Your 10-Point Checklist to Keep Referrals Flowing

Jan 25, 2022 / By Bill Cates, CSP, CPAE
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You can go from a trickle of referrals and introductions to a steady stream when you take deliberate actions to promote them. Here are 10 activities that—when done consistently—result in a continual flow of potential new clients.

Editor’s note: Covering everything from weathering the difficult economy to what makes some people extra successful, these Member’s Choice runner-up articles missed a spot in our annual Top 10, but they were still among the most popular articles of the year.


If you want to receive referrals and introductions more often than occasionally, you have to bring the subject up in your regular communication with clients. That doesn’t mean you have to get pushy or ham-fisted about it. Here’s a checklist of 10 important things you want to do consistently to multiply your best clients through personal introductions.

How many of these 10 steps are you taking on a regular basis? Check out the list, and then see tips and suggestions on each one below.

  • 1. Know your client-focused why.
  • 2. Be curious.
  • 3. Discuss expectations.
  • 4. Plant seeds.
  • 5. Teach your clients how you handle referrals.
  • 6. Use an agenda in your meetings.
  • 7. Use a pre-appointment routine.
  • 8. Get introduced!
  • 9. Keep them in the loop.
  • 10. Say “Thank you.”

Understanding each of the steps

  1. Know your client-focused why. Telling a prospect why you believe in the work you do usually has a story connected to it. Telling this very short story or anecdote will help you build trust with your new prospects.
  2. Be curious. Pay attention to who your prospects and clients know. Who are impacted by their financial decisions? Whose financial decisions impact them? What do your clients do socially? How about philanthropic or community activity? The more context you gain about your client, the better you are able to serve them. And, at the same time, you are building an inventory of folks so you can seek introductions later.
  3. Discuss expectations. Check in regularly to clear up issues and verify value has been recognized by your prospect or client. See if you are falling short on any expectations. Find out what they love about working with you and your team. This conversation will generate referrals without even asking.
  4. Plant seeds. Promote introductions early and often with prospects and clients. Get the concept of introductions into the relationship early. I’ve been teaching advisors to say, “Don’t keep me/us a secret” for years. This usually creates a smile and sometimes introductions without asking. Let your clients know that if any of their friends, family or colleagues are feeling concerned or unsettled about their financial planning and investments—you are never too busy to see if you can be a resource for them.
  5. Teach your clients how you handle referrals. Two big reasons some clients don’t like to give referrals are (1) concern about privacy and (2) concern about how you will handle their introductions to others. Let them know that everything remains confidential (even with very close friends and family members) and that you work through introductions. You’re not going to call anyone from out of the blue.
  6. Use an agenda in your meetings. Manage your appointments with an agenda so you don’t run out of time. Put a value discussion or expectations check near the end. Show the agenda to your prospects or client so you each check off the items as you complete them. This quick conversation should be part of the meeting, not an afterthought.
  7. Use a pre-appointment routine. Just as athletes have their pre-game routine and musicians have their pre-performance routine, you can have a pre-appointment routine related to introductions. Create your meeting agenda as described above. Then think through who you know that they know or what categories you might run by them for possible introductions.
  8. Get the introduction! These days, referrals are pretty much worthless if you don’t get connected to the prospect. So, turn your clients’ willingness to refer into an effective introduction. In-person intros are great, if logistics are easy. Email introductions typically work very well. Here’s an article I wrote on the topic.
  9. Keep them in the loop. Keep your referral source updated with your progress. Keep them cc’d on your initial email with the prospect, but remove them after that. If you set an appointment, let them know. If you are having trouble reaching the new prospect, let the source know. Your source will often reach out to their friend to help the connection get established.
  10. Say “thank you.” You want to reward your referral source by saying thank you. Don’t wait for the prospect to become a client. Reward the giving. A handwritten note is the minimum. Gift cards are great. It’s not about the money; it’s the gesture of saying thank you.

While each of these items stands alone, I think you can see how they will all work together to help you multiply your best clients.

Bill Cates, president of Referral Coach International, works with financial professionals who want to build their practices by fully mastering the referral process and tapping into the lifetime value of their clients.

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