This Could Not Be More Practical

Wednesday, we get practical. Quick recap that on Monday, I made the case that your best referral partners are probably not in your industry. Today I want to talk about how you actually find them and what you say when you do.

Because this is where most people get stuck, the idea sounds great until you are standing in front of someone who does something completely different, and you have no idea how to frame the conversation.

So here is what has worked for me.

Start with who you already know and like. 

Do not go hunting for strangers. Look at the people already in your life who you genuinely enjoy, but who is in a different field. Someone you met at a community event, a neighbor who runs a business. The bar for entry is simple: Do you trust them and do they align with your goals? Do you think they do good work? 

If the answer is yes, you already have the foundation. Next, find the shared client.

This is the conversation starter that actually works, you are not walking up to someone and saying hey, want to swap referrals. That feels transactional, and it usually goes nowhere- I teach Giving with Intention, that is the best and most natural way to connect.

Get curious about who they serve, their ideal client, do they have any business pain points? Listen for the overlap, not industry overlap, life overlap - are there any goals that you can help them get closer to achieving?

A contractor and a real estate agent both serve people in major life transitions. An insurance agent and a financial planner both serve people who are thinking about protecting something they have built. Once you find the shared client, the partnership has a reason to exist.

Be the first one to give.

This is the part most people skip, but it is the most vital! They want to know the partnership is mutual before they invest in it, they want to know you will be trustworthy and that you are their ally in thier business. 

I still love the idea of making video commercial content for them, that is my default go to strategy. But you can also send them a referral, connect them with another business that could be beneficial to them, share their content, recommend them publicly, there are endless options based on their goals and pain points.

Do something generous before you have any reason to expect anything back. That single move communicates more about who you are as a partner than any conversation ever could.

Create a simple check-in rhythm.

The partnerships that die are the ones with no structure. You had a great coffee, you both felt the potential, and then three months passed and nothing happened.

Set a reminder to reach out once a month. It does not have to be formal. A quick message asking how things are going, sharing something useful, or passing along a name, rehsaring a post. Just stay visible and consistent, which then turns a good conversation into an actual pipeline.

Be clear about what you do and who you help best.

The biggest mistake I see people make in cross-industry partnerships is being vague about their own work. They assume the other person will figure it out.

They will not. Again, THEY WILL NOT.

Tell them exactly who your best client is, give them a real example. Make it easy for them to recognize you when they meet a referral opportunity. The clearer you are, the more useful you become to each other.

That is the whole playbook, and it is not complicated, but it does require intention. Most people are waiting for these partnerships to happen naturally. The ones who build real pipelines go make them happen on purpose.

If you want a system for building this kind of referral network from the ground up, the free 5 Day Challenge at livelocalwarmmarketing.com/courses walks you through exactly that.