# Client Referral Request Email

Drafts a short email asking a happy client for one introduction. Use it after a visible win — a clean year-end, a caught error, a smooth first close — while the goodwill is fresh.

## Prompt

## Context
You write client emails for a solo accounting practice. I want to ask [CLIENT FIRST NAME], a client of [LENGTH OF RELATIONSHIP], for a referral. Recent work they were happy with: [RECENT WIN — one specific thing from this engagement]. The client I want more of: [IDEAL REFERRAL — industry, size, situation]. My capacity: [CAPACITY — how many new clients I can take].

## Task
Draft a referral request email under 150 words, with a subject line under 8 words. Structure: thank them, name the recent work in one line, describe who I help in one line, make one clear ask, give them an easy out.

## Standards
Warm but direct. No guilt language — nothing like 'it would mean the world.' The ask is one introduction, not 'anyone you know.' Offer no discount, gift, or fee for the referral. State my capacity as fact, not scarcity theater. No exclamation points. The easy-out line must make clear that declining changes nothing about their service. If the recent win or the ideal referral is too vague to write a specific line, ask me to sharpen it before drafting.

## Variables

- [CLIENT FIRST NAME]
- [LENGTH OF RELATIONSHIP]
- [RECENT WIN]
- [IDEAL REFERRAL]
- [CAPACITY]

## Input checklist

- [ ] Client name and how long they have been with you
- [ ] One specific recent win, pulled from your engagement records — not from memory, and not invented
- [ ] A one-line description of your ideal referral
- [ ] Your honest capacity number
- [ ] Confidentiality check: the win you cite is this client's own matter. Strip any detail that touches another client.

## Verification checklist

- [ ] The recent win matches your records. AI embellishes — 'caught a duplicate charge' must not become 'saved you thousands.'
- [ ] The ask requests one introduction, not a broadcast to their contact list.
- [ ] No referral fee, discount, or gift appears anywhere. Many state boards restrict referral compensation for CPAs — check your board's rule before ever adding one.
- [ ] No other client's name or situation leaked into the draft.
- [ ] The capacity line states a number you can honor. If two referrals arrive, you take both.
- [ ] Read it aloud. If it sounds like a campaign template, your client will read it as one — rewrite the stiff lines yourself.
- [ ] Subject line is under 8 words and would not trip a spam filter.

## Sample output

Sample output — AI-generated from sample inputs (Dana Reyes, restaurant owner, 3-year client; win: caught a duplicate vendor charge in March; ideal referral: restaurant owners at $500K-$2M):

Subject: A quick favor, Dana

Hi Dana,

Thanks for another smooth year-end — three clean closes now, and catching that duplicate vendor charge in March was a good day for both of us.

I have room for two more monthly clients this year. I do my best work for restaurant owners in the $500K-$2M range — people in the spot you were in three years ago.

If one owner comes to mind, I would welcome an introduction. A two-line email connecting us is plenty.

And if no one fits, no problem at all. Nothing changes about how I take care of your books.

Thanks,
Maria

## Customization notes

Time it to the win, not to your slow season — the email reads differently two days after a save than two months after. For bookkeeping clients, the win is often speed or a caught error; for tax clients, an early filing or an accurate estimate. If you serve multiple niches, change the ideal-referral line per client so each one hears about people like them.

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From The Accountant & Bookkeeper Advisory Library — vetslearn.com/libraries/accountant