You will be able to set up introductions where both people agree before they are connected.
You've probably been on the receiving end of a bad introduction. A friend adds you to a WhatsApp group with a stranger and writes "You two should talk," then goes silent. You don't know who this person is or whether they're about to sell you something, and the stranger is just as lost, so both of you send a polite "Hi," and the group dies.
Now picture a good one. A friend messages you first: "My adviser helped us sort out our insurance after the baby came. Would you like me to introduce you?" You say yes. That evening, a group appears with a short message explaining who the adviser is and why your friend thought of you. You reply because you already agreed to.
The second is called a double opt-in introduction, and it's the method this lesson teaches.
A double opt-in introduction is one where both people agree before they're connected. The client asks the friend first, the friend says yes, and only then does the client connect you both, in one message or one group chat.
The order matters. In lesson 5.3, Consent comes first, you saw why: the friend stays in control of their own contact details, and they arrive at the conversation having chosen to be there. A friend who said yes in advance is far more likely to reply than one who was simply added to a chat.
The client usually doesn't need to ask you; you've already told them you'd be glad to help, when you made your referral ask. So the first opt-in is yours, given in advance. The second is the friend's, and the client gets it before connecting anyone.
Most clients are happy to introduce you. What stops them is effort. They have to ask the friend, then write an introduction that explains who you are, and they're not sure what to say. So the introduction sits on their to-do list for weeks.
Remove the effort by giving the client a short template they can copy, change a few words in and send. With a template, the introduction takes them a minute instead of an evening.
You'll need two short pieces. The first is the check-in message the client sends their friend privately, something like: "My booking software person helped our clinic cut down on reminder calls. Would you like me to introduce you? No pressure." The second is the introduction itself, sent once the friend says yes.
The introduction template should say who you are, what you helped the client with and why the friend might want to talk, with about a line for each.
Here's Wei Ling's version for clinic clients to send on WhatsApp:
"Hi Kumar, meet Wei Ling. She set up our online booking and reminders at the clinic last year, and the front desk spends a lot less time on the phone now. I thought of you since you're setting up your new clinic. Wei Ling, Kumar runs a new GP clinic in Punggol. I'll leave you two to it."
Arjun's version for clients to send by WhatsApp or email:
"Hi Priya, this is Arjun, the adviser I mentioned. He helped us work out our insurance and savings after we got our flat and before the baby came, and he was patient with all our questions. You mentioned you two were starting to think about the same things. Arjun, Priya and her husband just collected their keys in Tengah."
Both are short, specific and friendly. They describe what the seller did in the client's own terms and leave products out of it, and each one ends by handing over, so the client can step back.
Write your template so clients can change the details easily. Use obvious gaps, like "[friend's name]" and "[what I helped you with]," so they know what to fill in. Send it to clients in the same channel they'll use: a WhatsApp message they can forward, or an email they can copy.
Once the introduction lands, the next move is yours, and speed matters. Reply within a day, ideally within a few hours.
Your reply has three parts. First, thank the client publicly in the thread, which recognises the favour in front of their friend and makes the client look good. Second, say a warm hello to the friend, and mention something from the introduction to show you read it. Third, move the friend to a separate chat, so the client doesn't have to watch the rest of your conversation.
Wei Ling's reply: "Thanks so much for the introduction, Dr Lim. Hi Kumar, congratulations on the new clinic. I'll message you separately so we don't fill up Dr Lim's phone." Then she sends Kumar a direct message.
The separate chat matters. Clients don't want to be part of a sales conversation, and the friend may want to ask questions they wouldn't ask in front of their friend. Lesson 6.2, Following up a referred contact, covers what to say in that first private message.
Your template is most useful when it's ready before a client offers an introduction. Then, when they say "I'll introduce you," you can say "Thank you, here's something you can copy if it helps," and send it within the minute.
In the activity below, you'll write an introduction template your clients can copy into WhatsApp or email, with the three parts and obvious gaps for the details they'll change.
Write an introduction template your clients can copy into WhatsApp or email.
Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).