Sales email templates
Referral Email Templates
Ask right after a result, for one named person at one kind of company, and offer to do the writing. The 7 templates below cover asking customers, partners and lost deals, writing to the referred person and thanking the referrer.
Template 1 as a Ken Sequence Step
Ken sequence step
Query
Sequence step 1 - Referral email
- Subject
- Who else should I talk to?
- Body preview
- Glad [result] is working for {company}. Who's one person you know at another {industry} company who'd want the same? If you share a name, ...
- Variables
- {firstName}, {company}, {industry}, {sender_first_name}
- You write
- [result]
Template 1 below, "The happy-customer ask", set up as the first step of a Campaigns sequence.
When to Use
In short Ask for a referral right after a customer sees a result, and write to the referred person the same day you get the name.
- A customer just told you something is working.
- A partner serves the same buyers you do.
- Someone gave you a name, and you're writing to that person.
- A deal was lost for a clear reason, and the buyer was friendly.
- You need the right person inside a company you're already talking to.
- A referral turned into a meeting, and the referrer deserves a thank-you.
Templates
In short Copy any of the 7 templates below, replace each [bracketed] part and cut any line that isn't true for you. Ken fills the {firstName}-style variables.
Variables
The templates use Ken's editor syntax. Ken fills {firstName}, {company} and {industry} from each contact and {sender_first_name} from the sending inbox. {{First Line}} is an AI variable. Ken's AI personalization writes it for each contact from the prompt of that name. To cover an empty field, add a fallback after a pipe, such as {firstName|there}. Replace every word in [brackets] with your own before you paste.
Your signature
For cold and other commercial email, put your postal address and a one-line opt-out in the signature under {sender_first_name}, such as "Reply stop and I won't email again." The FTC's CAN-SPAM guide requires both, B2B email included.
Subject: Who else should I talk to?
Hey {firstName},
Glad [result] is working for {company}. Who's one person you know at another {industry} company who'd want the same?
If you share a name, I'll write to them myself and mention you.
{sender_first_name}Why it works: Asking for one named person, right after a win, is easier to answer than a vague request for introductions.
Subject: [referrer name] suggested I reach out
Hey {firstName},
[referrer name] at [referrer company] suggested I get in touch. We helped them [result], and they thought {company} might be dealing with the same thing.
Open to a call next week to see if it fits?
{sender_first_name}Why it works: The referrer's name and result in the first line earn the open, and the rest is a plain one-idea meeting ask.
Subject: A note you can forward
Hey {firstName},
Thanks again for offering to pass my name on. Here's a short note you can forward as is:
"[your company] helped us [result]. If [problem] is on your list, talk to {sender_first_name}."
{sender_first_name}Why it works: A ready-to-forward note removes the writing, which is the hard part for the person referring you.
Subject: Clients we could both help
Hey {firstName},
A few of your clients look like our best customers: [customer profile]. When one of them mentions [problem], would you send them my way?
I'll do the same when ours need [partner service].
{sender_first_name}Why it works: It defines exactly which clients fit and offers something back, so the partner knows when to think of you.
Subject: Thanks for the intro to [prospect name]
Hey {firstName},
Thanks for putting me in touch with [prospect name]. We [what happened], and I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
I owe you one. If there's anyone you'd like to meet on my side, say the word.
{sender_first_name}Why it works: Telling the referrer what came of it, and offering a favor back, is how one referral turns into a habit.
{firstName},
Understood on [reason they passed], and thanks for the straight answer.
Is there anyone you know at another {industry} company who'd be a better fit for [product] right now? A name is plenty.
{sender_first_name}Why it works: A buyer who passed for a clear reason can still point you to someone it fits, and the ask costs them one name.
{firstName},
Sounds like [topic] sits with someone else at {company}. Who on your team owns it? I'll mention you sent me.
{sender_first_name}Why it works: When you've reached the wrong person, a one-line ask turns their reply into the right name.
