[May 2026] 🤘 3 things every good ask gets right (+ 3 updates)

Hey it’s Mica,

A few weeks ago, I got my dishwasher fixed. The technician was great. On his way out, he asked for a review. I said absolutely. He told me to watch for an email with the link. 

It never came.

Last year, my water heater broke (it’s been a rough year for appliances). They asked for a review as well, but this time I was handed a business card with a QR code linking to the review site. 

Guess which company got the review?

It's not just when you ask. It's where and how. We introduced Discovery Paths to make it easy to put your referral program in front of customers in the spots they're already passing by. Now we’re digging deeper into what makes a good discovery path and how to use them for different types of asks (beyond referrals).  

Let's dive in (monthly features below).

-Mica
Head of Operations

🔍 What makes a good Discovery Path?

Every business reaches people in two ways: the direct campaigns you send and the everyday moments customers run into on their own. 

Discovery Paths are the second kind: a receipt, a confirmation text, a business card, or the page someone logs into. Each of those moments is an opportunity to present your ask. But seeing it isn't the same as acting on it.

A good Discovery Path comes down to three things:

1) The Location

Most asks fail to drive action because they're in the wrong place or seen at the wrong time (see hitting the sharing window). The best locations are both easily findable (always on) and clearly visible when the customer is in the right mindset.

One of the best times to make an ask is right after a positive experience (delivery complete, job finished, order arrived, problem solved).

Look at your key customer interactions to find your best locations:

• Where do customers already interact with you?

• How do they feel during those interactions?

• When do they have a few moments to spare and a phone in hand?

2) The Message

Once you're in the right locations, the words have to fit. Don’t just reuse the same line everywhere. A receipt, email, website, and physical signage are all different locations. The message needs to match the medium.

A good message has three jobs:

• Stands out from whatever surrounds it

• Has one clear action

• Looks easy to complete

Here are some examples:

• Receipt (short and punchy): "Loved your visit? Review us →"

• Email (longer sentence): "If your repair went smoothly, a quick review would mean a lot. Here's a one-tap link."

• App/Dashboard (single button): "Refer a Friend"

• Sign by the front desk (with a QR code): “Your next visit could be on us, scan to get started.”

3) The Path

Then there's the part everyone forgets. What happens after someone clicks the link or scans the QR code? You got the "yes," but the moment is fragile. The customer is taking action, don’t prevent them from following through.

Make the path as short as possible by cutting friction wherever you can:

• Fewer form fields

• No passwords to set

• No emails to wait on or find later

• No complex steps or information to look up

The shorter the trip from "yes" to "done," the more people actually finish.

💡 7 asks for customers to discover

Here are seven everyday asks you can use in your Discovery Paths.

• Get a quote or consultation - put it where prospects are already looking: the service page, the estimate in their hand, the sign in the finished yard

• Leave a review - on the business card or invoice with a QR that goes straight to the review page after the job is done

• Gather feedback - right after a positive interaction: the closed ticket, the completed onboarding step, the delivered order

• Promote an event - tuck the invite into something they're already opening: the order confirmation, email signature, thank-you message

• Follow you on social - attach it to a good moment: the packaging insert, the confirmation screen, the email footer

• Subscribe to your newsletter - in the welcome email or on the blog page they're already reading

• Join your referral program - following the initial good experience or the post-purchase honeymoon (see sharing window)