The best potential client contacts are given to you, with trust. They need your services, and a mutual contact has given them some information about your service reliability and suitability.

When you receive a referral, much of the relationship building that normally is needed has been done before you talk with this new contact. You can quickly start discussing the details of the personal or business situation.

When you receive a referral, much of the relationship building that normally is needed has been done before you talk with this new contact. You can quickly start discussing the details of the personal or business situation.

The Key? Exchange

When an accountant builds relationships with an I.T. company, investment specialist, business lawyer, business coach and office supply company, they have the potential for gaining a trusted conduit to new profitable clients. If your existing clients need one of your client’s products or services, you start to build the “connector” reputation. Only then will people seriously consider your need for referrals.

Start With Many, Seek Few

Because Referral Partnerships are special connections, you won’t get many. The criteria can start with your personal comfort level: Who do you trust enough to give a referral to? That’s probably less than 10% of your current clients.

Diversity

You don’t want all your Referral Partners in one business, one cultural group, or one region. Seek to grow relationships in a variety of areas. This kind of “cross pollination” builds your network into a much stronger asset, both professionally and personally.

We at Gap Management have developed a simple downloadable document for Referral Partner Tracking. You can find it here