like this, which uses very casual language to make a very specific request:
Referrals are the primary source of how I grow my business. And since you’re happy with the way this project has turned out, I wonder if I can ask you for the names of three people who might have a need for my services—now or sometime in the future. Would that be okay?
Happy clients will say yes. And then you ask for the three names. You may only get two—or one—but consider this: if you ask 15 people for three names this year, and you get an average of two names each time, that’s 30 potentially warm prospects placed right in your lap!
Success Story
Develop and Follow a Simple Referral System
Asking for referrals in a systematic way can add predictability to what may be an otherwise erratic method for growing your list of prospects and clients. Sharon Hess, a freelance office financial manager and professional organizer (www.MommyManagementInc.com) who launched her solo business in 2001, can attest to that.
Sharon’s prospecting plan was straightforward: upon completing a project for a client, ask for at least one referral from that client. To encourage clients to make referrals, she offered an incentive. “For every referral and/or referral letter I received, I gave the client one free hour of organizing on their next project,” she explains. “I found that clients were happy to refer me. Also, the potential clients they referred me to were usually very receptive to my services. And of course, once they hired me, I would also ask them for referrals.”
Within a few months of launching her business, Sharon was booked solid, and her referrals eventually led her to bookkeeping and bill-paying projects with a few small businesses and nonprofits. Although these offerings were not among Sharon’s initial list of services, she says the financial management projects are recurring, which helps add more stability to her income.
“I wouldn’t have enjoyed the rapid success I achieved had it not been for my referral strategy,” says Sharon. “When you do good work and you make your clients’ lives easier, it’s easy to get great referrals that lead to even greater opportunities. All you have to do is ask!”
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