Next Door To Referral Key

Nextdoor, the social network that promises to introduce you to the people on your block.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor, Nextdoor, the social network that promises to introduce you to the people on your block (By Seth Stevenson). According to some recent survey results, Americans have become rather unneighborly. A mere 30 percent of us socialize with our neighbors more than once a month (down from 44 percent in the mid-1970s). And a shocking 28 percent of us know none of our neighbors by name. We may keep in touch with faraway friends on Facebook, but when it comes to hanging out in our own communities we are bowling alone.

Tech entrepreneur Nirav Tolia noticed that we increasingly seem to prefer rubbing elbows online—instead of in real places where real elbows might really rub—and saw a business opportunity. In late 2010, he created a service called Nextdoor. It's a social network that attempts to webify the original social network: the neighborhood. There are now Nextdoor sites in more than 6,500 communities in 49 states (not clear what's up with those anti-communitarian South Dakotans). All of them were launched by regular folks who sought a way to connect with their neighbors, but didn't want to ring doorbells or make small talk in the elevator.

To start a Nextdoor site for your own 'hood, you first define the physical boundaries of neighbordom. Who do you consider your fellow villagers? They could be spread out over a vast open realm if you live in a rural area where the houses are far apart; or might mingle around a few leafy blocks if you inhabit an inner-ring suburb; or could be smooshed together within a single high-rise building if you're a city dweller. Nextdoor prefers that each of its neighborhoods contain at least 75 households. So far the median number hovers somewhere around 200 to 300.

Join the free private social network for your neighborhood. Click here.

Once you've targeted your territory, you recruit your neighbors to sign up. Nextdoor provides postcards to put in mailboxes and flyers to post on telephone poles or in apartment building lobbies. No one is required to join, of course. If neighbors do hop on board, they must register using their real names and physical addresses (which Nextdoor then verifies before admitting them). Any posts on the site will be made under those real names—not made-up screen names—with real addresses visible for all other neighbors to see.

What happens on a Nextdoor neighborhood site once it's up and running? I spoke with Nextdoor users in San Francisco; Lafayette, Col.; and Hamilton, N.Y., and poked around on a couple of sites. Turns out there are lots of requests for recommendations: Anybody know a good nanny/auto mechanic/plumber? Also some spirited discussions regarding the relative merits of local restaurants and grocery stores. Much selling of or giving away of old patio furniture, outgrown baby strollers, and unwanted sporting equipment. Announcements about upcoming block parties and holiday gatherings. The occasional safety alert, when someone's car gets broken into while it’s sitting in a driveway.

You might wonder whether you could achieve similar ends simply by creating a Facebook group and asking neighbors to join. But Tolia points out that many have made the same argument about LinkedIn—that it’s useless because you could do the same stuff on Facebook—and yet lots of people find that site more useful than Facebook for professional networking. Nextdoor has dedicated tabs built in for things like events, recommendations, and safety. It eventually plans to make money by selling targeted ads of some sort to local dentists and window washers and such.

Perhaps more important, Nextdoor is private: Only verified neighbors can see each other's posts, and Nextdoor neighborhoods' pages are not indexed on any search engines. Some other community sites allow anonymity, which has encouraged incidents of nasty small-town gossip. Tolia says that using real names and addresses has kept Nextdoor free of vicious name-calling and rumor-spreading. The Nextdoor users I spoke to agreed that this is the case.

All in all, it seems like Nextdoor may offer most of the benefits of neighborliness with few of the icky downsides. You can establish online ties with your neighbors, thereby eliminating the need to ever interact with them in person. Or—in a best-case scenario—the online connection might manage to surface some cool nearby folks you actually do want to have a beer with. I'm thinking I might go ahead and start a Nextdoor site for my building.

