What's in it for me?
From my perspective, so much of our society revolves around those 5 words. It's an underlying motivation in so many things. How does it impact referral relationships? I've met people that believe the only way someone will pass them a referral is to pay them for it ... literally. "I'll pay you $100 for each referral that you give me."
Personally, I believe that there's a better way. I believe that if you are proactive and offer your help to people often enough, they will offer to help you in return. I believe that if you give referrals to someone freely and genuinely because you honestly care enough to WANT to help their business, that person will return the favor to honor your relationship and keep it flourishing.
I don't need to get paid to give someone a referral. If I like you, trust you, and respect you enough ... you will get my help from the heart. A strong relationship is incentive enough for me!
What incentives do you offer for referrals?
1 comment:
I like to send a personal, handwritten thank you note. I also like to have coffee, breakfast or lunch with this wonderful person to find out better how I might be able to help him. And of course, the best thank you is to actually find a qualified referral that this person needs.
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