The short version
- Four partners send hosts their best stays and their next units: family attorneys, mediators, realtors and landlords.
- Open with their client's problem, not your property. “Has a client ever asked you where they'll stay tonight?”
- For more units, ask a landlord a plain question: who would like an extra $24,000 a year?
- Pick a daily number of new partner conversations and track every one until it's a yes or a no.
Why partners beat listing tweaks
A listing waits for a stranger to search. A partner already knows the people who need a place to stay, often before those people have started looking.
The stays that come through partners tend to be longer, too: a person in the middle of a divorce, a family between homes, someone whose house is being repaired. Those are 30-night stays, not weekend trips.
The four partners in one table
| Partner | What their client needs | Your opener | Your ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family and divorce attorneys | A client who has to move out this week and has nowhere furnished to go. | “Has a client ever asked you where they'll stay tonight?” | Keep my number for the next client who needs a furnished place for a month or more. |
| Mediators | Two people agreeing on who stays in the house, and one of them needing somewhere calm to land. | “When a couple agrees one of them moves out, where do they usually go?” | Hand my card to the person moving out, so they have a quiet place while things settle. |
| Realtors | Buyers whose closing date and move-out date don't line up, and sellers who sold faster than planned. | “How often do your closings leave a client between homes for a few weeks?” | Send me the clients caught between a sale and a closing. |
| Landlords and owners | A reliable tenant for a unit that sits empty or turns over too often. | “I'm looking for someone I can pay $24,000 a year to use their property for the business I'm growing.” | Introduce me to a friend or family member who'd like that extra income. |
The first three send you guests. The fourth sends you places to put them. You need both, because a partner who sends a client you can't house rarely sends a second one.
The attorney call, line by line
Family law offices are busy, so the call has to earn its first ten seconds. Ask for the attorney or the paralegal who handles new clients.
- Open with the problem. “Has a client ever asked you where they'll stay tonight?”
- Let them answer. Most will say yes, and tell you what usually happens: a hotel, a friend's couch, a lease they regret.
- Say what you do in one sentence. “I host furnished places for a month or more, so the person moving out has a quiet home while things get sorted.”
- Tell one short story. A past guest who needed a place fast, stayed a month and left calmer than they arrived. Leave out anything that could identify them.
- Make one small ask. “Could I send you a one-page sheet you can hand to the next client who needs this?”
- Book the next step. A 15-minute coffee or a follow-up call on a set day. Write it down before you hang up.
The same shape works for mediators and realtors. Only the opener changes, and the table above gives you each one.
The $24,000 landlord ask
When partners start sending guests, the next problem is room. Instead of buying, ask the people you already know:
“I'm looking for someone I can pay $24,000 a year to use their property for the business I'm growing. Do you have a friend or family member who'd like an extra $24,000 a year?”
- Ask for three names, not one. People think of one easily and three if you wait.
- Use your own number. $24,000 is $2,000 a month of rent. Put in what a unit costs in your area.
- If the answer is no, stay in touch. A short monthly note keeps you in mind for the day a unit goes empty.
The terms to ask for once an owner says yes, and a calculator for the numbers, are in Add doors without buying.
Follow-up that keeps partners sending
Most referral programs fail after the first call, not during it. The follow-up that works is plain and regular:
- A daily number. Decide how many new partner conversations you'll start each day, and keep it.
- A record of every partner. Who they are, what you said, what they asked for and when you'll speak next.
- A thank-you the same day a partner sends someone, and a note when that guest checks out happy.
- A check-in every few weeks for partners who haven't sent anyone yet. Most first referrals come after several touches.
Book Them Twice records the referral source on every guest, so you can see which partner sent whom and what those stays earned. When one partner keeps sending, you'll know who to thank first.
Before you use these: check your state's rules on referral fees, and never share a past guest's details without their permission.
Questions hosts ask
Should I pay partners a referral fee?
Check first. Many state bar rules limit what lawyers can accept for referrals, and realtors have their own rules. A thank-you, a fast answer and a guest who's well looked after usually matter more to a partner than a fee.
How many calls does it take?
More than most hosts expect, and most first calls end without a meeting. Set a daily number of new conversations and keep it, rather than making a burst of calls one week and none the next.
Do I need a website before I call partners?
It helps. A partner who likes your answer will look you up. A page that explains your place, who it's for and how to send someone over makes the referral easy.
Want us to look at your setup?
20 minutes on a call. We look at your PMS, your guests and your gaps, then tell you plainly whether Book Them Twice fits.
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