'Thanks for the referral. Here's your steak.' - In August of 2007, Lewis Weinstein launched the beta version of ReferralKey, a site intended to help digitize the process of sending referrals from one professional to another. If a real estate agent sent one of his clients to a mortgage broker, the site would track that - and also keep tabs on whether the mortgage broker ever returned the favor. Weinstein envisioned building a new kind of social network for small businesses that would provide continual streams of leads to its members, in a way that sites like LinkedIn and Facebook do not. But the site didn't immediately take off. Weinstein, a serial entrepreneur and third-generation tax accountant in Needham, found that professionals using the site felt it just wasn't helping them generate enough new business. "The common response was, 'I thought you were gonna send me referrals,'" he says.

That's where the steaks come in.

When Weinstein relaunched the site this past April, he decided to create a new system of incentives. Professionals can now offer a cash bounty to spur others in their online network (or anyone who views their profile on ReferralKey) to send them a new prospect. (Some professionals, such lawyers, real estate agents, and accountants, have codes of conduct that prohibit them from taking such a payment.) If the prospect turns into a paying client, the recipient of the lead instructs ReferralKey to cough up the money via PayPal.

Users of the site can also upload their databases of clients and send out a message encouraging them to refer their friends and relatives to their trusty financial planner, for instance. "The site will track what happens as a result, and offer them an Omaha Steaks gift certificate, one from Callaway Golf, or one from L.L. Bean, for the new business that gets generated," says Weinstein. As an accountant, he says, he would typically send his clients a letter once a year that offered them a $75 gift certificate to Legal Sea Foods for any new business they sent his way, but the program was a pain to administer.

Weinstein says that ReferralKey attracted about 5000 members during its beta period. Since then, it has grown to just over 32,000 members. Premium memberships, offering an unlimited stream of referrals, cost $19.95 a month. Weinstein raised a first round of about $1 million from individual investors to launch the site, and says he's now hoping to raise a $3 million second round from venture capital firms. He still operates his accounting practice, with offices in Boston and Needham, noting, "Accountants work their a--es off three months of the year, but that gives me time to do entrepreneurial stuff the other months." ReferralKey, with four employees, is co-located in the Boston office of his firm, GenerationTax.

What Is Referral Key? (My Referral Key Review. Free Steak Aplenty) - Referral Key is one weird force to be reckoned with. Three times in the past week I have received email invitations from someone in my address book that state, “If you’re taking on new clients, I’d like to include you in my private referral network to send you business leads through Referral Key.” All three times these invitations came from a person I sort of know on varying degrees, and all three times these invitations have confused me immensely. So I decided to investigate what new, hot thing I was missing. On the surface, Referral Key seems to be a way to get and give referrals on stuff. Although the concept of “cash rewards” sounds a bit spammy, to say the least, I’ll go in with an open mind and think that maybe that’s just bad website copy. I click forward, to presumably confirm my dear friend’s referral.

Here’s where things got confusing. In accepting the “referral invitation” from one person, I had to enter in some data in order to “accept” the invite — never mind that I’m not entirely sure what that means. Most importantly, though, I encountered the following drop down menu, where it became blindingly clear to me that I didn’t (seem) to fit in. Read more...

Window Cleaners Hidden Death, Fuzzy Endorsement & Wage Legislation

Greek ministry 'covered up Egyptian window cleaner death: Greece's labour ministry came under fire on Tuesday for allegedly covering up the death of an Egyptian window cleaner in a fatal fall at one of its buildings over a week ago. Greek newspapers said the ministry was keeping mum on the death of Asiz Emad who died on December 19 after losing his balance and falling from the third floor of the ministry's central offices in Athens. "The labour ministry has blood on its windows," charged left-wing Avgi daily.
The greater Athens union of cleaners (Pekop) has accused the ministry of trying to cover up Emad's death and demanded to know why the father of four was working on a Sunday in violation of his contract. A protest is to be held outside the ministry on Wednesday. The ministry could not be reached for comment. A spokesman for the state labour inspectorate told Kathimerini daily that legal action has been initiated against the cleaning contractor.
In a break with usual practice, no announcement was made on Emad's death because the competent employee was on vacation, the inspectorate said. Over 60 people have been officially recorded as work-related casualties in Greece this year, Communist daily Rizospastis said.

