Ways to use gifts to say thank you — and drive referrals 

If someone sends us a referral, we always send a thank-you card or something along those lines. Our clients don’t necessarily know about the referral program, so if they refer someone who becomes a client, that’s when we ask, “Which one of these things would you like?” So it’s an added bonus because they say, “Oh, I wasn’t expecting to get anything.” Of course all gifts are subject to compliance approval.

Let’s say they pick to stay in a hotel or something, then they get a fully paid hotel experience that they weren’t expecting. It was an unexpected thank-you. The second time they refer, obviously they know they’re going to get something. But the first time, it almost adds to the level of service.

Another way we do the gifting side: Let’s say you have a child, or your children have kids. You’re going to tell me in that meeting because you’re going to be really proud that you’ve just become a grandfather. We will then send you a pack, which you can give to your children, and it’s to get a teddy bear with a little bit of ink. The idea of the ink is to put it on the thumb of the child, and it goes on the paw of the bear.

It’s an automatic process from our side. As soon as we know one of our clients or someone down the generations is having a child, it doesn’t cost us much to do it. But if the children aren’t clients yet, they’re going to think, “Well, our parents are using these advisors and they care this much that they’ve sent us a bear and it’s personalized. Maybe we should get in contact with them and have a chat about XYZ.” It leads to a natural referral down the generations.

Tristan Karl Robert Hartey is a nine-year MDRT member from Chester, England. Hear more in the MDRT Podcast: