Quality Counts

An item here which again describes the importance of knowing how to develop referral relationships. One of the key points the author Paul Yates makes is that quality rather than quantity counts when it comes to referral links. Far better to have two top qaulity one to ones in a day rather than 1o five minute phone conversations.

How, then, do we identify those relationships that are worthwhile if, after all, we are going go for quality ?

My answer to this question is to see how receptive your potential colleague is to what you have to offer, not by judging what he/she offers to you. Next week I will be meeting someone I met at a Speed Networking event. We had a long chat after the event and I followed up with a phone call suggesting that his current business field could be expanded into another sector and that I might be able to offer some insights. Three days later I received an e-mail saying that he didn't feel he could help me in what I was looking for but would like to discuss my ideas for his business.

This is a quality referral relationship in the making. Complete honesty on his part as well as an interest in my ideas. In The Know Like and Trust ethos of BforB, what you give is often of more value in the long term than what you can take in the short. The fact that my friend was absolutely straight with me from the outset is more than enough for me to be getting on with.