Mayor John Peyton, Celebrity Endorser? Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton has another accomplishment to add to his resume, that of celebrity endorser. The mayor, who will leave office next summer, appeared in print ads for Krystal Klean, a Jacksonville company that provides pressure washing and window washing services, over the Christmas weekend. The ad, which ran in the Florida Times-Union on December 24, 26 and 27, apparently took the mayor by surprise.

"When the workers were present they asked to take a photo and get his feedback to use as a testament to their work with potential new customers," said Jennifer Savage, a spokesman for the mayor's office. The mayor, it seems, didn't intend for his personal testimony to be used as advertisement for the company. His spokesman said he's asked the company to refrain from running the ad in the future.

Paterson vetoes prevailing wage legislation: MAYVILLE - A veto signed Thursday by Governor David Paterson was good news to Chautauqua County IDA Director Bill Daly. The legislation, which had passed the state Senate and Assembly, would have broadened prevailing wage requirements for contract service workers at public agencies. That wouldn't have been beneficial for the state as a whole, Daly said prior to the veto. "This was a wonderful, wonderful early Christmas present for the people in the state of New York," Daly said Thursday. "For the workers in the state of New York, for job seekers, for our economy - it sends a big message."

In specific, the legislation would have required utility companies and public agencies such as IDAs to pay prevailing wages to services workers such as janitors, security guards, handymen, gardeners and window cleaners. After having passed the Senate, the legislation subsequently passed the Assembly and continued on to Paterson. On Dec. 2, Daly sent a mass e-mail explaining his opposition and calling on people to petition the governor for a veto. "All the pressure from IDAs, economic development, business councils and not-for-profits paid off," Daly said after the veto.

Several vetoes were actually signed by Paterson regarding the issue - the Senate's version, the Assembly's version and the chapter amendments. "In sum," Paterson writes in the veto message, "while I respect and admire the intentions of the sponsors and supporters of this legislation, I fear its impact on the economic well-being of our state at a particularly perilous moment."

Window Cleaning Rants & Posts

Yes, here is another example of superior customer service that turned me from “disgruntled customer” into a “happy camper” – but not into a “raving fan”!

A window cleaning company employee broke a handle off one of our windows (no, I won’t get on a ladder to clean the third story windows!). The window cleaning company told me they would pay for the replacement handle – but, seriously, they broke it so they should pay for it right? However, I had to order the handle, replace it and then send them the receipt to get reimbursed. This is not the example of superior customer service! Why should I be hassled to correct their mistake? To make me a “raving fan,” – which should always be the objective when correcting a mistake - the window cleaning company should have ordered the handle and then stopped by and put it on the window at no charge to me. That would have made me want to continue to do business with them. Merely doing what they were obligated to do - pay for the replacement part - has cost them a customer and referrals – Whenever I receive superior customer service I recommend the company to the other 24 residents of our home owners association. They will not be getting a recommendation.

The example of superior customer occurred when I ordered the replacement handle from Pella Windows. Rather than go to the Pella warehouse, I asked that the replacement handle be mailed to me. When it arrived it was the wrong handle. I would now have to travel to the Pella Warehouse (a 60 minute round trip) with the broken handle to get the right replacement part. I was not a happy camper! A day later, I got a call from a Pella Service Representative who asked if I had received the part and was satisfied with it. When I told her I was definitely not satisfied, she immediately got the information about the broken handle and said it would be delivered to me the next day by Fed Ex at no charge.

This made me a happy camper and changed me from “irritated customer” to “happy camper”. What would it take to make me a “raving fan”? Perhaps a reimbursement of the cost of the handle to show they were sorry about the original mistake and the hassle (minimal I agree) it caused me.

