Referral Ask Kit
Count your real referrals, work out the most you can afford to pay for one introduction, and ask at 3 moments with scripts written in advance, then log every introduction by name so you can see which ask worked.
What’s Inside
- The 3-Moment Referral Ask: At Purchase, After the Result, At the Milestone, each with the trigger, the words and the line after "no"
- The Referral Equation: referred customers in against customers lost, worked on your own counts
- The reward ceiling calculator: a spreadsheet (Excel, Numbers, or import into Google Sheets) that sets your reward from your own CAC and gross profit
- 12 scripts, plus a shareable “how we work” note your customers can forward
- The partner channel: how to pick 3 partners, the opener and the loop-close message
- The Referral Record: one line per introduction, with a monthly 20-minute review and 30, 60 and 90 day look-backs
- A GoHighLevel setup guide for the household question and a 24-hour thank-you task
The Problem
Most owners believe more of their customers come by referral than actually do. Liking you is not the same as sending someone. An introduction needs an opportunity, a friend who needs you now, and a message that survives the retelling. And a reward set by feel can cost more than a customer from ads.
Count introductions by name. Not compliments, not “would recommend” scores.
The 3-Moment Referral Ask
3 points in the relationship. A reason the customer can feel at each one. Words written in advance.
- Moment 1, At Purchase: when they sign or pay, ask who else in their household or on their street has the same problem.
- Moment 2, After the Result: once the result has been lived, not just finished, ask for one person in one specific situation.
- Moment 3, At the Milestone: at the anniversary, renewal or second job, check the work is holding up, then ask for one name.
The reward is paid when the friend becomes a customer, kept below what a customer costs you to win, and never attached to a review.
Chapters
- The 15-Minute Count (do this first)
- Why Happy Customers Don’t Refer, and the Referral Equation
- The Rules: referrals, reviews and shares are 3 different systems
- The 3-Moment Referral Ask, with scripts
- Reward Design: the ceiling, one-sided or two-sided, cash, credit or status
- The Referral Record
- The Partner Channel
- Worked examples: 2 composites and 1 that went wrong, a setup checklist and a 30-day sprint, metrics, common mistakes, and the 30, 60 and 90 day look-back
From Chapter 1
Write down your guess before you look at anything. The gap between the guess and the count is the most useful thing on this page. Only count a name you can write down. “Someone from church” is not a count.
Who This Is For
The owner of a small service business (a tax preparer, a plumber, a landscaper, a cleaning company, a salon) whose customers say good things but rarely send anyone, and who has no written way of asking for, rewarding or counting introductions.
Questions
Will this get me a set number of referrals?
No. Nobody can promise that. The book gives you your real count, a reward you can afford, and a record that shows which ask produced names. What you get depends on your service and whether you ask.
Should I reward customers for reviews?
No. Rewards are for introductions only. Reviews get one neutral ask, sent to every customer, with nothing attached. The book explains why.
Can I pay for referrals in my trade?
Some licensed trades restrict or ban it. The book tells you to check with your licensing body before paying anything. It is general information, not legal advice.
Do I need special software?
No. A pen and your invoices are enough for Chapter 1. The spreadsheet does the math, and a GoHighLevel guide is included if you already use it.
Read it in your library.
This is included with The Standard, along with every other guide in the library. Your monthly re-audit tells you which one to open next. $497 to start, $297/mo to keep it running. Cancel any month and keep everything.
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