Referrals
A referral program that turns customers into your sales team
Word of mouth is probably already your best source of work. The problem is that it is invisible: you rarely know who sent someone your way, so you never thank them, so they stop. Lienzor makes referrals trackable and rewards them without you having to remember anything.
Word of mouth works, and you are doing nothing to help it
Someone recommends you at a barbecue. A new customer calls. You never learn the two are connected. The person who vouched for you gets nothing, not even a thank you, and the next time the subject comes up they say a little less.
You do not know who is sending you work
The people who do it never hear back, so the habit fades
You have no idea which customers are worth staying close to
A referral closes far more easily than a cold lead, and you are leaving it to chance
How it works
Each customer gets a link that is theirs
Nothing to install and nothing for them to sign up for. They share it, or they simply give your name and you record it yourself.
The referral is attached to them
When the new customer asks for an estimate, Lienzor knows who sent them.
The reward triggers on the condition you set
On a signed estimate, on a completed job, on nothing at all if you would rather just say thank you.
You are told to follow up
You get a nudge to thank the person, at the moment it means something.
Try it: track a referral
Generate a customer link, then simulate the people they send your way. Watch the reward move into pending approval.
The link records who referred whom. The reward is never granted automatically: it waits for your approval, once the referred job is done.
The message exactly as it goes out
Asking for a referral is uncomfortable because it sounds like asking for a favor. It stops sounding that way when you ask specifically.
Objet
Quick favor
Hi Sarah,
Glad the kitchen came out the way you wanted.
Most of my work comes from people passing my name along, so if anyone you know is thinking about something similar, I would appreciate you mentioning me.
No pressure at all, and no need to reply to this.
Mike — Dupont Remodeling
Why it works. "No need to reply" removes the obligation, which is exactly what makes people comfortable enough to act. Asking for a specific kind of referral works far better than asking for referrals in general.
The principle is the same everywhere
Whatever the service, Lienzor prepares and you decide. The message is written, dated and ready. You read it, you edit it, you approve it. Or you let it run on its own, once you trust it.
The public demo shows this on estimate follow-ups, but the approval mechanism is identical for reviews, campaigns and referrals.
Four things that make a referral program go nowhere
Never saying thank you
Someone vouched for you and heard nothing back. They will not do it twice. This is the single most common failure.
Making the reward too big
Turn the reward into real money and your customer starts behaving like a salesperson. People can smell that, and it costs you the trust that made the referral work.
Asking everyone
Ask the customers who were genuinely happy. Asking someone lukewarm puts them in an awkward position and gets you nothing.
Ignoring the rules in your trade
Some licensed trades and some states restrict paying for referrals. Find out before you launch, not after.
When to start tracking referrals
The moment you notice that word of mouth is already bringing you work. You are not creating something new; you are making visible a thing that is already happening and currently going unrewarded.
- New customers say "someone recommended you" and you never find out who
- You want more of the kind of work you already do well
- Your closing rate on referred leads is obviously better than on cold ones
- You have a handful of customers who clearly like you
Quand ce n'est pas utile. If you have almost no customer history yet, there is nobody to refer you. Build the base first.
What stays under your control
You set the reward, or decide there is none
You choose which customers are invited into the program
Nothing is promised to anyone without your approval
Check what your state allows before rewarding referrals in a licensed trade. Lienzor tracks; it does not advise
Frequently asked questions
What is a good referral reward for a contractor?
Something that is worth having but does not turn your customer into a commission salesperson. A credit on future work, a gift card, or a genuine thank-you gesture all work. The size matters far less than actually following through.
Do I have to give a reward at all?
No. A lot of referrals need nothing more than being noticed and thanked. The tracking is the part that changes behavior; the reward is optional.
How do I know who referred someone?
Either through the link the customer shared, or because you asked and recorded it yourself. Both end up in the same place.
Is a referral program legal in the trades?
It usually is, but some licensed trades and some states have rules about paying for referrals, and they vary. Check before you launch. Lienzor gives you the tracking; it does not give you legal advice.
Works well alongside
Lienzor services all work off the same customer list, so switching this one on makes the next one more useful.
The first job you win back pays for years of Lienzor.
Gratuit pendant le lancement, sans carte bancaire. Rien ne part sans votre accord.