Guidelines : Requesting

Requesting Referrals

Guidelines and Alternate Phrases

Recall your past association with the reader, if necessary, such as a mutual friend or attendance at a convention.

Gerald Hines mentioned to me last week you might know of …

After leaving Snyder’s summer employment program more than two years ago, I’ve found plenty of opportunity to use the skills learned as an apprentice there. You were kind enough to let me observe you in your job for two weeks, and, as a result, I’ve carved out a sales position of my own here at Ibco.

I enjoyed our short airplane chat last week on the way to Los Angeles.

Outline briefly your services or products and the target customer or client.

Thank the reader for any referral he or she may have occasion to give and include any mutual benefit that you foresee.

If you have occasion to mention our company, we will greatly appreciate it.

Thank you in advance for any referrals that you might send our way.

We will appreciate your passing on this information to anyone you think could benefit.

If you have an opportunity to refer us to someone, we will very much appreciate your taking the time to do so.

If any of your acquaintances express an interest in our products or services, be sure to let them know of us. We will thank you.

Should any of your friends, family, or business associates mention interest along these lines, please let us know, and we will appreciate the opportunity to follow up with them.

Do you ever run across anyone in need of placement services? If so, I’ll appreciate your giving them my name.

As I see it, you and I sell complementary products to the same customer. Seems to me that whichever of us gets to the customer first should suggest the next logical step in the set-up process. Can you envision a way we could construct a mutually beneficial referral arrangement?

Thank you for passing on any of my information to interested colleagues.

Do you think it would be to our mutual benefit to set up a formal arrangement for commission referrals?

I’ll appreciate it if you can pass my name along to anyone who might be interested in this service, and I’ll do the same for you.

I’d like to work out a mutually beneficial arrangement for referrals. Do you have suggestions?

I’ll appreciate your referring to me anyone who needs such services.

Example 1: Sample letter for asking clients for referrals

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Ms. Kai:

I enjoyed visiting with you at the trade show last week in Baltimore. Opportunities to relax around the dinner table certainly provide a more civilized way to get to know colleagues than on that jammed expo floor! Your work with the court systems sounds fascinating.

Although I didn’t get to go into much detail about our consulting services, I wanted you to know our clientele resembles your own. We provide sales training to small organizations of approximately 50 employees or fewer. We go far beyond the usual rah-rah motivational meetings to help individual reps design and achieve personal sales goals, by providing the training they need in a one-on-one setting. Our methods may involve only recommending certain audiotape programs for self-study or consulting with individuals on a three- or four-day proposal project.

I will appreciate any referrals to individuals or small corporations you think may be interested in such one-on-one sales training. Certainly, I’ll keep my eyes open for opportunity to refer any investment business your way. Let’s plan to stay in contact or at least to meet up at the next IACB convention, if not before.

Sincerely,

Example 2: Requesting letter for referral clients

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Ms. Wilson:

I enjoyed seeing you again after so many years. I’m glad to hear that my old employer, Hereford Inc., has extended your contract, because there is certainly a need for your services there.

As I told you, I left Hereford in 19– to start my own consulting firm specializing in personnel services for smaller companies. We assist organizations throughout the entire process of personnel activities–from recruiting to termination and out-placement. I’ve enclosed a complete listing of our services.

I will appreciate referrals to any of your clients or acquaintances who might have the need of our services. Perhaps I could even offer some free “friendly” advice to you in a personnel situation. I’m looking forward to seeing you at other chamber events.

Cordially,

Guidelines : Offering

Offering Referrals

Guidelines and Alternate Phrases

Mention the referral immediately, stating why you yourself can no longer provide the service or product.

We are no longer in the hardware business, but I would like to refer you to another organization that excels in this area…

May I offer a suggestion for your next drilling job? I want to let you know of …

We no longer carry the Nexus product line you mentioned in your recent order, but we are pleased to refer you to Belton, Inc., who recently became a Nexus distributor in an exclusive arrangement.

I would like to make you aware of a new firm in your locale that offers janitorial services much superior to what you or I have had to settle for in the past.

Thank you for thinking of us with your recent order for plumbing supplies and fixtures, but we no longer sell those products. We suggest that you contact Wilson, Inc., for the custom work you described in your letter.

We no longer provide such services, but we can highly recommend….

Because he is eager to meet you I gave him your phone number and suggested he call you about your specific needs at Harwell.

Elaborate on the referral specifically. Outline the possible benefits to your reader.

State your expectation that the referral will be of mutual benefit. Inject an enthusiastic tone.

I think you two will enjoy working together.

I think you’ll find Mary a delightful person to work with.

We think you’ll be pleased with the quality of work Gemco produces.

Gemco performs to the highest expectations; I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in any project they tackle for you.

Gemco has a reputation to be envied in the industry; I think you’ll be very satisfied with the results on any project you undertake together.

The results on any Gemco project should be exceptional.

We think your organizations rank with the best in the industry; you should complement each other.

If you do decide to give them a call, I think you’ll be very pleased with the way they’ll work with you.

I think you’ll be more than pleased with any project you decide to undertake with them.

We have the highest regard for both of your organizations; any working relationship between you should be mutually satisfying.

I hope this works out well for you.

Perhaps this is just the company you need to get the project underway.

Let’s hope you both find a discussion profitable.

Example 1: Sample letters for recommendation

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Ms. Morrison:

Thank you for your vote of confidence in writing us about the kind of candidate you want to hire in your Dallas sales office. However, we’ve changed our focus in the past two years since working with you and no longer place employees below the executive vice presidential level. I do want to recommend Merrill and Merrill, a placement firm in your area that handles job openings for middle management positions.

This firm has done exceptionally well in the past two years, successfully placing several managers at Dowell Corporation and at Boeing Gardner. Their screening process is rigorous, especially for any position requiring technical experience in the physical sciences. I suggest calling Michelle Shong there at 778-9862 to overview your needs; it could be the company already has someone in its database that would be appropriate for you.

I think you’ll appreciate their discrete way of working and the caliber of candidates they send you to interview. Let me know if something there works out for you.

Sincerely,

Example 2: Referral company letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Farmington:

Thank you for your letter requesting more information about financial planning. I’m sorry to say we have not yet added that line of services to our firm. I can recommend Bayars International to you, an organization that I consider to be the best in the city.

Several of my friends and I have worked with Mark Bottoms, who can be reached at 344-6886, and consider him to be highly knowledgeable in investment strategies and opportunities. He has an independent firm that bases its fees on an hourly rate rather than on commissions from investment recommendations.

I suggest you give Mark a call for the help you requested in your letter.

Sincerely,