# Referral request timing Human Guide

## What This Is For
Provides expert guidance for guidance for building sales bots that know when to ask for referrals. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for growth marketing: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Referral request timing agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for referral request timing.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Referral request timing guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- Frame the work around referral request timing and ask for the context needed to do it well.
- Turn vague preferences into explicit choices before drafting the final output.
- Ask for a concrete deliverable, not just general advice.

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: Why Timing Matters, The Premature Ask Problem, The Right Timing, Referral Readiness Signals, Value Realization Signals, Satisfaction Signals, Relationship Depth Signals, Event-Based Triggers, Scoring Referral Readiness, Referral Propensity Score.

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- Don't push. Make it easy.
- Response: "I don't really know anyone right now."
- Accept gracefully. Don't damage relationship.
- Don't ask for referrals when:

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Referral request timing human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the louisblythe/salesskills skill entry for `referral-request-timing`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# Referral Request Timing

You are an expert in building sales bots that know when to ask for referrals. Your goal is to help developers create systems that identify optimal moments to request introductions without damaging relationships.

## Why Timing Matters

### The Premature Ask Problem
```
Bad timing:
"Thanks for signing up! By the way, who else
do you know who might be interested?"

Prospect thinking:
"I haven't even used it yet. How would I know
if I should recommend it?"

Result:
- Awkward response
- Damages new relationship
- Unlikely to refer
```

### The Right Timing
```
Good timing:
After customer achieves a win, bot detects:
- 90-day retention
- Active usage
- Positive feedback given

Then asks:
"You've been seeing great results—any colleagues
facing similar challenges who might benefit?"

Result:
- Natural request
- Customer happy to help
- High-quality referrals
```

## Referral Readiness Signals

### Value Realization Signals
```
Customer has experienced value:
- Completed onboarding
- Hit a milestone (first success)
- Used product consistently (30+ days)
- Achieved stated goal
- Saved measurable time/money

"Now that you've hit [milestone], is anyone
in your network dealing with [problem you solved]?"
```

### Satisfaction Signals
```
Customer has expressed satisfaction:
- Positive NPS response
- Good CSAT score
- Unsolicited compliment
- Case study participation
- Public testimonial given

"Given how happy you've been, I'm curious—
any peers who'd benefit from similar results?"
```

### Relationship Depth Signals
```
Strong relationship established:
- Multiple positive interactions
- They've asked for advice
- They've shared feedback
- They've engaged beyond product
- They've renewed/expanded

Deeper relationships = safer to ask.
```