Get them a win
Deliver something real before you ask for anything at all.
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What a referral system actually is
A referral system is a set way that happy people around you keep introducing new people to you.
Most entrepreneurs do not have one. They just hope a happy client remembers to mention them one day. Hoping is not a plan, and it is not a system.
One of Marc's clients went years without posting any content, because referrals and his own network kept the leads coming easily. Then he decided to go out on his own. That is when he found out he had no audience of his own at all. Easy referrals had quietly been someone else's pipeline the whole time, not a system he had built himself.
At Business Mastery, Tony Robbins' team shared that referrals close 70 to 90 percent of the time. Cold leads close 10 to 35 percent. And out of roughly 3,000 people in that room, only about 7 had a real, measured referral system. Almost nobody builds one on purpose. That is the gap this page closes.
The 5-step loop
The 5 steps of a real referral system
Run these five steps in order, every time. This loop is the whole system underneath all 4 systems below.
Spot the wow moment
Notice the moment they are happiest: they just got a result, or they just thanked you.
Ask while they are happy
Make the ask right then, while the good feeling is still fresh.
Make the intro easy
Give them the smallest possible next step, like starting one group chat.
Say thanks and update them
Thank them, then tell them what happened. That is what makes them do it again.
System 1 of 4 · Start here
System 1: The wow-moment ask
The simplest system there is. You ask one honest question, right after a real win, and let the referrer be the hero. These are Marc's own scripts. Write your rough version first, then use them to sharpen the structure.
Feedback-session question
“Who do you know that might be facing similar challenges that we've helped you overcome?”
Use only when the challenge and progress are real.
After-win ask
“Can you do me a favour? It will help me help more people just like yourself... Do you know 2-3 others who could benefit from this? I'll personally make sure they are taken care of for you.”
Use only after a confirmed win.
Permission and handoff
“Thanks so much! What usually works best is this - just ask if it's okay to connect us together. If they say yes, create a group chat with us on WhatsApp or Telegram. You don't have to do anything else because I'll take it from there. Sound good?”
Use the shared channel the parties actually use.
Transparent on-behalf request
“Hey [name], quick one. I'm helping [person] with [specific outcome], and thought of you because [reason]. Would it be okay if I sent you a short note from them to see if this is relevant? All good if not :)”
Never pretend the sender has lived the outcome. Make the sender's role completely clear.
System 2 of 4
System 2: The built-in reward
This is a system you can set up yourself. Build a two-sided reward into your referral ask, so both the referrer and the new person get something when it works. When Marc ran a built-in reward, it was S$500 cash plus 2 months free, shared across both sides. He used the same idea across three moments: mid-program, right after someone bought, and in a warm message to a partner or follower.
The amount is your call. Keep it simple enough that you will actually track who is owed what.
Marc's past reward script
“Btw, if they successfully sign up not only would we love to send you $500 just a way to say thanks for the connection, both of you will get 2 months free each too!”
This is Marc's own past script, not a current offer. Swap in your own numbers if you use it.
System 3 of 4
System 3: The referral campaign
A referral campaign is a short burst with a prize ladder, built around one launch, one event, or one cohort with a deadline. It is not your everyday system. Run the wow-moment ask and the built-in reward all year round, and save a campaign for the moments that need an extra push.
One AI conference Marc consulted on needed 4,500 leads in under two months. Referrals were built in as one of the lead sources from day one, with a prize ladder anyone could see and track. Notice the two layers: small gifts for hitting a number, and a bigger competition sitting on top of that.
Refer 2 peopleA resource pack: a top AI tools list and a top stock picks list.
Refer 5 peopleA bigger resource pack: investment picks plus a tools list the team recommends.
Refer 10 peopleA live group coaching call with the AI expert.
Top 20 referrersThe live group coaching call, plus an extra bonus for qualifying affiliates and clients.
Top 5 referrersCash, or a staycation.
Marc's rule on why the ladder goes to 20, not just 3: “People feel ‘top 3 unlikely’ but ‘top 20 possible.’” And every prize has to earn its place: relevant, easy for you to deliver, and actually valuable. A S$5 voucher is not a real reward for a real referral.
Copy-paste nudge: Marc's tip for keeping a campaign alive is one short update partway through, like “next 3 days, sign up 7 = bonus.” It makes people push harder right when they are close to the next tier.
System 4 of 4
System 4: Referral partners
Some people will refer you again and again. Build a real relationship with them, not just a one-time ask.
Marc's own example
Marc once helped a business run an event built almost entirely on referrals. No cold ads. Just people who already loved the work, trained to bring in the next person. Result: about S$250,000 in sales from one event. Marc taught the team three ways to help build this: run a workshop for members, help set up the whole referral structure, or train a full group of referral ambassadors.
The mindset for repeat referrers
“People refer not because of your great work. They refer because it makes them feel good about helping others. Make them the STAR.”
Optional, not required
Optional: pay an affiliate cut
If you want, you can pay referral partners a cut or reward. It is not a must. Many of Marc's best referrals come from goodwill, not payment.
If you do decide to pay one
Keep it simple. Pick one: a fixed thank-you amount for every signup, or a percentage of what that person pays you. Write the number down somewhere you will actually check, so you never forget who is owed what.
Alex Hormozi teaches there is more than one way to reward a referral: a percentage cut, a one-time bonus, or a simple thank-you gift. None of them is required. Pick whichever one you will actually keep track of.
Optional AI step
Optional: let AI walk you through Referral Systems
Chosen this path? Copy the box below and paste it into ChatGPT or Claude. It will coach you through your first real moves. This is optional; the steps above are complete on their own.
You do not need to read it. Just copy, paste, and answer its questions.
You are my business coach. I have chosen Referral Systems as my path: happy clients and friends introducing new people to me. Your job: help me run it, step by step. Be warm but direct, plain English, no jargon, keep every message short. Ask one question at a time and wait. If any answer is vague, ask one short follow-up. I send every message myself; you help me prepare. Ask me, one at a time: 1. Who do I help, and with what result? 2. List my past and current clients or people I have genuinely helped, even informally. (First names are fine.) 3. For each name: did they get a result, thank me, or say something nice recently? (These are my wow moments.) 4. Do I want to offer a thank-you reward for introductions, or keep it reward-free? (Both are fine. A reward is optional, never a must.) Then help me, one piece at a time: - Rank my top people to ask first, up to 3, by warmth and results, and say why. If I only gave you 1 or 2, work with that. - Draft a short, personal ask for person 1 in my voice: remind them of their win, ask if they know ONE person who wants a similar result, and make the intro easy (offer a line they can copy-paste to their friend). - Draft the thank-you message I send after any intro, whether or not it becomes a client. - Remind me: ask while they are happy, never in bulk, one personal message at a time. - End with the rhythm: one ask per week, and after 30 days of doing this consistently, judge it: keep it, tweak it, or switch it. If I try to mass-send the same message to everyone, push back.
Before you judge it
The 30-day rule
Run your referral system for 30 days consistently before you judge it. Then decide: keep it, tweak it, or switch it.
Consistently means every real win gets a wow-moment ask, every yes gets a fast and easy introduction, and every referral gets a proper thank-you. Thirty days of that tells you far more than one lucky week ever could.