Timing
In short Ken's view: ask right after a win, write to the referred person the same day and thank the referrer once you hear back.
| Day | Step | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Right after a customer win | Ask for one name (template 1) | Ask while the result is fresh |
| Same day you get a name | Write to the referred person (template 2) | Use the referrer's name while it's warm |
| 3-4 days later, no reply | One follow-up to the referred person | Add one new reason to reply, then stop |
| When you hear back | Thank the referrer (template 5) | Tell them what happened |
Examples
In short 3 filled-in versions for physical therapy, commercial solar and specialty coffee roasting, all with fictional companies.
Corrowind Physical Therapy is a fictional company. A rep for a patient-intake app asks a clinic owner, 2 months into a good rollout, for one referral.
Subject: Who else should I talk to?
Hey Tess,
Glad the new intake forms are cutting front-desk time at Corrowind. Who's one person you know at another physical therapy clinic who'd want the same?
If you share a name, I'll write to them myself and mention you.
RaviQuenby Solar Works is a fictional company. A rep for permitting software writes to an operations director at a solar installer, referred by a customer at Pellmont Electric (also fictional), an electrical contractor.
Subject: Joan suggested I reach out
Hey Victor,
Joan at Pellmont Electric suggested I get in touch. We helped her team cut permit turnaround on commercial jobs, and she thought Quenby might be dealing with the same thing.
Open to a call next week to see if it fits?
EliseThistlecup Roasters is a fictional company. A wholesale-ordering software rep replies in the thread to a roaster who passed for now, and asks for a referral.
Maya,
Understood on waiting until after the holiday season, and thanks for the straight answer.
Is there anyone you know at another roaster who'd be a better fit for wholesale ordering right now? A name is plenty.
TheoMistakes to Avoid
- Asking "Do you know anyone who might be interested?". It's too open to answer; ask for one person at one kind of company.
- Asking before the customer has seen a result. Wait until there's a win you can name in the email.
- Leaving the referrer's name out of the email to the referred person. Their name in the subject and first line is the reason it gets opened.
- Never telling the referrer what happened. A two-line thank-you with the outcome makes the next referral easier.
- Making the referrer write the intro. Give them a short note they can forward as is.
FAQ
How do you ask for a referral by email?
Right after a result, ask for one person at one kind of company and offer to do the writing. "Who's one person at another clinic who'd want this?" gets a name; "Know anyone?" is too vague to answer.
How do you write an email to someone you were referred to?
Put the referrer's name and the result you got for them in the first line, then ask for one call. Keep the rest to one idea and under 80 words.
What should the subject line of a referral email be?
The referrer's name, such as "Joan suggested I reach out". It's the reason they'll open it, so put it first.
How do you thank someone for a referral?
Write when you hear back, say what happened in one line and offer to return the favor. Keep them posted if it turns into a deal.
Is it OK to ask a lost prospect for a referral?
Yes, if they passed for a clear reason like timing or budget. Thank them for the straight answer, then ask for one name.
Do This in Ken
Send This Sequence in Ken
Run these templates as a Campaigns sequence in Ken. Campaigns finds and qualifies leads, writes personalized email and LinkedIn sequences, and sends them from your outbound inboxes. AI personalization, priced below, can fill the personal lines for each contact.
- Create a campaign and paste template 1 as the first email step.
- Add the next steps from this page on the days in the timing table.
- Replace every [bracketed] part, and add a fallback such as {firstName|there} where a field can be empty.
- Add your contacts and launch.
- Module
- Campaigns
- Open in Ken
- /waitlist
- Cost
- AI personalization: 300 credits per 1,000 contacts
The new Ken opens to the waiting list in batches.
Related
- All sales email templates
- Introduction Email Templates
Introduce yourself, take over an account, ask for a warm intro, make one or bring a colleague into a deal.
- Meeting Request Email Templates
Cold, referral, inbound, executive, event and customer meeting requests that ask for the call in plain words.
- Sales Follow-Up Email Templates
Follow-ups for no reply, after a meeting, after a proposal and after a demo, with a 3-email cadence.
- Cold Email Templates
First-touch cold emails under 80 words, each with one idea and one direct ask, plus a 3-email cadence.
- Cold email skills for AI agents
The open-source skills these templates are written from.
- Ken pricing
Sources
| Source | Checked |
|---|---|
| FTC, CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business | |
| Ken cold email skills (MIT), email-copywriting and campaign-strategy |
Changelog
- Page published.