The prompt
Score 10 of 10, Excellent
Use it when A customer is getting real value from you and you want to ask, without awkwardness, whether they know someone else who would benefit.
- {{customer}}
- {{customer_history}}
- {{about_us}}
- {{ideal_referral}}
- {{referral_terms}}
- {{channel}}
Full prompt and why it works
Prompt
Write a message asking {{customer}} for a referral. They are a customer who has had good results with us, and I want to ask in a way that is easy to say yes or no to and does not strain the relationship. Our history with them and the results they have had, from our records or their own words: """ {{customer_history}} """ About us (company name, what we do, how to reach us): {{about_us}} The kind of person or company we would like to meet: {{ideal_referral}} Anything we offer for referrals, with its terms (or "none"): {{referral_terms}} How I will send it: {{channel}} Write: 1. The ask, 70 to 130 words: thank them for something specific from their history, describe in one sentence the kind of person we help best, and ask whether anyone comes to mind. Make "no one right now" an easy answer. 2. A forwardable blurb of 40 to 60 words about us, written so they can paste it into their own message to a contact without editing. 3. A thank-you of under 50 words to send if they make an introduction, whatever comes of it. Format: label the parts "Ask", "Blurb to forward" and "Thank-you", each as plain text ready to paste. The tone should be warm and low-pressure, the way you would ask a friend for a favor. For example, a line in the form wanted: "No pressure at all, and if nobody comes to mind, I completely understand." Use only their real results from the history above, without exaggerating them or adding numbers. Mention a referral reward only if the terms above include one, and then state it plainly, because a hidden incentive damages trust. If the history does not show a clear result, say so instead of thanking them in general terms. If it shows an open problem, a recent complaint or an unpaid invoice, do not write the ask; say so and suggest fixing that first.
Variables
- {{customer}}
- The customer's name, role and company.
- {{customer_history}}
- How long they have been a customer, what they bought, and the results they have had, in their words if you have them.
- {{about_us}}
- Your company name, what you do and how to reach you, in a sentence or two.
- {{ideal_referral}}
- Who you would like to be introduced to, for example "other practice managers at independent vet clinics".
- {{referral_terms}}
- Any referral reward with its terms, or "none".
- {{channel}}
- How you will ask, for example "email" or "LinkedIn message".
Why it works
- What good looks like. A forwardable blurb they can paste without editing removes the main reason customers who mean to refer someone never do.
- What to avoid. Results are used as they are and a reward is mentioned only if it exists, so the ask cannot overstate what you did or hide an incentive.
- If unsure. An open complaint or unpaid invoice stops the ask altogether, because asking a favor in the middle of a problem costs more than it gains.