The ABCs of Automatic Referrals: Network Mapping and the Six Degrees of Separation

Everyone has heard of the concept of Six Degrees of Separation—the idea that through our networks of acquaintances, none of us is more than 6 steps removed from everyone else on the planet.  I  saw a great TV documentary a couple of years ago called "The Human Chain" that set out to prove (or disprove) that theory. 

The producers asked two very well-to-do people in New York City to try to locate a man neither of them knew, using only social contacts.  The only thing they were given was his name and photograph and the information that he lived in Brooklyn—which every New Yorker knows can be very far removed from the Upper East and Upper West sides of Manhattan, where the subjects lived—and that he was a boxer at a particular gym. They were not allowed to Google him or use any other means of research to find him. The only way they were allowed to seek him out was through their existing social networks—by asking people they knew who they thought might be able to lead them in the right direction.

As it turned out, both subjects managed to get introduced to this young man within two days.  One turned out to be four degrees removed from their target—the other, five. 

Then, the producers asked the young man to do the same thing in reverse: find a way to use his existing network to get introduced to a Broadway dancer who was starring in "A Chorus Line."  He never thought he would be able to do it—but as it turned out, he was also able to accomplish the task within 4 social hops. 

It was a fascinating show. One of the biggest take-homes for me is that you simply can't make assumptions about who people know.  Advisors frequently make the mistake of assuming that only wealthy clients can introduce them to other wealthy people.  That is a fallacy.  In fact, Horsesmouth has found that advisors' best referrals often come from their "C" clients.  We all know a LOT of people.  If I challenged you right now to find a connection through your existing network to a prominent or high-profile person in your community, I will almost guarantee that you could think of a pathway to get you there within just a few leaps.

But the only way you will ever uncover these connections is by "mapping the network" of your clients and other referral sources.  A network map lets you visualize who your client knows, so you can plan your next move.  If you know who your clients know, you can both uncover great new referral possibilities AND find connections through your clients to people you already know you want to meet. 

You know the old saying that you can't map a route if you don't know your destination?  Likewise, you can't get a steady stream of high-quality referrals if you don't understand who you want to meet, why you want to meet them, and who you know who might be able to introduce you to those types of prospects.

This is the heart of the Automatic Referrals process: gathering information about who your clients know, identifying potential prospects within those networks, and then asking for introductions to those people. Do your homework. Take your time. Find out who your clients know.  Then you can identify the acquaintances you want to meet—and ask your clients to introduce you.

Touch Referral Sources with a "Thinking About You" Call

One of my favorite prospecting experts, Art Sobczak of Business By Phone, recently gave some terrific advice for anyone trying to cultivate referral sources: "Call people and tell them you are thinking about them."

Simple, right?  Well, yes—and no.  As Art points out, people love to hear they're on your mind, but you can't just call or show up on their doorstep with no good reason to take up their time. He asks if you've ever been guilty of these very poor methods of staying connected:

The Probation Officer Approach: "Just checking in with you..."

The Baseball Opening: "Just wanted to touch base with you..."

The I've Got Too Much Time on My Hands Call: "Thought I'd give you a call to see how it's going..."

Ugh.

The point is, if you're not adding value, you're wasing their time, and yours. 

What you want to do, Art writes, is:

"...call with some news, an idea, something you heard or saw that could benefit them, a sale or promotion they could take advantage of...anything that would cause them to say, 'Oh, that's interesting stuff.'

For example,

'Hi Jim, it’s Pat at Universal Services. I was reading some new performance reports, and I started thinking about you. I realized that you might be interested in what these reports had to say, because of what you mentioned on our last call about...'"

When you read a newspaper or a magazine or a blog, be on the lookout for items that might be of interest to the potential referral sources in your network.  Share snippets of conversation or things you learn from clients and prospects that you think might be valuable to them. 

Better yet, offer the other guy some referrals first: "When Mrs. Jones mentioned this problem with her father's estate, I immediately thought of you and your expertise with this type of situation." 

Find value-added ways to let people know you're thinking of them, touch them regularly, and be patient—and watch the referrals start to flow.

Read Art's complete post, "I'm Thinking about YOU," here.