One of the biggest obstacles to successful networking is realizing that it's not about yourself. We're all looking to get referrals from our networking efforts, but in order to get referrals we must first give referrals (without expectations).

In his book The Ripple Effect, Steve Harper tells us that the act of being selfless is the most selfish thing we can do. The act of helping others creates 'ripples' which always come back to us. They don't always come back exactly as we would expect, but they do come back.

A referral is a powerful tool when used appropriately. A good referral has an impact on 2 people. The person you gave the referral to, and the person whom you are referring. You get 2 for the price of 1, and it doesn't cost you a thing.

My buddy Ralph Young with Word of Mouth Marketing says it best, and I probably quote him 2-3 times every day! He says: "If you give it away in bricks, they'll build you a house." I love this quote, because it so succinctly describes the power of referrals. You just have to remember 2 things.

1. It takes quite a while to build a house.
2. Building a house takes a lot of bricks!

The same is true of building a successful business that operates by referral.

Scott Ingram
NetworkInAustin.com