You will make five real referral asks at the right moments and record what happens.
You've got the pieces: a list of the moments when clients feel the value of your work, a specific ask for two types of client, a note they can forward, and a line asking them to check with their friend first. Now it's time to use them on real clients. Five asks, made at the right moments, with every result written down.
Five isn't many, on purpose. What you're practising is the skill itself, which means spotting the moment, saying the words out loud and staying gracious whatever the answer is. It takes about 30 minutes of preparation and recording, spread over however long it takes for five good moments to come up.
Go through your client list and pick five who have recently felt the value of your work, using the moments you listed in lesson 5.1, Referrals come from moments, not from asking more often. Recently matters. A client who was delighted six months ago may barely remember why.
Look for evidence. A thank-you, a remark that something has improved, a claim paid, a project gone live or a problem fixed all count. Wei Ling chose five clinics that had gone live in the last two months and had all mentioned that the front desk was quieter. Arjun chose two clients whose claims had been paid recently, two couples who had just done annual reviews, and one client who had told him a colleague was asking about insurance.
If you can't find five right now, start with the ones you have and add the rest as moments arrive over the next few weeks.
Before you make the first ask, set up a simple log so you record each one straight away. A spreadsheet with these columns works: client, date, the moment (what value they'd just felt), the ask you used (which of your two versions, plus any changes), the outcome, any names offered, consent status, and thank-you sent.
For consent status, use plain labels such as: none needed (no name given), client checking with friend, introduction made, or contact agreed to hear from you. You'll carry this log into module 6.
When the moment comes, make your specific ask from lesson 5.2, Ask for a specific kind of person, in your own words. Then offer the forwardable note, so the client doesn't have to explain you.
Here's how one of Wei Ling's asks went. A practice manager in Toa Payoh messaged to say that the clinic's Monday was the quietest she could remember. Wei Ling replied: "That's great to hear. If you ever come across someone who's just started their own clinic and is still doing bookings by phone, I'd be glad to help them too. No worries if no one comes to mind." The manager replied that a former colleague had opened a clinic in Sengkang. Wei Ling thanked her, sent the forwardable note, and asked: "Would you mind checking with her first, or putting us in touch on WhatsApp?"
The manager said she'd check, and the log entry for that ask reads: client checking with friend.
Record every ask straight after you make it, while you remember the words you used and how the client reacted. That includes the asks that went nowhere.
Of Wei Ling's five asks, the log looked like this as an example: one introduction made by WhatsApp within a week, one client checking with a friend, two clients who said no one came to mind, and one who said she'd think about it and hadn't come back. Of Arjun's five, two produced introductions, one client offered a name but wanted to mention it to the friend first, and two said no.
The no answers are as useful as the yes answers. Look at what the ask sounded like in each case. Perhaps the description was so narrow that nobody fitted, or the moment was weaker than you thought. Arjun noticed that both of his no answers came from couples at annual reviews, where he'd asked at the very end as they were packing up. Next time he'll ask earlier, while they're still talking about what the review showed them.
Thank every client you asked, whether they gave a name or not. A client who said no still did you a favour by listening, and a warm thank-you makes it easy for them to come back to you later when someone does come to mind.
For clients who gave a name or made an introduction, thank them the same day, and plan to update them later. Lesson 6.3, The thank-you that brings the next referral, covers that in detail.
A finished log has five rows, one per real ask, each with the client, the date, the moment you chose, the words you used, the outcome, any names offered, the consent status for each name, and a tick for the thank-you. Underneath, write two or three lines on what you noticed: which moments worked, which wording got names, and what you'd change. The activity below asks you to make the five asks and keep exactly this record.
Make five referral asks and record each client, the moment, the ask used, the outcome and the consent status.
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