• Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
  • ENGINEERS
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • CONTRACTORS
  • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
  • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
  • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • WATER TREATMENT
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
  • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
  • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
  • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
  • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
  • CONTINUING EDUCATION
  • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
  • FIRE PROTECTION
  • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
  • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
  • PME COLUMNS
  • PME COLUMNS
  • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
  • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
  • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
  • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
  • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
  • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
  • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
  • CODES
  • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
  • PROJECT PROFILES
  • COLUMNS
  • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • COLUMNS
  • Codes Corner
  • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
  • Guest Editorial
  • MEDIA
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
  • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
  • DIRECTORIES
  • EBOOKS
  • PM BOOKSTORE
  • CE CENTER
  • MARKET RESEARCH
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
  • EMAGAZINE
  • ARCHIVE ISSUES
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!
ColumnsBusiness Management

Eight steps to generate more customer referrals

Learn no-cost, low-effort ways to get big returns.

By Adams Hudson
Adams Hudson
August 15, 2014
Customer Referrals
Photo credit: ©istockphoto.com/stuartmiles99

Referrals are often no cost and low effort with big returns — just the way mega-successful businesses do it. Yet, most contractors would rather do it the hard, slow, painful and unrewarding way.

Fortunately, you now know better. You know to treat asking for referrals with reverence. Because your future sales are dependent on getting referrals, this process is not something to treat lightly. Give it the time it deserves (at least five minutes, 10 is better). Tell your customer, “I have an important question to ask you.”

If you feel awkward about asking for referrals, you probably won’t treat the inquiring with reverence. Move through this awkwardness as fast as you can. Practice role play exercises with co-workers and family members.

1. Ask for help. The most powerful words you can use in asking for referrals are, “I need your help.” If you’ve served your customer well, if you’ve built rapport and trust, then he or she will be happy to give you referrals. You just have to ask. Remember, you’re asking for help so you can help their friends or colleagues. In this way, they’ll be helping you because they like you and they’ll be helping their friends. It is a double benefit for them.

2. Reinforce why you want referrals. Don’t hesitate to tell a customer that your business is dependent on referrals. This statement reinforces your commitment to quality work and good service. What kind of fool would be in a business that’s dependent on referrals if he weren’t going to do a quality job in the first place?

3. Get permission to explore or brainstorm who they know. “I was wondering, with your permission, if we could explore for a second who you know that might be able to benefit from the same working relationship we’ve been able to establish. Would that be OK?” Or “I’m glad that I’ve been able to help you. I’m thinking you may know others who would also benefit from what I do. Could we brainstorm on who else we can help?”

4. Assure your customer that you will respect his relationship with the referral, as well as the referring client’s privacy. You are not seeking these names to exploit or harass the friends of friends. You are seeking the names of more people that you can help.

You can put your referral source at ease with the whole process by explaining how you will go about contacting anyone who is referred to you. Be prepared to show them examples of letters or other forms of contact you regularly use in the referral process.

If you don’t plan to telemarket their friends, tell them! If you only plan limited contact or to send a free newsletter to their friends, tell them!

5. Limit their field of view, sharpen their focus and be specific. Many salespeople have found it useful to reduce the number of prospects to which your customer might refer you. That is, ask specifically about family members, neighbors and people they know who have had bad experiences.

Instead of requesting “a few names,” ask for three referrals. You are much more likely to get what you ask for when you give an exact number.

Say, “I know you’re probably active in your homeowner’s association (or church). Could we think of three people who you could see benefiting from how I’ve helped you?”

If you are targeting a particular market, consider pulling out a list of “influencers” you are trying to reach. Or see if they have a membership directory (church, sports team roster, association, etc.).

6. Ask for the referral before the closing paper work is done. Have you noticed how quickly busy customers want to get back to their office or home after business has been completed? If they sense that giving you referrals is part of the sales process, they’ll give you more qualified names.

