Building a Referral Network takes time and effort

There are many ways to generate a more consistent flow of referrals into your business:

Ask your best customers, and provide an incentive for them to refer you
Provide an incentive to your team members for providing referrals
Join your local Chamber and their Leads Groups
Join a dedicated referral marketing organization like BNI (here is the Chapter I’m currently in)
Build a network of like-minded professionals who call on very similar ideal clients like you, but don’t compete with you

The last point is a program is something I’m working on currently. It’s a slow process, but it will pay off over time.

I work only with small business owners of established businesses. My ideal clients are professional services businesses. So, in a few minutes, I can brainstorm a list of other professionals who also want to work with these types of businesses. That includes:

CPAs
Attorneys
Business Coaches
Financial Planners
Insurance Agents
Commercial Realtors
Marketing Services providers (Printers, Promo Products)
Bankers

And the list goes on.

Then, I work with those folks already in my network to set up a regular meeting sequence where we all get together (in person), and educate one another about our businesses, who we’re looking to work with, and how we handle referrals. We also provide some peer-to-peer coaching as well.

Over time, this will yield referrals as trust is built. I also anticipate additional opportunities to co-market each others’ businesses as we go about our normal operations.

Yes, it takes time. But it’s worth it.