One of the best things that can happen for your business, is getting introductions and referrals.
It’s often the easiest and fastest way to landing a client.
For example, a while ago I had a friendly, casual chat with an entrepreneur, who introduced me to a friend.
Once I spoke with that friend, it took about 30 minutes for her to hire me for a paid speaking gig.
No selling required – she brought it up, simply because the right introduction had been made.
And it’s perfectly natural to ask for an introduction, when you’re having a quality conversation.
But, there’s a right way, and a wrong way to ask.
Most of the time, people say “Do you know anyone who…?”
No matter how you finish that sentence, it’s the wrong way to start.
Because it’s a binary question, meaning: the other person will look for a yes/no answer.
“Hmmm… do I know anyone…? Sorry, can’t think of anyone just now. I’ll let you know”.
Which rarely leads to an actual introduction.
Instead, consider asking: “Who do you know, who…?”
When you frame the question that way, it’s not binary, but open-ended.
The result is that the other person will start flipping through their mental Rolodex.
“Well… I know James, Jim, Jill, John, Janet, Julia, Gerard – oh wait! You should totally talk to Gerard!”
People will be happy to make an introduction, because it makes them look good (after all, the most valuable person in a network is the connector).
Your job is to make it easy for someone else to connect you to the right person.
And you do that by asking the open-ended question “Who do you know who…?”
Which reminds me:
Who do you know, who is a good egg, and would totally benefit from 1 on 1 personal training and coaching one their pipeline their deals, and their sales… that you think I should talk to?
Feel free to let me know…
