What’s the point of going networking? To get referrals.
What’s the point of getting referrals? To turn them into business.
Seems simple enough to me. So why is the concept so difficult for others to grasp?
I visited a BNI group recently where I gave a referral to a landscape gardener, asking him to quote for some work. He phoned to make an appointment, but then didn’t turn up. I phoned and left him a message to make another appointment, but he never rang back.
I visited another BNI group where I gave the same referral to a different landscape gardener. This one phoned half-an-hour in advance to confirm the appointment, turned up when he said he would, and phoned afterwards to tell me when the quote would arrive.
Which do you think is more likely to win my business? No prizes.