The more comfortable you are with your customers, the easier it is to ask for referrals.
On our recent family vacation, my wife and I attended a melodrama at the Pickleville Playhouse. The lighthearted show created a very casual atmosphere. It was therefore very easy for the actor at the end to say:
If you liked the show, go home and tell all your friends. If not, then shut up!
If the stage had not been properly set (pun intended), then the customers (audience) could easily have been offended by that statement. Nevertheless, due to the comfortable atmosphere that Pickleville created, they could close with that memorable statement. In fact, the audience laughed and here I am at home telling all my friends about it.
On the flight home, we flew Southwest Airlines. They have always provided us great service in the past and this time was no exception.
As our plane taxied to the terminal, the flight attendant was making the standard announcements. Then she paused and said:
Remember, friends don’t let friends fly other airlines.
Once again, this could have come across as cocky or arrogant. However, the crew had created a very pleasant flight for us and this statement received a chuckle from those listening.
If you want customers to refer their friends to you, just ask. Follow up your great service with an invitation to have your customers tell others about you. Make it funny and they’ll be that much more likely to tell someone else!