Or am I just too hard to please? Maybe like some of your best customers?

The Bottom Line: When you have a chance to transform a “disgruntled customer” into a “raving fan” don’t stop half way at the “happy camper” stage! You may never have another opportunity to impress this customer with how much you value their business.

And you never know who has the ability to increase your business through referrals – so give every customer superior customer service (even though you may not give them the big customer discount).

The Question: How far will you go to rectify a mistake and create a “raving fan”?

What are we opening our doors to? He pushed the small package across the kitchen table. "Look what I've brought you, brother." The man looked at the object without touching it. "It is not very big. Are you sure it can do the job." "It senses movement up to one and half metres. Any movement within that range will set it off." "Obviously it is not set up now or...," he did not bother to finish the statement. "That is right but even so you must be very cautious. Listen carefully."

He went on to explain while making sure he had the attention of the one who would take possession of the device. "The contents may catch fire, the container may explode if heated, and may irritate eyes. Remember, do not puncture and not burn. Use it only in a well ventilated area and keep away from open flames such as a pilot light or any object that sparks, such as an electric motor. If you are going to store it keep it away from heat and do not get it in your eyes. Be sure to keep out of reach of children and pets."

Next was an explanation on assembling the device -"lift the front cover then lay the canister into position. Snap the canister in place. Now pull and discard the red tab to activate batteries. Now be sure to keep the unit pointed away from you and others during assembly. You see, it will automatically spray a burst 20 seconds after assembly to show it is working properly. And that, my brother, is how you refill the Glade Sense & Spray Motion activated freshness sensor."

Research by the Sierra Club of Canada shows that the inside of homes is often worse than the outside and we are willing bring in the offending chemicals. For instance, formaldehyde isn't limited to the high school lab. Formaldehyde is used in fertilizers, glues, plywood, particleboard and certain types of installation, as well as in some disinfectants, antibacterial soaps and even beauty products. So, what's to worry about? It has been classified as a probable human carcinogen by the EPA. Home exposure to it has been linked to respiratory allergies in children.

Companies tend to shy away from the down-side of the toxic chemicals while promoting the benefits of their products. Air fresheners give off naphthalene, a suspected carcinogen. Ammonia-based window cleaners cause respiratory irritation. Some cleaners contain the nerve-damaging butyl cello-solve which is absorbed into the skin.

We have to get into the routine of reading labels. While assessments start from the premise that some degree of exposure, even to the most hazardous chemicals, can be judged "acceptable", for many of the chemicals already known for some time to present serious hazards, scientists just don't know the full and long-term effects of these chemicals on our health or on our environment -even at low doses!

Tightrope: Getting the word out about your business - By Gladys Edmunds for USA TODAY (pictured).

Question: Hello, Gladys, I own a carpet (window) cleaning company and so far I seem to have a fairly decent customer base. I would like to get more customers. When I checked into advertising on local radio stations and in a few local newspapers, the prices are more than I can afford. How can I get more people to know about and use my service without spending money that I don't have? — Sam

Answer: There are many ways to get the word out about your business that won't cost you a lot of money. You will need to use the most valuable assets you have — time, effort and creative ability. Keeping them in good working order is one of the enjoyable aspects of entrepreneurship. The following are examples that you can try and I'm sure there are other entrepreneurs that may find a few ideas to try as well.

Never underestimate the power of referrals. There are a couple of ways to go about this. Call or write a letter to your customers and ask them to refer a friend. Or, you can ask each of your customers to recommend three of their friends. Then, write a letter to them introducing your services.

I know there are many companies that offer cash bonuses or rebates to people who refer customers. Personally, I don't like that arrangement. Several months ago I got a letter from the gym I frequent offering members a $50 referral fee if they could get a friend to sign up. I asked one of the owners how that campaign had fared. He said they didn't get any takers. I wonder what would have happened if he had offered the discount to the person signing up. I certainly would be happy to tell my friends that if they joined the gym during a certain time they would get the cash back. So try to avoid offering to pay your customers to send their friends to you. Generally when you have customers that appreciate your service they are usually happy to help you stay in business.

