How many referrals do you give every week?

Caelan, I give referrals when the occasions rises. And I heed the adage: say something nice or say nothing at all, especially when it comes to networking! I do make it a point to give a shout out to those whose services I want to refer and generally do so on Twitter, Facebook, and other sites that encourage unthemed dialogue. Also, I am very careful not to push someone into using a product or service I recommend. Have had others do that to me ("all small business owners must have or use this service"). What I find most useful is to offer ideas, tips, and suggestions to others that have no bearing on the services I offer. That way the giving is truly free (I think others can sense when the giving is about getting). It will be interesting to see what other reponses your question conjures up. Thanks for presenting it! Best, Karen

I try to give at least one referral every week. Often I give more then that though. I've been doing this for 8 years now and my business is almost exclusively referrals now. Art T.

I am always listening to what people tell me. People frequently reveal the things they're needing, worried about, researching, etc. and so there are many opportunities to help fill their needs with referrals from my network. Many times the referral is nothing more than "If you need a mortgage broker, I know a good one." I'll let the other person ask me for more information if they want it.

One of the things I find interesting is that these referrals often lie dormant, like seeds, for quite some time. Someone might e-mail me a month or two later and ask who that mortgage broker was.

I usually send out 2 to 3 referrals a day. I tend to make A LOT of introductions and those conversations usually come back weeks or months later to me professionally.

Realizing the strategic value of a referral is building a healthy network of business associates is critical to longterm business development funnels: it does not always depend on the here and now.

Many of my referrals are also based on information or articles I am reading. I don't know how many times I'm reading something and think "Wow, this person needs to talk to X"

Having a referral marketing system in place is a good way to go. Having a strategic referral marketing plan is needed just like a business plan or strategic management plan.

It helps to develop your referrals, increases sales & also saves you money on marketing and advertising. Referral marketing significantly challenges traditional marketing methods when a business implements the right online and offline tools.