There’s a big difference between a typical referral and a great referral. If you want to receive great referrals you need to give great referrals.

 

Most referrals are one sided. I might be having a conversation with my friend Sue, and she tells me that she’s thinking about starting a new marketing program. This would be a great referral for my friend Bob at the Super Mega Good Marketing Agency, so I suggest that she call Bob and give her his number… 9 times out of 10 Sue probably won’t call Bob. Poor Bob just missed out on a potentially great new client.

 

Giving a good referral means both parties need to know about each other and have an opportunity to follow-up. By spending 3 more minutes I can turn my simple referral to Bob into a great referral for Bob. When I get back to the office I put together a quick e-mail to both Bob and Sue. I briefly introduce them to each other and provide their contact information. It’s a small act, but it makes a huge difference.

 

Before Sue was unlikely to contact Bob. She might have lost his number, or like most of us other things came up and she just didn’t get a chance to make the call. By giving this bi-directional referral Bob can now contact Sue. By being polite and following-up consistently he is probably 10 times more likely to get Sue as a new client. Plus Sue was able to find a great new marketing firm that can really help her.

 

By giving these great referrals you’ll start to get referrals of equal quality. Then you’ll stop hearing “Oh, I referred you to Billy Bob, did he ever call you?”

 

Happy networking!

Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com