With the end of winter just around the corner, spring cleaning will be on most folk's to-do list. You could design attractive leaflets and drop them off at churches, supermarkets, car washes, laundromats, gyms — any place that has a good flow of traffic. Usually there are community bulletin boards that you can post your leaflets on; by all means take advantage of that.

You can also offer your service as a fundraiser for your favorite charity. For a designated period of time give the organization a percentage of each sale they send your way. Organizations that are involved in raising money to fight breast cancer have raised millions of dollars this way.

Have you considered co-op advertising? Sometimes local newspapers offer this option. If not, pull it together yourself. Invite several small businesses that compliment your service to join in with you on an advertising campaign. For example, you could contact a window cleaning company, drapery cleaning company, maid service and maybe even a chimney sweep to join in an ad campaign aimed at building business for that coming spring-cleaning season. Once you pull the other business owners together, sit down with an ad agent from the newspaper and work out something attractive and eye-catching.

Also talk with other business owners to learn what they done creatively to enhance their market share. Try out one or two things that fit well with your company. Marketing a business is all about testing, testing and re-testing to see what works. Never underestimate the power of even the simplest marketing idea. The very thing that you think to be ridiculous could be the thing that has the most impact. Sometimes the best marketing and promotion ideas can come from simple ideas.

Spidey Senses, Spidey Tenses: Spider-Man fever never seems to die. Just Google-news search "spider" and you'll see what I mean. Apparently there's a Spider-Man Broadway musical set to be produced (and Alan Cummings has bailed out - but we should have seen that coming). I live in New York City and I can honestly say that I may never go see a Broadway musical and I will not feel bad about it. Still, I recognize the iconic/ridiculous popularity that something must reach before it is turned into a Broadway musical (see: Toxic Avenger)(did I just invalidate my own point?).

But that's not all. Now it seems you can have Spider Man clean your windows for you. A full grown man or woman who is already performing a very dangerous job will now dress up in a costume fit for a child and perform that same job for the entertainment of the many onlookers who have previously stopped to watch window washers but have felt that it lacks zest (what? exactly.). The company featuring these costumed clean-saders (get it?!!) said that they want to add fun to whatever they do. Although if we think this through, the person who is doing the job (the window washer) is probably not enjoying dangling from a sky scraper and wearing a mask. (Am I crabby today, or does anyone else feel bad for the window washers?)

Lets talk some physics. I had wanted to continue up my post about rope with a discussion about strong materials. The wonderful lecture by James Kakalios at the APS March Meeting taught me that spider silk is one of the strongest naturally occurring materials in the world. In researching this post I'm just overwhelmed with all the awesome little things I'm finding about spiders and their amazing materials.

To illustrate the strengths of spider silk, Kakalios showed a scene from Spider Man 2, in which Spidey stops a speeding train using his webs. Assuming the speed and weight of the train, and how far it had to slow down, and taking a stab at the thickness and number of web strands, Kakalios shows Spidey would, in fact, be able to stop that speeding train, while even steel cables would not. Real spider silk in a quarter inch thick strand can support 6,000 pounds. (See his answer to that and other questions here.)

So why can't we buy spider silk rope in our local hardware store? Or make a clothing from it (which would be lighter and stretchier than Kevlar, although Kevlar is slightly stronger*)? Well, apparently reproducing spider silk is not so easy. This article from Live Science in 2004 calls reproducing spider silk on a larger scale "the holy grail of materials science." A bit of a journalistic overstatement I think, but obviously intended to convey great importance. Because really, the Holy Grail of anything is the Holy Grail. There's really no substitute for eternal life, is there? I am full of distractions today.

