Hi I am always intrigued by the networking and referral process.  We have enjoyed some great success by being honest, open and building trust and ongoing relationships through networking but asking my team we don’t have any examples of a great referral relationship.

How do you incentivise and reciprocate effectively to keep a referral relationship working?

How do you maintain a high amount of referrals to others whilst developing your own business?

Is the referral process limited to a specific type of business or is it effective to all?

Is there a right and wrong time to request or inflict a referral - what is the most effective route?

Thanks for your views and thoughts.

Paul. 

I personally dont like to ask for referrals or to be asked for referrals on any sort of agreement basis.

Like you, networking (on-line and off-line) for me works by building trust and relationships. Each person that knows and trusts you will always remember you and will put you forward if they hear of anything suitable. A networking relationship built on trust will last far longer than a relationship built on any kind of referral relationship. This in turn means you will get more referrals in the long run.

Others will say differently, but that is how it works for me

Hi Paul

I think business referrals can be a really effective way to gain business.  I record the source of my leads, so I know what is working and what isn't. 

In relation to referrals,  I don't have any formal process in place  -  I just keep in touch.   But for ongoing collaborations, we have all the costs sorted out up front because if I didn't I would have to keep going back for cost info everytime I priced a proposal up. I keep in touch regularly so that I know what the workload is like, so I can quote accurate timescales.

For me its about the relationship first of all,  its whether your business values are compatible and if you can work together - it's not always just about the individual services on offer.

Michelle

By being myself.
If you like, and you need, you'll give with the reverse also being true.

If you have to pay someone to give you work then you're doing it wrong.

I think being good at what you do is first and foremost but there is also an element of being around. Keeping those relationships alive by using the forum and attending meetings keeps you in mind when people have a need. (This could be applied to any network - not just 4N).

As the others have said Paul, being reliable, being good at what you do and thinking about others has always been my policy.  Telling people that you pay for referrals doesn't work in my opinion (although we do say thank you and give a little something for a referral).  I want people to tell others about what we do because they trust us, not because they'll be paid to do it!