Turn “Word of Mouth” into a Scalable Referral Machine

A megaphone raised to the sky

I saw a post today about how referrals don’t scale.

Though I certainly agree that relying on “hope” for referrals is not particularly scalable, I do think that there’s a lot of referral opportunity left on the table when it comes to supercharging your referral mechanism.

If you create a referral system that leverages proactive, relationship-nurturing practices, referrals can become an effective, scalable mechanism that fuels success.

Here are a few ideas:

Get consistent about asking. Most people neglect to ask for referrals at all. Simply ask for reviews and referrals regularly.

Reciprocate. Ask others in your network how best to refer *them* then make it easy for them to refer you. Take this one step further by building out a referral “pool” of aligned organization leaders who all refer each other.

Every interaction has the potential to become a referral opportunity. Ask “Who else should I be talking to?” to prompt new conversations.

Where are you leaving referral opportunities on the table? Let us know by dropping us a line!