Customers By Referral Blog

The best networkers almost instinctively, it seems, keep a list - a directory, you might say - of companies, individuals, service providers, vendors, and so on - who provide products and services related to their own product or service.  They refer to this directory when they themselves cannot help a customer or prospect fill a need or solve a problem.  The directory helps them quickly and easily locate someone who CAN.

Bill Cates, in his book “Unlimited Referrals”, calls this a “personal catalog.”

Many networkers carry this a step further and keep a catalog not only of  companies in their own industry, but in broader categories, too.  Perhaps companies in your home town who’ve provided you good service, whether it’s auto repair or dog sitting.  If you market online, you may keep a list of hosting companies or graphic artists handy.

At first glance, this doesn’t seem like a particularly smart business idea - give business away to someone ELSE?  Admit that you can’t handle a problem?

But at second glance… (stay tuned to this blog.)

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