That’s a question we have asked at several My Pinnacle Network meetings this month. The response from one of the attendees at My Pinnacle – Plymouth caught yours truly off-guard:
“The best referral I ever gave was you,” said John Adams, of Adams Communications. “I introduced you to Steve Dubin.” (Footnote – Steve and I have now worked together for over 10 years to build PR Works, a full-service public relations and advertising company. Additionally, we launched My Pinnacle Network approximately one year ago and have expanded the network to 11 locations. Yes, I’d have to say, that was a pretty good introduction.)
Technically, it was more of a cold lead and one other person (Stephanie Gray) had recommended Steve as well. Still, there’s no way either John or Stephanie could have known the career/life-altering impact this referral might bring. They did it because they were following the fundamentals of good networking:
- Listen to what the other person does
- Think of who you know in your contact sphere who might be a good match.
- Provide contact info and follow-up.
Now, if you knew that every introduction/referral you made had the potential for a long-term working relationship and eventually a partnership, you’d go that extra mile every time you made an introduction, right? The point is, you never know where a simple introduction might lead. But if you do it as a practice, as John and Stephanie did/do, good things can happen.