Referral ask Claude skill

Use this to turn goodwill into introductions. Most people are happy to refer; they just need a specific ask and an easy way to do it.

Inputs

• Customers or contacts who are happy (recent results, good feedback, renewals).
• Target accounts or roles you want to reach, and any known connections.
• Recent wins to reference.

The play

1. Ask at the right moment

Right after a visible win: a result they shared, a renewal, a great review, a successful rollout, a thank-you message from them. Not during an open support issue.

2. Make the ask specific

"Do you know anyone who might need this?" gets "I’ll think about it." Instead, name two or three companies or a precise role: "I noticed you’re connected to Dev at Lumen and know the ops team at Fabrikam. Would either be open to a short intro?"

3. Use a double opt-in

Ask the referrer to check with their contact first, so the introduction is welcome. Offer to send a forwardable blurb.

4. Write the forwardable blurb

Three or four sentences the referrer can paste: who you are, what you did for them, why it might matter to the contact, and an easy next step. Written in the referrer’s voice, short enough to forward from a phone.

Dev, thought of you: Sam at Acme helped us cut month-end close from 9 days to 4. Given your new entities at Lumen, might be worth 20 minutes. Happy to connect you if useful.

5. Follow up and thank

Reply to the introduction within hours, move the referrer to bcc, and tell them what happened afterwards. Thank them whatever the outcome; a handwritten note or a small, appropriate gesture works. Follow any rules their company has about gifts, and disclose referral rewards.

Templates

The ask

Hi Priya, really glad the 4-day close held through quarter end. One favour: you mentioned knowing the finance lead at Fabrikam. Would they be open to an intro? I’ve drafted a short note below you could forward if they are. No pressure at all if it’s not a fit.

Thank-you after an intro

Priya, thank you for connecting me with Lena. We’ve got a call next week. I’ll let you know how it goes, and I owe you one.

What good looks like

• Asks name specific people or companies.
• The referrer spends under a minute.
• Every referrer hears back about the outcome.
• The common mistake is a quarterly mass email asking all customers for "any referrals", which almost never produces introductions.

Rules

• MUST use double opt-in introductions.
• MUST disclose any referral reward and respect the referrer’s company policies.
• NEVER contact someone claiming a referral that has not happened.
• NEVER ask a customer with an open problem for a referral.

Example prompts

• "Priya just renewed and shared great results. Write a referral ask for two specific companies."
• "Write a forwardable blurb for our customers to send to peers."
• "Design a simple customer referral program for a B2B SaaS."