7. Continue to fill the referral pipeline. Most simply, you can ask a leading question to get a referral commitment. The following question could be asked by your tech, in a follow-up “happy call” or even on a postcard:

“If a friend of yours asked, would you feel comfortable referring them to us?”

This is a closed-end question, which is dangerous in a sales closing situation, but perfectly acceptable in a referral setting. Obviously, customers' answer to this will tell you volumes about the level of service they felt they received.

Caution: Face-to-face responses to this question will be higher than either of the other methods, simply because of people being sheepish about saying “no” to someone since it could come across as rude or spark confrontation. However, the level of comfort is fully indicative of the truthfulness of the response.

8. Learn something about each referral. Does he play tennis? Is her hobby interior design? You will be able to develop a high level of trust and rapport by initially saying, “Jan tells me you’re quite a tennis player.” Using personal knowledge like this will also position you as a friend of a friend. It will make it very difficult for a prospect to say no to an appointment request.

To be powerful in asking for referrals, you need to get to know your customers and prospects as well as possible. When you have a sense of who they are and how they spend their time, you can explore or brainstorm with them much more effectively.

 


HELPFUL LINKS:

  • Hudson, Ink.
  • Contact Us
  • Follow PM on Twitter!
  • Find PM on Facebook!
  • Join PM on LinkedIn!
  • PM is on Google+ 
KEYWORDS: best practices marketing plumbing marketing sales

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Hudson

Adams Hudson is president of Hudson, Ink — a national marketing firm for contractors. Readers can get the free report, “What You Should Say (And Never Say) to a Prospect,” and a free subscription to the Sales & Marketing Insider eNewsletter by emailing a polite request to freePMstuff@hudsonink.com or by calling 800-489-9099.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Worker using the Milwaukee Tool SWITCH PACK drain cleaner

    Pipeline profits: Drain cleaning, pipe inspection create opportunities

    Drain cleaning and inspection services offer lucrative...
    Green Plumbing and Mechanical
    By: Nicole Krawcke
  • Uponor employee, Arturo Moreno

    The reinvestment in American manufacturing and training

    Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke and...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster
  • March 2024 Women in Plumbing hero image of woman engineer overlayed by circle of hexagon shapes with numbers from 1 to 10

    Celebrating 10 Influential Women in the Plumbing Industry

    Celebrating Women's History Month and Women in...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine
  • Manage My Preferences

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

NIBCO Press Solutions

NIBCO Press Solutions

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Plumbing & Mechanical audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Plumbing & Mechanical or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • J.J. Keller CMV vehicles on road
    Sponsored byJ. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

    The dash cam game-changer for small business safety

Popular Stories

Underfloor heating installation with drain sewer hole in bathroom close up on water floor heating.

Using hydronics to leverage time-of-use electrical rates

Watts Nexa mobile image

Behind the Wall: Where smart plumbing gets smarter

Six tankless water heaters that feed the nutraceutical manufacturer’s operations.

How to deliver large volumes of hot water quickly and intermittently

PMCE Home-X April 29 Free Webinar: From Legacy to Leadership: Preparing Your Home Services Business for the Next Generation

Events

November 13, 2024

Future Proofing MEP: Navigating the 2026 High Efficiency Water Heating Standards

Join our deep dive into DOE’s new standards so you can future-proof your MEP practice.

EARN: 0.1 ASPE CEU; 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 IACET CEU*; 1 PDH

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Will business be up or down in 2025?

Do you anticipate business in 2025 to be up or down in comparison to 2024?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

The Water Came To A Stop

The Water Came To A Stop

See More Products

Download the FREE Water Conservation, Quality & Safety eBook: Plumbing Trends Increasing Safe Water Availability

Related Articles

  • Adams Hudson

    Why customers want to give you referrals

    See More
  • Adams Hudson

    Eight ways to improve ad results for a great new year

    See More
  • Adams Hudson

    Eight email marketing mistakes

    See More
×

Keep your content unclogged with our newsletters!

Stay in the know on the latest plumbing & piping industry trends.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Supply House Times
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!