Over time, I learned that asking for more referrals wasn’t nearly as important as becoming someone people felt comfortable referring.
When someone refers a client to you, they’re taking a small risk.
Their client may judge them partly by what happens next.
So before asking someone for more referrals, I’d look at what happens after the introduction.
Do you respond promptly?
Do you understand what the client has already been told?
Do you make the next step easy?
Do you keep the referring person from having to chase you for updates?
And perhaps most importantly: Do you make the person who referred you look good for having done it?
Some of my strongest referral relationships lasted because the people sending me business knew I would take care of the person they sent.
That reduced their risk.
It also made the next referral easier.
You can ask for referrals.
Or you can build a reputation that makes people comfortable giving them.
I’ve always preferred the second approach.