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Book Review: Endless Referrals

Written by: Jay Hamilton-Roth

Article Overview: As a small business owner, I’m always searching for ways to build my list of referrals. Two previous books I’ve reviewed (Brag! and Networking Magic) also described strategies for building referrals, but this book is my new favorite.

Book Review: Endless Referrals

As a small business owner, I’m always searching for ways to build my list of referrals. Two previous books I’ve reviewed (Brag! and Networking Magic) also described strategies for building referrals, but this book is my new favorite.

Endless Referrals picks up where Networking Magic leaves off - what to do after your initial conversation. It’s based around the core belief: All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like, and trust. You must first get to know people, then to like you, then to trust your advice. Of course, you must also have a product or service that is high-quality (if you don’t, improve your issues internally before trying to attract referrals).

The author (Bob Burg) starts by listing 7 steps that will ensure your success at business functions. These steps are similar to Networking Magic’s - ask questions, listen, and be of use.

1. Adjust your attitude. Realize that the purpose of attending this function is to work and build your network.
2. Work the crowd. Be pleasant and approachable.
3. Introduce yourself to someone new. If possible, have that person be a Center of Influence.
4. After the introduction, invest 99.9 percent of the conversation in asking that person questions about herself and her business. Do not talk about yourself and your business.
5. Ask for your networking prospect’s business card.
6. Later on, pop back by and call that person by name.
7. Introduce people you have met to others and help them find ways to benefit one another.

I will almost always follow up with the conversation with an email, mentioning what we talked about, and then asking them if they would be interested in my services. Endless Referrals’ strategy is different. Don’t ask them if they want anything that you’re selling (since you met in a business setting, it’s assumed that you are selling something). Instead, stay in touch with your prospects, and make it your “job” to be of service to your prospects - finding them leads (you asked when you first met them, what is an ideal lead for you). This is the law of “Successful Giving and Successful Receiving”.

The author suggests using hand-written note cards instead of email (with your photo on the card). Handwritten notes will be opened, and your photo will subliminally act as a reminder of who you are (not everyone can remember what people look like, but seeing the same face makes you seem more familiar, and therefore trustworthy).

There are chapters devoted to cold-calling (how to get past the gate keeper), using the Internet, positioning yourself as an expert, cross-promotions, and more.

Related Articles
  Endless Referrals
  “Six Strategic Things To Remember When Requesting Referrals, According To Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach”
  Getting Referrals
  Business Building Breakfast 3
  Did You Get Any Referrals Today?

Article Tags: attitude, bob burg, brag, building referrals, business card, business functions, core belief, crowd, email, endless referrals, high quality, initial conversation, job, magic, networking, person by name, person questions, previous books, prospects, small business owner



Related Forum Posts
Re: Top 50 Lists - Hi Evan, How about "Top 50": -Inventor Blogs To Watch -Franchising Blogs To Watch -Business Book Review Blogs -Women Entrepreneur Blogs -Young Entrepreneur Blogs
My reading log - Hi OmnivoreInk, Before starting my business, I read the following books as research: -"The Art of the Start" by Guy Kawasaki -"The AdSense Code" by Joel Comm -"Don't Think Pink" and "Mind Your X's and Y's" by Lisa Johnson And since then I've continued my "research" by reading (in this order): -"Technical Tennis" by Rod Cross -"For One More Day" by Mitch Albom -"The Twits" by Roald Dahl -"Little Black Book of Connections" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne -"The Profitable Retailer" by Doug Fleener -"Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell -"Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" by C.S. Lewis -"Little Green Book of Getting Your Way" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling And I'm currently reading and am in the process of finishing the following: -"There's No Such Thing as Public Speaking" by Jeanette and Roy Henderson -"The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell -"The Book of Tells" by Peter Collett -"Little Red Book of Sales Answers" by Jeffrey Gitomer -"Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience" by Jonathan M. Tisch -"The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity" by Julia Cameron -"The Inner Game of Tennis" by Timothy Gallwey
Re: Significance of Review Sites - Exactly! Review sites are very helpful for providing better understanding to a product or service.
My entry - 1. The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read - this is a fascinating book about the history of Business theory, and I'd recommend it to anybody. 2. The Big Book of Small Business: You Don't Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax. Ditto. 3. PADI: The Business of Diving Book Okay, so this book won't be of use to anyone who doesn't want to start a scuba store, but I did, and this book was of course invaluable to me in reaching that goal.
Re: How do you get your clients? - I think staying away from gathering clients strictly online when first starting out is probably a good idea. Your first few clients could maybe be people you know, or know through somebody that may require some of your services. Another good way of gaining new clientel is offering your first few clients completely free service in exchange for placing your business card or promotional material in their business if you're doing b2b sales. Referrals are the lifeblood of many small businesses.


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