A few years ago, I had a client I absolutely crushed it for a borrower:

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Smooth pre-approval. 

Closed ahead of schedule. 

Saved them money at the last minute. 

Even got their dog a little housewarming gift.

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They were thrilled.

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So naturally, I expected they’d send me referrals.

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But nothing. 

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I finally ran into them at the Realtor client appreciation party I co-sponsored and this happened:

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“Hey, just curious -- have any of your friends been buying lately?”

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They said:

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“Yeah, actually -- my college buddy just bought a place. I am not sure who he ended up using. We completely forgot to bring you up, so sorry.”

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Completely forgot to bring me up?! 😅

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I got your dang dog a gift!!!

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I was stunned. 

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Not because they were being shady… but because I realized something critical:

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Just because someone loves you doesn’t mean they know how to refer you.

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Most LOs assume that delivering a great experience = automatic referrals.

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But there’s a missing link: 

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Messaging.

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If someone asked one of your clients,

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“Hey, do you know a good lender?”...

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Would they know what to say?

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Would they just say, “Yeah, Amir’s great!” -- and move on?

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Or would they say something that actually positions you?

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Here’s the difference:

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❌ “He’s nice, we used him.”

✅ “He made everything feel simple— --  with our messy financials. He’s the reason we closed on time.”

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People refer when you’re memorable.

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And you’re memorable when you give them a way to talk about your value.

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Here’s what I do now:

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7 Days after closing, on Thursday mornings, I have time blocked to “spontaneously” call every single one of my closed borrowers.

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After congratulating them and thanking them for the opportunity, I educated them on a few things (ie. servicing, escrows, refinance solicitations, etc.), and finish with the following:

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‍“...before you let me go, I would love your feedback: what’s one thing we did really well for you during the entire process?”‍

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(let them sing your praises outloud)‍

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“...I know the topic of real estate often comes up in conversations…

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Next time a friend, family member or even co-worker brings up ‘mortgage’, would you have any reservation is saying “I’m have a great mortgage guy” and recommending me?”

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That one sentence turns a good experience into a referral script.

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Bottom line?

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Referrals don’t come from good work alone.

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They come from clear positioning + consistent prompts.

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So make it easy for people to talk about you.

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Because word of mouth only works when you give them the words.