“Ok, let’s see if we have the basic info we need here, and that I understand everything. Oh, I see that you were referred to me by Bob Smith. He’s a great guy. How do you know him?”

OR “I see you found us on the Internet. Do you happen to remember what terms you were searching on? We want to make sure folks like you can find us.”

OR “So you heard me speak. When was that? I’m flattered that you remembered me. What stood out for you?” (if it was a long time ago) OR “I’m so glad that you got value from my talk. What were some of your takeaways?”

OR “Oh, you saw our ad. I’m glad that it helped you find us. Was that the one in ______? What was it about it that spoke to you?”

If someone contacts you and it is not clear that you’ll get past the first conversation, that might be the best time to ask. When I get emails with questions or with inquiries about my services, I answer their question. Then at the end or in a p.s. I often add “I’m always curious about how people find me. If it was through the Internet, do you remember what terms you searched on?”

So that’s all a long way of saying…have a simple structure that will automatically elicit some information, when possible. Make other inquiries casually. Don’t make a big deal of it, and if people don’t remember or seem at all bothered by the question, just move on.

I hope that helps!
-Debra

Marc