On Giving Referrals
I like referring people to people who…
- Follow up with the contact right away –same day.
- Keep their word. Especially if they take money from the person I referred, they will complete the work and do it well.
- Treat the people I refer with respect.
- Refer people back to me (when it makes sense). For example, I referred some people who needed someone to help them learn LinkedIn to get business leads to Todd Colbeck. Then he taught them to go to me to send out a press release about the sales tools they built to attract new customers.
My husband is a financial planner who refers A LOT of business to a mortgage broker. The guy is so incredibly good at his job that he makes my husband look good for referring him. He’s one of the top sellers in the country for good reason. He knows so much in an industry that is so dynamic. But he also does something that I love. When he does a refinance and saves someone A LOT of money on their monthly payments, do you know what he does? Yes, he sends the same people back to my husband to invest the money they’re saving for the future. I love it.
I have recently referred someone who didn’t keep his word – not with me and not with a friend I referred to him. I have referred people to someone who was really good at what he does but treated people with mistrust. He could even be abusive. I didn’t realize that until after I’d worked with him a while.
Making a good referral can be difficult. People might be good at one thing and not another (so they may be brilliant and marketing but be flaky at showing up to planned events). So set yourself (and them) up to succeed by referring them only for what they are good at.
I’m reading a new book that I’m already going to say is worth getting. It’s from John Jantsch of “Duct Tape Marketing,” and it’s called, “The Referral Engine” and it’s a book that needed to be written. Referrals are important and should not be left to chance. I’ll tell you more next week when I review the book on OrangeSoda’s blog.
7 Responses to “On Giving Referrals”
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April 7th, 2010 at 3:47 am
Looking forward to your review of The Referral Engine – much of what you’ve covered here in this post is hit pretty hard in the book. Proper follow-up is a key aspect of any referral system.
April 8th, 2010 at 8:21 am
Excellent, Janet! I, too, look forward to The Referral Engine, but also more of your dynamic wisdom. Good follow up…sounds [kind of] like missionary practices!
April 8th, 2010 at 10:50 am
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April 11th, 2010 at 6:26 am
Janet – great points about what makes somebody “referrable”. I’m looking forward to your review!
I’m doing a similar review on my site, and am interviewing other people who have read the book for their insights. I’d love to include you. If you are interested, drop me a line and we’ll set it up!
Cheers,
Steve
April 13th, 2010 at 6:43 am
Steve,
Reading the book makes me aware that I have some work to do to make my business more referable.
I’ll contact you – I’d love to participate.
Best
Janet
April 13th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
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June 29th, 2010 at 9:01 am
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