“The only way to have a friend is to be one.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson might have said the same about referral partners. There’s no denying that referrals from current clients and others are key to your agency’s success. So what can you do to be a better referral partner?

With clients

Put people before product.

Clients make referrals for people they like and trust, and they will only like and trust you if they know you care about them, not just about selling them something.

Make yourself memorable.

How can they forget to refer friends to you when they think of you every time they use that nifty “Your Agency” potholder or can koozie that you gave them?

Make yourself available.

Respond to calls and emails promptly. Be interactive on social media. When your clients have questions or issues, be there for them.

Listen more than you talk.

Sure, you’re an expert in your industry. But clients don’t need someone to deliver a lecture. They need someone who listens, understands their needs, and explains their best options, simply and succinctly.

Remember to say thank you.

For their business. And definitely for any new business that you got as a result of their referral! Say it with a phone call, say it with a handwritten note – just say it  – sincerely and often.

With others

Initiate a good old-fashioned conversation.

Or even a not-so-old-fashioned one. Whether it’s a face-to-face meeting over coffee, a phone call, or FaceTime, find a way to talk to a potential referral partner about a mutually beneficial partnership.

Ask permission to link to others’ websites.

Especially if they offer a service or product that would appeal to your own clients. We think you probably know what might happen in return.

Become a group person.

Join in-person and/or online networking groups to meet others who share your business passions or who share your clients! The more people you meet, the more you’ll see opportunities for the most effective referral partnerships.

Be benevolent.

Pick a nonprofit that your entire agency will support through volunteering and/or a fundraising. Do good while building your brand.

Stay in touch.

So you’re already displaying each other’s brochures and business cards in your offices and telling your clients about each other’s services. Great. Now nurture the referral partnership that you’ve built. Check in now and then to say “How’s it going” or to share articles and other information that you think your referral partner would want to see.

If you have great ideas of your own, don’t forget to share them with others. Who knows? They might become your NEW referral partners!