Seeking for ways to subtly ask old clients for additional referrals? Here are some ways.
Ask how else you can help
Building strong relationships with existing clients requires regular ongoing contact. After you complete a job, contact the client in 5-15 days. Say you are checking in to ensure satisfaction with the work completed and ask if your assistance is needed for anything else. If you have done your job well, the client will be expressing satisfaction with your work.
After finishing a (good) job
Completing and delivering a job to a client is the time when you have earned a referral. Your final meeting with the client about the job is the perfect time to ask for a referral. If the client is pleased, ask. Don’t make the mistake of assuming the client will know that you want a referral or that they know how to make a referral. Help them help you by asking for a referral and explaining how they can help you. You can even ask if the client is comfortable referring you to a particular person with whom the client has a relationship or to other individuals or companies in an industry with which you would like to start working.
Ask for feedback, then segue to asking for a referral
Make a subtle excuse to reconnect with an old client by asking for feedback regarding a product or service which they got from you… then slowly ease into asking for a referral so that, “you can deliver the same type of service or product quality to people they know.” Quite self-explanatory.
Delight your Clients
Anyone with half a brain can satisfy a customer. But only when you continually delight customers will they keep coming back. You should aim to exceed your customers’ expectations on every interaction that they have with you. Do this consistently, and you will have a customer for life who will point their other friends toward your direction.