Why are customer referrals mostly done wrong?

When I ask ETA operators what their number one source of new business is, they most often say customer referrals. Then I ask how they’re actually generating those referrals… and I get shrugs. Everyone knows referrals are high-leverage. Almost no one runs them well. Not because they’re hard, but because asking feels awkward. Reps don’t want to sound needy or bother customers, even happy ones. So referrals turn into a vague “we should ask at some point” idea… and then never happen. What’s worked best for me is taking humans out of the decision. Instead timing our ask at the whim of the salesperson, we identify the point after the deal when customer happiness is likely to peak. This is the moment they’ve clearly felt real value, when they problem they've hired you for first goes away. Then, we create a CRM automation task that consistently reminds reps to call and ask for referrals at the moment of peak happiness. We track metrics on the completion of these tasks to make sure that 100% of them happen on time, and we track the percentage of new leads that come from this effort. No guesswork. No forgetting. No “I’ll do it next time.” The ask itself is intentionally simple. This is the exact phrasing I like: “Most of our growth comes from introductions from our best customers like you. Would you happen to know two people who might benefit from our service?” Asking for two is essential. Ask for one and people freeze. Ask for two and they actually think. On average, you get more introductions. We rolled this out for a team selling to dental practices. Referrals went from occasional to steady, without changing comp or incentives. All of our success came from implementing the right structure and timing. If you deliberately choose the moment of peak customer happiness and make the ask automatic, referrals stop feeling awkward and start behaving like a real, predictable channel. I'm curious how others drive referrals systematically!