Excerpts from The Book "Maximum Referrals"

Too many times people think that to be referable means you must know a lot of people. Sort of like McDonald’s, where your process tons of burgers, work on sheer volume, and when you tally it all up, you can help but make a decent profit.

 But truth be told, it’s not about what you know or even who or how many people you know. It’s about who you know, who knows you, and whether or not they understand what you do for a living.

Did you catch the last one there?

Let me point out two other key elements at work here, the words “like,” and “trust.”

You see, before you can ever expect to receive a referral for your painting services, financial planning advice, wedding catering concierge or anything else your selling, a person has to like you and trust you ¾ even if they know what you do for a living. Like and trust are first ¾ before anyone will ever fork over a valued relationship to you.

We’re human beings, so we’re social creatures. We enjoy other people and being with them ¾ if and only if ¾ we like them. So one of the fastest ways of getting more referrals is:

·        Getting to know more people;

·        Getting them to like you and trust you;

·        Getting them to understand specifically what you do for a living.

Look at your current method of gaining referrals. Do you do this logically? Are you consciously meeting new people and attempting to build a rapport with them? Or do you skip over the first two important steps here and forcibly cram an advertising or sales pitch down a person’s throat?

When people know you, like you, trust you, and then actually understand how you earn your living, something remarkable happens: they often want to help you succeed and locate new clients. But they’ll never do it if they don’t first like you and trust you, and then completely understand what it is you do for a living.

Good luck

--Daryl Logullo