You surely want to be seen as a credible supplier. Being recommended by others is a great way to get new clients, so don’t offer too many areas of expertise. How can you expect to be seen as expert in a number of areas? The probable result will be no credibility and no referrals, claims the bmmagazine.co.uk website. If you want to get referrals, and avoid also the following mistakes.
Delivering poor service
Of course, if you fail to deliver your services, you cannot expect any referrals. This is a huge danger when you need people to talk about how good your services are. The result you'll get is an instant loss of future referrals.
Selling to people without prior qualification
All the people in a networking group are your route to the market. They aren’t your targets. That means that when they aren’t properly qualified yet, there is no reason to use hard selling. If you do, people will begin to avoid you.
No referral for others
Not giving any referrals, but expecting them at the same time is no good. Provide proper referrals. You also want a qualified introduction to someone who needs your help and is ready to pay for it. Otherwise your contacts will become upset by your arrogant attitude.
Asking for help publicly, then arguing
There are two results. The person you are seeking help from will choose not to bother wasting his or her time with you again. It also doesn't communicate anything good about you. When you need help and you ask for it and then just ignore the advice, you demonstrate that no advice was needed in the first place. It also shows that you believe that you know better – not a great overall impression, right?
Connecting with people at a not deep enough level
People have to really understand exactly what you do. Otherwise you cannot expect any referrals. They must trust you enough to refer you to their big clients. Remember that their own reputations and credibility are at stake when they do.
-jk-