Hit 100 warm referrals in 6 months just by asking one question

I run a small web dev shop out of Austin, and for the longest time I was spinning my wheels at networking events. I'd hand out cards, talk about my services, and get maybe 2 or 3 leads a month. Then about 6 months ago I started ending every conversation with a simple question: "Who is one person you know that could use help with their website?". I kept a running list in my phone and followed up with people the next day. To my surprise, I hit 100 warm referrals by month 6. That's like 16 a month on average, way more than I ever got from cold emails or event booths. The key was making it specific and low pressure, not just a generic "send anyone my way". Has anyone else tried a repeatable question like this and seen it snowball?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliver_anderson5d ago

Oh man, I love this. Honestly, I tried something similar once but my question was "Who do you know that hates their current website?" and I accidentally offended a guy who was sitting right next to his wife who had just built her own site on Squarespace. Took me like three months to get that guy to even look me in the eye again. But your approach is way smarter, low pressure is key. Ngl, I started asking "What's one thing about your website that drives you crazy?" and it worked way better than whatever I was doing before. People love venting about their tech problems, it's like free therapy for them and free leads for me. I probably only got like 30 referrals in 6 months though, so you're killing it. Maybe I need to tighten up my wording like you did.

finley_wells664d ago

Damn that's rough, I totally feel you on that one. I've definitely put my foot in my mouth before asking the wrong person at the wrong time and it stings for way longer than you'd expect. Your "what drives you crazy" question is solid though because it gives people permission to complain without feeling like they're attacking someone's work. I mean people are so used to just accepting bad design they don't even realize how much they need to vent until someone asks directly. 30 referrals in 6 months is still pretty decent honestly, that's like one a week and those can turn into real clients if you follow up right. Maybe it's just me but I think the wording is less about being perfect and more about just being consistent with asking.