How to Ask for Referrals as a Freelancer

I booked 75 first meetings over three months last summer when I launched Inspirewell. 99% through outbound. My totally repeatable trick? Ask for a referral on Every. Single. Call. Prospect calls. Customer calls. Partner calls. Build the habit to not leave any commercial calls without asking for someone else to speak with. Here is a simple 4 step framework I follow: Toward the end of the call, ask for permission to ask one more question. “Hey, before we jump, okay if I ask one last thing?” Describe several characteristics about what kind of a referral you are looking for, e.g. company size, company sector, position, personality traits, etc. The idea is to help narrow their field of vision a bit and make the task seem more approachable. Use an open-ended question. Not “Do you know anyone?” but rather “Who do you know?” Make it a low-friction ask. Not “That would want to partner with us?” but rather “That may benefit from a quick call with us?” All summarized the ask may look like this: “Really great chatting with you today. Before we jump, would it be okay if I ask one more quick question?” “Thanks. Generally the right person for us to speak with is someone that is only 1-3 years into managing sales people. Who do you know in your network, maybe someone that you used to work with, that may benefit from a quick call with us?” And shut up. You won’t hit every time. But you’ll certainly get a lot more contacts than by not asking. Happy Selling. What other referral strategies work for you? P.S. - I keep this sticky note on my computer to always remind myself of this practice. Even after years of practicing this, I still find myself wanting to chicken-out sometimes!

How do I get over the fear of asking for referrals? Victoria Walling asked this awesome question on one of my posts. I asked her if it was ok to use in a post with my response to help other people. She graciously said "Absolutely!" Here is my reply to her question Many people find networking challenging, but my favorite approach is the '5 Gs': Give, give, give, get, give. This means you give three introductions, ask for one, and then give one more. To effectively do this, you need to understand what an introduction is. It's about connecting two people who might collaborate, whether in workshops, client introductions, or opportunities. I emphasize 'introduction' over 'referral' because a referral typically implies an expected sales conversation. An introduction, on the other hand, doesn't necessarily have a sales call attached. You should ask people which industries also sell to their ideal clients but aren't competitors. ✅ For example, if we were having a virtual coffee and you're into brand storytelling, I'd assume you work with small and medium-sized businesses. I'd then think about who else might engage in brand discussions with your ideal clients, like those in promotional products and commercial printing. These industries don't compete with you but target the same clients. I'd concentrate on connecting you with individuals in these industries, aiming to cultivate a relationship where mutual referrals are possible. The beauty of this is that these industries often complement each other, creating a synergy where all involved parties can open doors for one another. After I've facilitated at least three such introductions, I would then request an introduction to someone in your network who aligns with my ideal client base and isn't in direct competition, such as those involved with communities of small business owners or hosting relevant podcasts. 🎙 Sometimes, when I make this request, I'm met with a blank look, as people don't always realize they're connected to podcasters. In such cases, I suggest they hop over to LinkedIn, click on "My Network" on their homepage (next to the house symbol), then on "Manage my network," followed by "Connections." I then ask them to use the search box to type in "podcast." Often, they're surprised by the number of podcasters they're actually connected to. We'll scroll through the list, and usually, they can make a couple of introductions for me right then and there. Once you make that introduction, I'll continue to facilitate more connections for you, ensuring my name and brand remain prominent. This method allows me to provide value to you before I ask for anything in return, thus avoiding any impression of being overly aggressive or sales-oriented.

90.99% of all my freelance work has come from referrals. Ok so that's not an exact figure, but it's close. I've landed one client from a cold email and another through Upwork. The rest: All high-quality referrals. Since many of you asked, I'll tell you how. Here are three things I consistently do to get referral business: 1. Give referrals. I stopped trying to be everything for everyone a while ago. I realized that if I do my best work and tap other people to do something I don't specialize in, it's a win for everyone. If we've worked together on a project or developed a relationship (and I know that you do good work), then you're on my list. I'm constantly giving referrals and pointing leads in the direction of folks who I know can get the job done well. More importantly: they're lovely to work with. This creates goodwill. It also keeps me top of mind with my referral network. When a job that matches my skillset comes across their world, who they gonna call? Not ghostbusters. 2. Maintain a system for building relationships. This "system" for me is nothing more than an AirTable spreadsheet, where I list my contact's name, what they specialize in, their ideal clients, and notes from our most recent conversation that'll help me deepen the relationship. That last column is the most important. During all of my relationship-building calls (a.k.a. networking), I take note of things that are top of mind for the person I'm speaking with. Maybe they just had a baby. Maybe they bought a house. Maybe they're about to launch a new product or service. Then, I put a date on the spreadsheet for when I want to reach back out and check in with how it's all going. I genuinely care, and having a check-in system ensures I'm following through on building the relationship over time. 3. Create strategic relationships. Beyond the relationships I naturally build with people I work on projects with or friends of friends in my network, I'm strategic about whom I spend my time talking to. By that, I mean connecting with people who provide adjacent services. For me, that means people who do PR, design work, paid ads, email marketing, social media management, etc. These are all folks who provide complimentary services to my content strategy work. We don't compete—we compliment. That's a beautiful referral ecosystem right there. There's more to this, but these things will get you started if you're not already strategically using your network to get ideal clients and projects. Was this helpful or should I go deeper here?

For freelance copywriters, here's one of the EASIEST ways to get new clients (if you're already working): Ask your current clients. Asking for referrals is a simple way to get new leads and have built-in social proof, credibility, and connection with your client. Not too long ago, I once asked my long-term email client in the golf niche if he knew anyone that could use my service. He had generated 8-figures in that niche and had A LOT of connections in the space: coaches, apparel vendors, ecom stores, etc. He gave me 5 names that same day and I contacted all of them. I name-dropped my current client in the message, which broke the ice and made getting a response a lot easier. Had 2 new clients at $4,000 per month each a week later. BAM A simple ask (especially after a big W) can lead to a handful of qualified leads placed right in your lap. What's your favorite way to ask for referrals?