10 Irrefutable Laws of Referral Building

Listed below are some of the fundamental truths about referral building. 

These laws, without question, outline absolute truths about referral relationships.

1.  If they don't like you, they won't refer to you, even if your price or quality is better.

2.  Without a follow-up note or a meeting, most new referral sources will forget about you in less than 10 days.

3.  In order for your referral network to consistently refer to you, they need a crystal-clear understanding of what you do and the problems that you solve.

4.  Technology will never replace face-to-face relationships and personal chemistry.

5.   A lead is not a referral. A referral is when you connect someone you know, like and trust to someone you care about who has a need. A lead is barely more than a cold call.  

6.  A few quality referrals are better than a larger quantity of leads.

7.  Referral sources are based on relationship building, not networking.

8.  Many people that you may consider referral sources are actually just social contacts, networking buddies and good-time charlies, who have rarely, if ever, sent you a referral.

9.  Lack of visibility is the top reason why referral relationships falter. If they never hear from you or see you, even if they know, like and trust you, they will forget about you.   

10.  You should be able to close a well-endorsed quality referral 85% of the time.