How to build a referral program that actually brings in leads with Kirsty Sharman, Referral Factory

In this episode, Kirsty talks through the gap between customers who say they'd recommend a product and customers who actually do, why referral programs feel harder to launch than they are, and what separates the programs that generate consistent leads from the ones that never get off the ground.

She also makes the case for why customer marketers — not growth teams, not product — are best placed to own this channel.

What we cover:

• How Kirsty went from building Africa's largest influencer platform to launching Referral Factory
• Why most businesses leave word of mouth to chance — and how to stop
• How to launch a referral program in 30 days
• The double-sided referral: why giving customers something to share beats asking them to sell
• What rewards actually work (and the B2B mistake that kills participation)
• How to make the business case to leadership — including the one question Kirsty uses every time
• Why referral programs don't create word of mouth. They capture it.

Resources:

• Referral Factory: https://www.referral-factory.com
• Referral Factory case studies: https://www.referral-factory.com/case-studies
• Kirsty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstysharman