Referrals and Netweaving

by Byron Woodson II

A few days ago Networking guru Ivan Misner wrote this blog about referrals. In it he make an argument for treating people well because you'll never know who is going to be your next referral. While I agree, that's not the whole story. In the world of business, referrals are a two-way street. Lawyers recommend accountants who recommend them, and vice versa.

For the most part, we have this notion that if someone refers someone else, they're a trusted and trustworthy person. And while this idealized world may be the case, but business is still business. So while you keep your eye on the ball about treating people right so they may think of you and refer you in the future, keep your other eye on the nature of the referrals in the network. What do I mean by that?

Well I just said it, weren't you listening? If the bread and butter of gaining business is referrals, then what you have to do is become a referral machine. That is you have to pass along as much business to as many people as possible. You scratch backs, yours gets scratched.

This particular spin on making referrals sounds a little callous and manipulative, but it exemplifies my larger point about the nature of networks and netweaving. By consistenly bringing more and more people together, whether through business lunches, dinner parties or after-work events, you become a referral guru. And at the center of this network, you'll inevitably gain more clout and business.

Your connections will make connections with your other connections. This is networking, making interconnections between people. This can be for the purpose of business, social, organized around passions or all three. The key is to bring in as many people into your (referral) network as possible, and let them make the connections. When people make connections during your events, or through you, those are referrals!