There is a very easy way to generate more introductions and referrals. It involves going back in time to when you were at primary school … and being a bit less British.
Please let me explain.
When you were 7 or 8 your teacher would sometimes say to the class “I would like you to write a story about anything you like.”
Do you remember how hard this was? With no focus your mind wandered and it was difficult to decide what to write about. On the other hand do you remember when your teacher was that little bit more prescriptive? When they said, for example, “I would like you to write a story about magic”?
Take a direct direction
This was much easier as you had some direction. You can use the same principle to get more referrals from your existing clients and professional contacts and this is how …
Once you’ve identified someone you would like to meet, send a mutual contact an email saying either:
“I am looking to start a conversation with [name of target here] and was hoping that you might be able to introduce us?”
Or:
“So I can see from LinkedIn that you are connected to [name] and was wondering if you would be happy to introduce me via email/LinkedIn please?”
And remember it’s always easier to follow up with a warm introduction like this than just be given a name to follow up yourself.
Clients (and this is the ‘be less British’ bit!) that like you will want to help. Business is built on reciprocity and you can make your clients look good to the contacts that you are seeking introductions to.
If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you generate more introductions and referrals, please drop us a line and we can find a convenient time to talk. Or, if you’d like some more practical BD tips, why not catch up with our CoffeeCast?