But really, this whole post is a distraction. There's some physics in here about spider silk and its strength and flexibility, but mostly it's just marveling at spider amazingness. There is seriously so much cool stuff to learn about spiders. Did you know their blood flouresces? (See pic to the right) Did you know the pain from a spider bite may be similar to the pain you experience when you eat hot food? Then there's the super strong nano-structures that exist in their fangs. If these things were the size of tanks they would rule the world. Luckily, it doesn't seem like those super structured claws or the super strong spider silk can transition to the macroscopic world very easily.

Scientists have even taken spiders to space. When building a web, spiders can sense their own weight, which provides a guideline for how thick the silk should be. NASA scientists immediately challenged the spiders by chanting, "Oh yeah? Betcha can't do that in zero gravity!" Living up to their end of the challenge, NASA scientists took common garden spiders (Araneus diadematus) spiders into space, where they were still able to build webs, and over time got better at building them in zero gravity. Their results showed that the web threads were finer in space than on the ground. So the weight sensing mechanism works pretty well.

As for manufactured reproductions of spider silk, there seem to be few if no updates on work that was done five or six years ago. Well, at least not breaking news stories about it. The subject of spiders and there silk, however, remains heavily researched by groups like the Oxford Silk Group, who were featured on some British TV shows to talk about this stuff.

All this spidey awesomeness - is this why people still have Spider-Man fever, years after the third and terrible movie came out? I enjoy a good comic book, but these real life spiders are the ones who have me tangled up in their web.

Monster wife is violent boozer: My marriage is in total meltdown. My wife is the main breadwinner. She has a good job and earns lots of money but she’s drinking more than ever. And when she drinks she takes all of her frustrations out on me. I get called every name under the sun. I’m told that I’m useless, lazy and a drag on her purse. She throws things at me, punches and kicks me. When I complain she spits that I’m nothing. She screams that she should never have married me. She accuses me of bleeding her dry and being half a man. But this arrangement was her idea.

She was the one who told me to give up my profitable window cleaning round to look after the house and support her. She made it all sound so sensible and plausible. She’d earn the serious cash and I’d provide the back-up, the meals, the maintenance and the homemaking. But now it’s all gone belly-up. To the outside world our life is perfect. We live in a beautiful house with all mod cons. Friends come round, admire our stuff and tell us that we’re lucky. But no-one really knows what goes on behind closed doors, do they? If I’m honest, then I’m probably what you might call a beaten husband. When we have sex it’s like I’m being punished for a crime I haven’t committed. I’m physically and verbally abused. And if I fail to perform, Heaven help me.

I’m literally kicked out of bed and into the loft room. I understand that she’s currently under a lot of pressure at work. Yes, she does earn a bomb – plus bonuses. She does travel, enjoy swish lunches and mix with the great and the good. But it’s all at a price. Her boss thinks nothing of ringing her at midnight and bawling her out down the phone. Her clients expect total dedication, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. She copes with the stress – or rather, doesn’t – by drinking huge amounts of vodka and wine. Then she kicks me around like a dog. I have tried speaking to her when she’s sober but then she simply brushes everything aside and says that I don’t understand. But I do. Only too well.

JANE SAYS: My advice is for you to get out of that hellhole right now. Take your stuff and go to a safe place where you can sleep easier, breathe and think. At the moment you’re like a caged animal. You can’t move and you can’t reason because your wife has you trapped. She’s kicking you around and abusing you with no thought for your feelings, your safety or your happiness. This isn’t a marriage, this is a life sentence.

If she has problems with her boss, her clients and her drinking, then she needs to be encouraged to deal with each one in turn. But you cannot continue to take the brunt of her frustrations. This isn’t right and it isn’t fair. Find out which of your friends or relatives can help you in moving out and moving on.

Window Cleaning Referrals

Keep Your Client in the Loop After You Get the Referral:
Congratulations, you’ve just received several referrals from one of your clients. Great job! But hold on, you’re work has just started. No, I’m not talking about contacting and selling the referred prospect, I’m talking about keeping your client in the loop.

