Consistency drives referral success

I played basketball in high school. I didn't play well, mind you—but I played. The one area where I did stand out a bit was in free-throw shooting. I routinely made 85-90% of my foul shots, both in practice and in games. I didn't get to use my one skill in games very much—that would, after all, have entailed getting out on the court—but it was still a comforting skill to have.

That's why I was so thrilled when I heard about Deb Remmerde, a sophomore at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. She did something no one else has ever done in the history of basketball, at any level (including the NBA): she made 133 free throws in a row in competition before missing for the first time.

The CBS Early Show decided to put Remmerde to the test earlier this week. They put in her a gym full of supportive fans and asked her to shoot free throws for two hours. When it was all over, she had made 580 out of 585 attempts. What I found most striking was her consistency of form. Her timing and motion were absolutely identical from one shot to the next. And she said as much when Harry Smith asked her what her secret is: I don't think there's really any secret," was her response . "I think it's... having a routine that works and just having a lot of repetitions."

I was also struck by the fact that those exceptionally rare occasions when she DID miss didn't seem to phase her at all. She'd made 256 in a row when she missed one. That would rattle a lot of people, but Remmerde just got right back in the groove and made another 100+ in a row before missing again.

What does this have to do with referrals? A lot. Lack of consistency is one of the most common referral saboteurs for financial advisors. Once we find a referral approach that works, we need to apply it systematically and consistently. When we do that, the referrals will start to flow. And no allowing "missed shots" to throw you off your game. Get your routine down and stick with it (free registration required) and it won't be long before you start blowing away your own personal best.