THE TACTIC

Most of your customers don’t arrive out of nowhere. Before they called you, they were working with someone else on a related problem. After you finish, they’ll need someone else again. A homeowner hires a real estate agent, then a mover, then a painter, then a handyman. A new business hires a lawyer to form the company, then an accountant, then a web designer, then a photographer. Each of those businesses is talking to your future customers at the exact moment they’re about to need you.

Most owners never think about those businesses at all, or treat them vaguely as “people who might refer me someday.” A deliberate partnership with even one of them can become one of your most reliable sources of work.

Why it works

A referral from a business the customer already trusts is about as warm as a lead gets. The trust they’ve built carries over to you, and the customer often hires you with little or no shopping around.

It also works in both directions. You’re talking to their future customers too. When you send work their way, you give them a reason to send work back. Two businesses at neighboring steps of the same customer’s journey can keep each other busy for years.

And it’s a very small list to manage. You don’t need dozens of partners. One or two good ones, at the steps right before and after yours, can send more work than a year of general networking.

How to run it

Map your customer’s journey. Write down the three or four businesses your typical customer hires just before you and just after you. Ask a few recent clients if you’re not sure: “Who did you work with right before you hired me?”

Pick the best fit. Look for businesses that serve the same kind of customer at a similar price level, and that you’d be comfortable recommending. Your name goes on the referral too.

Reach out with something useful. Don’t open with “send me referrals.” Open with how you can help them.

Hi Maria, I’m a bookkeeper and a lot of my clients come to me right after forming their business, often with lawyers like you. I’d love to have someone I can confidently send clients to when they need legal help. Would you be open to a short coffee to see if we’re a good fit for each other’s clients?

Make referring easy. Give each other a short description of who you’re a good fit for and how to make the introduction. A one-paragraph email they can forward works well.

Send the first referral. The fastest way to start the partnership is to refer someone to them. Then keep track of referrals in both directions and thank them every time one comes in.

The mistake most people make

Picking partners who compete for the same work. A web designer and a graphic designer may overlap too much to refer comfortably. Look for businesses at a different step of the same customer’s journey, not the same step. The other mistake is setting it up once and never following up. A short check-in every couple of months keeps you on each other’s minds.