Four examples of a “warm letter” to generate more referrals

When I started building my business, I used the “warm letter” to let people know what I was doing. It worked as a great referral source to get new clients. Over time I thought, why not send a follow up to the warm letter? That’s how the idea came to me to create a whole campaign of letters. This sequence of letters can continue to drive referrals with every new mailing. It’s literally a referral driving machine.

Why does it work so well? Because you are educating your contacts and inviting them to refer to you. Try this series of letters to see how your network reacts. You’ll generate prospects and referrals at a surprising rate.

1. Warm letter. Your first letter let’s people in your network of contacts know what you are doing now. Tell them about your business and who your ideal clients are. Ask them to keep you in mind when they meet these people.

2. Interview With. Follow up with the “Interview With (Your name)” which explains what clients can expect and answers potential objections.

3. Case Study. Provide a case study that illustrates the problem one of your clients had, the solutions you helped them discover and the success they experienced as a result of working with you. This is a very powerful marketing tool since it gives readers a specific example of the service you provide.

4. Testimonial. Share a success story written by one of your clients. This testimonial gives you loads of credibility and again helps the reader connect with exactly what you do. This kind of letter can jog a person’s mind to think of who could benefit from a service like yours.

Additional Tips

• Personalize letters so that every reader feels like you are talking to him or her.
• Commit to a full series of letters over several months to maximize your exposure and results. People need to see and hear things multiple times before they refer people or buy.
• Send letters to all your contacts because you never know where a good referral will come from. Don’t be shy.
• Be consistent – send a letter every single month for the time frame you have chosen.

Your The Leveraged Business Assignment
To make the “warm letter” campaign easier, plan out what you want to send for several months at a time. This way you don’t have to think about what to do every month. It will all be decided ahead of time so all you’ll need to do each month is execute. You can use the testimonials you already have to send as is or create a case study as well. By spending some time up front, you will save time later and ensure your letter goes out every month to generate those important referrals.