Earlier this month, I was the keynote speaker for Pittsburgh's International Networking Day celebration. At the end of my presentation, I opened it up for questions. A gentleman sitting right in front of me a few rows back asked, "What if you get clunker referrals?" So I asked him to explain what he meant by "clunker referrals". He continued by saying, "You know ... when someone gives you a referral that's just not good. What do you do with that referral?"
Perhaps this has happened to you. The way I see it, there are two things to do:
1. If someone passed you a "clunker referral" it's all your fault. It's your responsibility to help educate that person on what is the right referral for you. So, after you thank this person for thinking of you and referring you business ... it's time to step up your education process and coach this person for the results you're looking for in referral business. If you're getting what you want ... it's because of what you're doing. If you're not getting what you want ... it's also because of what you're doing [or not doing].
2. Although the "clunker referral" might not be a good referral for you ... my bet is that it is for someone. Your job, again, is to find that someone. If you're like me, I'm looking for clients that I can perform my best for ... they deserve nothing less. If that "clunker" can be better served by someone else, they deserve it too. And, you can expand your network by finding the right person to help them.
Remember this saying? "One man's trash is another man's treasure!" Perhaps it has new meaning to you now.
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