One of the primary reasons clients are hesitant to give referrals is that they are afraid of being embarrassed in front of a friend, relative, acquaintance or co-worker by you not performing as you should. So, when they do give a referral, they have a vested interest in what’s going on between you and the prospect. Not in the sense of whether or not the prospect purchases, but in how the prospect perceives you and the value being referred by the client.

When a client gives you a referral, you learn a number of things:
The client will give referrals. Obviously, you just received one or more.
How well the client understands what you do. The quality of the referral will let you know how well your client understands what you do and who is a good referral for you. The better the referral, the more the client understands. The poorer the referral, the more work you must do to educate them for future referrals (and future sales to them for that matter).
How much they trust you. Generally, the stronger the trust relationship between the client and the referred prospect, the more the client trusts you.
They have more referrals to give. Seldom will a client give you all of the referrals they can make at one time. If a client gives referrals, you can almost bet they have more to give—if you keep earning them.

How do you get those additional referrals?
Additional referrals are earned, just as the original referrals were earned. You earn those additional referrals by:
Giving your client the assurance that you’re trustworthy with referrals. You must show through your actions that their trust in giving you a referral was well placed by making sure that the referred prospect has an exceptional experience with you.
By keeping your client fully informed of everything that is occurring with the referred prospect.
By continuing to deliver superior service to your client.

Does the above mean that you must perform perfectly with the referred prospect? What if there was an honest mistake or miscommunication? What if something out of your control happened during the course of the sale? Will these incidents destroy any possibility of acquiring additional referrals?

No, not at all.

The keys to gaining additional referrals from a client are to treat the referred prospect exactly in the same manner you treated the client and to keep your client informed of what is transpiring between yourself and the referred prospect.

Your client gave you referrals because they understood that giving referrals was in their own best interests and because you earned them through the service, you gave them. You must now demonstrate that same level of service for the referral they have given you. They expect—actually demand—you perform at the same level—or higher—for those they refer to as you did for them. That level of service you gave them was what demonstrated to them that they could trust with a referral. Anything short of that and they will reevaluate whether you should be trusted with additional referrals.

That having been said, clients understand that mistakes, miscommunications, and problems arise in business. A single issue during the course of the sale to a referred prospect, even a major issue, will not sever your ability to gain additional referrals from you client if you address and resolve the issue in an exceptional manner.

Clients don’t expect perfection, they expect exceptional service—both for themselves and for those they refer you to. How well or poorly you handle the issues will be a major factor in determining your future refer-ability.

Keeping your client informed of the progress of the sale with the referred prospect reassures them that you’re doing your job—and that all is well. It is also your source of informing them if there have been problems and how they were resolved.

It is critical that you let your client know of issues involved with sales to prospects they have referred you to before the prospect has a chance to relate the incident. You can relate the circumstances and the resolution in the most favorable light—the prospect may not. This doesn’t mean that you can lie or gloss over it, just that you can give the background and the full resolution without the emotional involvement the prospect will have. Of course, if you’ve done an exceptional job of resolving the issue, the tale told by the prospect should also be impressive. However, you always want problems to be related to your client by you—you don’t want to get a phone call from the client asking what happened.

Keeping your client informed doesn’t mean bombarding them with emails, phone calls, and notes. A simple “thank you for the referral” card immediately after receiving the referral and the occasional call or email will suffice. The object is to keep them in the loop and to reassure them that their referral was well made for both you and the prospect. Even better than the occasional call or email is to explicitly ask the client how and how often they would like to be informed of the progress.

Clients are interested in what’s going on with the referrals they make. They want to know the prospect is being taken care of in the manner the client expected, and they enjoy knowing that they have provided you with a quality referral. More importantly, they want to know that they haven’t embarrassed themselves in front of an acquaintance.

Simple actions will earn those additional referrals your clients have—you just have to earn them.