The ABCs of Automatic Referrals: G is for "Give to Get"

Whether you're trying to establish a relationship with someone you met at a cocktail party or get referrals from your clients, there are a few basic principles you must master in order to be successful. 

Here they are:

1. Give
2. Give
3. Give
4. Give...

Yup, you've got it. The key to success is a mindset of creating abundance for others.  How can you help your clients' friends and family members?  How can you help that accountant or lawyer you just met? How can you help the contractor who just did the remodel on your house, or the funeral home director down the street?

In my last post, I referred to an article by Jeffrey Gitomer in which he listed five and a half principles for making yourself referable. The "half" was a subset of this "give to get" principle: give the OTHER person a referral first.  This doesn't include just CPAs and attorneys you're hoping will refer back to you. You can also do it with your clients. 

There's the one-on-one method: if your client is a professional or business owner, send some business her way.  If he is very active in a non-profit, volunteer some time or offer to do some pro-bono planning work for them.  Help his college-age kid find a summer job or internship.  The list of opportunities to give in this way is as long as your client list.

Or, you can take a broader approach and make yourself a resource where clients know they can always go to find a referral for just about anything.  That's what Dawn Janes does. Dawn is an insurance agent I interviewed for an article on sharing referrals with other professionals (free registration required) a few years back. She has an entire PAGE on her Web site devoted to referrals for her clients, from hair stylists to estate planning attorneys to custom cabinet makers—and yes, financial advisors.  She meets with all of these professionals and vets them before they make it to her Web site.

As it turns out, these referrals have not only won her lots of points with clients—they've also benefited her in terms of bringing in referrals from the other professionals listed on her page. In fact, she notes, "My largest client is a result of networking with a referral resource." 

There's nothing like telling people you'd like to get to know them better and perhaps refer business their way to rev up your networking.

Believe it in your bones: when you give, you get.  Ironically, the less you concern yourself with the getting, the more wealth and success will come your way.  No matter how much you're struggling to get your own business off the ground, focus on lifting others up as you climb.  Let that be the polestar that guides your professional life.