Dear Prudence,
I’ve referred a lot of neighbors to the electrical company I use (to which I’ve paid about $25K over the years). I’ve done so not only because their lead electrician does excellent work, but also because this guy goes above and beyond. For example, whenever I have a question, he’s fully accessible via phone and text. All for free.
I consider the situation a win-win, and I suspect he does, too. To be sure, I have no idea if the people I’ve sent his way have a $50 project or a $5K one, though I do know for sure that some of them have become customers, and I live in a wealthy neighborhood.
Here’s my dilemma: A friend I sent to him hired him for a $15K project. I recommended the electrician specifically because the electrician had done this exact project for me. And the electrician did such a good job that my friend hired him to repeat the project in his second house.
Should I raise the idea of a referral fee for all this business? I don’t want money; just credit toward future projects (the guy is expensive). Or should I content myself that the electrician shows up when he says he will, accommodates my requests for an extra freebie when he’s here, and is never too busy to answer a question? If I had to choose, I’d take the freebies over the commissions. But I want both.