Networking & BNI
I’ve been in BNI for several years — South San Diego area, multiple chapters. If you’re reading this and we’ve already done a 1-2-1, you know how I operate. If we haven’t, here’s the version I’d give you over coffee.
How I think about referrals
A referral is a loan of trust. When you send someone to me, you’re putting your reputation on the line with them. When I send someone to you, I’m doing the same thing. I take that seriously on both ends.
The system works when both people show up consistently, know each other’s business well enough to recognize the right opportunity when it walks by, and follow through every single time. Most networking doesn’t work because people treat it like marketing — spray and pray, collect cards, wait for something to happen. That’s not how referrals compound.
Referrals compound when you stop thinking about what you can get and start thinking about how well you actually know the people around you.
How to refer someone to me
The best referral is a warm introduction to a small business owner — service business, professional services, anywhere in the $500K to $10M range — who is frustrated that their marketing isn’t working and open to trying something different. Bonus points if they’ve already tried doing it themselves or with a cheap provider and it went nowhere.
You don’t need to explain what I do in detail. Just make the intro or send them here. I’ll take it from there, and I’ll let you know how it went.
How I refer others
I only refer people I’ve actually vetted. If I send someone your way, I’ve already told them good things about you. I don’t refer as a favor. I don’t refer to fill a quota. If I don’t know your work personally, I’ll wait until I do.
The referrals I give mean something because I’m careful with them. I’d rather give three referrals a year that actually close than twelve that go nowhere and make both of us look bad.
Book a 1-2-1
If we’re in the same chapter or you’ve been referred to me, I’m happy to connect. Best over coffee in San Diego, or video if I’m in Baja — which is most of the time.