Be referable!

It really never occurred to me how important it is to be referable. Yes, I always wanted to do the best I possibly could but I didn’t make the connection to being referable. Think about it. As business people we need referrals far more than we realize. To find work, to find customers, to find employees and to find financing – all of it might incorporate some aspect of needing a referral.

My thought process on this topic started several months ago. A successful businesswoman, who is a dear friend of mine, was telling me about her struggles with a service provider. The service provider does an excellent job – if she could only show up and actually stay as planned. She may be five minutes late, she may be an hour late. Usually there is a call explaining the latest crisis or forgotten appointment. Sometimes during the middle of working for her clients, she’ll have to leave for one issue or anothe. Though her work is fantastic, she is completely unreliable. It becomes a huge disruption for my friend’s own work. Not surprising, the service provider has problems with her income.

As we were discussing the service provider’s situation, we talked about her inability to manage her own business. It goes beyond her timeliness issue. There have been issues in the rates she charges and her communications with her customers. All around, she is a disaster. Now, my friend tells me, the service provider is thinking about giving up her business and working for someone else. Based on this woman’s past performance, how could my friend ever refer her for a job?

Simple, she can’t without jeopardizing her own reputation. The service provider didn’t make herself referable. How can you expect to be successful in the future if you didn’t make the most of your past opportunities?

As serendipity would have it, my husband asked what my next blog topic would be. I told him it was about being referable. He immediately knew exactly what I was talking about because the topic turns out to be a core principle of a very powerful leadership program, Strategic Coach. The program has four habits that revolve around referability: 1. Show up on time, 2. Do what you say, 3. Finish what you start, 4. Say please and thank you.

Wow, sounds simple, almost kindergarten. Yet Strategic Coach is designed for business owners and senior executives. The program’s own success can be attributed, in part, to referrals. If my friend’s service provider just followed those simple principles, she would have a very successful, referable business. Instead, she just has a mess.

The topic of this blog is more than words – it really needs to be a call of action. For all of us, I recommended that we look at a sample of our customers and see if these four principles have been applied consistently. If you work for a company and don’t have customer interaction apply these principles to your internal customers. Really try to look at the customer’s perspective – dare I say it – even ask them for feedback! Use this as an opportunity to ensure you are referable. It may hurt your pride to hear the truth but it can only serve to bring you more success.

For more information about Strategic Coach and the Referability Habits please visit: http://www.strategiccoach.com/info_request/webinar/?stage=4&cmpid=NurtureWebinar&sc_v1=infusionsoft


Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”