I see a lot on AR about referrals that turn out to not really be referrals.  Is anyone really surprised?  Think about it.  When you refer someone you are placing your credibility in someone else's hands.  Your credibility is now at risk. 

Personally speaking, I have to have the utmost assurance that my credibility is going to be returned to me intact before I am willing to put it at risk.  I do enough stupid things all by myself, so there is no need to enlist aid, from someone that I do not have complete confidence in, to do more harm.

Relationships need time to develop in order for trust to solidify.  If the person referring you has not crossed this line of trust chances are the referral will not live up to your expectations.  AR is a great place to introduce yourself and be introduced to others and begin building relationships.  It requires a little more than a great blog, some quick comments and on line time to generate a good referral.

My question is:  What are you doing outside the cyber world to move your relationships into the wide world of great referrals?

Psycotic? Maybe. Psychic? Definately not!!!

An earlier post touched on those five famous words, "How can I help you?".  I can assure you that I am not a mind reader, so it is relatively safe to say that I do not know the best way I can help others.  I depend on them to share their needs.  Not knowing the best way to help is probably true with most of your relationships.

Being prepared to to let people know how they can help you is essential to enlisting their assistance.  Guess what?  It is likely to be different for everyone.  Different people will be able to help in different ways, depending on their profession, networks and skills.

Inventory your network and uncover the best way for those you are in relationship with to help you.

So the question is: Are you prepared when someone asks, "How can I help you?".

Being a resource for others is the key to having others refer business to you.  Every successful business person enjoys it when a good referral is passed to them, but how do you get others to pass you referrals on a consistent basis?

It is relatively easy.  Ask those five famous words, "How can I help you".  Most of us need help in some fashion or another.  It may be in business, in family, in school, or an organization we volunteer time to.  The list can be endless.

When others realize that you really care about them and you are willing to help, you will become the person they trust and go to.  The next time you meet with a friend, client or prospect include those five famous words in your conversation.  You may be surprised at the answer you get, but remember, be ready to take action when they ask.

So my question is, "How can I help you".

As an Area Director for BNI in Southwestern Virginia, I am continually amazed at the number of business professionals that say they do not have time to receive referrals from a BNI chapter.

Is it me or what? I would spend a half-day with someone if they were going to refer someone to me. I also know that if I take care of their referral that they will pass another and another and it will not require that I spend extraordinary amounts of time with them.

Now I do not know how much you know about BNI, but in a nutshell, you attend an hour-and-a-half meeting and conduct an hour one-to-one with another chapter member each week.  In return you have the opportunity to train your 'sales force' (the chapter members) on how to listen for and, consequently, pass you good referrals.  You learn what good referrals are for the other members of the chapter, you get to meet the new visitors each week and there is even more that will not fit into this proverbial nutshell.

My question is how much time is "too much time" in order to get qualified referrals on a regular basis?

With over 100,000 members meeting weekly to pass referrals and make strategic introductions for each other, BNI is the World's Leading Referral Organization.  To find out more about BNI go to www.bniswva.com.