You’re Sorting Your Contacts Into the Wrong Two Piles

Last week we spent all week on the art of asking for referrals, and you learned how to stop saying “if you know anyone, send them my way” and start asking in a way that actually produces a name. 

And now, as you are meeting more people, making more connections, you need to clearly see who is in your sphere of influence and what role they play in your business growth. 

As I always remind you, you’re in business and sales matter. The electric bill doesn’t get paid with good vibes and coffee meetings. Every connection you make carries some possibility of business, and pretending otherwise isn’t noble, it’s just not true. And referral marketing, making connections is how you get there.

That being said, sales is the goal, not the driver and the moment it becomes the driver, every conversation turns into a sizing up, and people can feel it from across the room. That’s not the Live Local way, we keep the goal in sight and let the relationship do the driving. So we lead with referral marketing, the Intentional Give, and building strong relationships, and are open to the sales that will follow. 

Now here’s where most people get stuck: think about how you actually sort the people you know. If you’re honest, you probably have two piles, buyers and everyone else.

The buyers pile gets your attention, your calls, your energy, your best pitch. The everyone else pile gets a holiday card if they’re lucky. And that’s exactly why the everyone else pile never sends you anything.

Those people aren’t “not buyers,” they’re people playing roles you haven’t named yet. And when you don’t know what role someone plays, you don’t know what to ask them for, so you ask for nothing.

When you follow the The Connector Blueprint, you will make the connections that will enable you to break your connections into three types of referral partners. Connectors, the people who know everyone and love making introductions. Collaborators, the businesses serving your same client with a different service. And Champions, the past clients who already tell people how great you are.

Each one sends business a different way, which means you need to interact differently to each group of people in your network. 

And here’s the part that keeps sales in the picture: every one of them is also a potential buyer. The Connector eventually needs you herself. The Collaborator has a roof, a policy, a house. The Champion buys again. Buyers don’t come through a separate door, they come through all three.

Whether you’re an insurance agent, a contractor, or a real estate agent, your next ten clients are probably already sitting in the pile you’ve been ignoring.

Wednesday we’ll dig into how to spot each type in your contacts and exactly how the ask changes for each one.

For now, look at your everyone else pile. Who in there have you been overlooking?