Hey there,

Most sellers are leaving easy opportunities on the table every single day.

The data is clear - 92% of buyers trust referrals from people they know, and 84% start their buying process with a referral, yet most sales professionals never systematically ask for them. Matt Green, from Sales Assembly, taught me a referral play that every seller should replicate.

Today, we’ll review his framework:

• A simple 3-step process

• How to make it easy for your connections to help

• Why this approach respects everyone's time

Let's break down exactly how this works.

3 Steps To Generate Warm Leads With Referrals

In order to achieve consistent sales growth, you're going to need a steady stream of qualified leads without burning yourself out.

1. Build Your Target Connection List

First, review your connections' networks using LinkedIn or LinkedIn Sales Navigator and identify people who match your ideal customer profile.

Here’s an example using LinkedIn Sales Navigator:

Put these contacts in a Google Sheet with these specific columns:

• First Name

• Last Name

• LinkedIn URL

• Title

• LinkedIn Company URL

• Know ‘em? (for your connection to mark)

(here’s a template you can use)

This pre-work removes all friction for your referral source – they don't need to think about who fits, you've already done that work.

2. Make The Ask Small And Specific

Reach out with just two questions:

1. Would you review a list I've prepared?

2. If yes, would you forward a simple intro email?

Here’s what Matt’s ‘forwardable’ email looked like. 

Emphasize that you're not asking them to co-sell or provide an endorsement – only to forward your email with four simple words:

"Interested in an intro?"

3. Remove All The Friction

Do all the heavy lifting yourself:

• They mark who they know (2 minutes)

• They forward your pre-written email (seconds per contact)

• Clear outcomes: If prospect says yes – they make intro; if no – no social capital wasted

The results: Matt shared a list of 45 people, I knew 9 well, and within two days, 5 agreed to meet. That’s a 55.56% conversion rate without making any cold outreach.

That's it. Here's what you learned today:

• Pre-work is essential – do the research to make helping easy

• Keep the ask minimal – request only a simple email forward

• Create a clean yes/no mechanism that protects everyone's time

Spend 30 minutes TODAY building your first target list and reach out to someone you know well to see if they’d be willing to help.

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