The Art of Getting Referrals
by Mike Daly - President, CSI Creative Solutions, Inc.

Have you ever experienced the power of the obvious? One of those moments where you are struck by the simplicity of the action and often surprised that you hadn't thought of it before?

What I have found is that it's also the same with gaining referrals. In fact, the obvious is now so interesting that there is a business book about its power. I'll never forget the day I was talking to one of my best clients -- a vice president for a nationally recognized bank -- who conducted travel programs for the bank's key depositors. We had worked together for six years, and I don't know why, but I finally asked if he had ever in his travels met another travel director for banks like himself. His reply was "Why, yes, here are five that I network with consistently to discuss marketing and sales programs." He proceeded to pull out five business cards and provide me with leads that amounted to approximately $100,000 in travel revenue! I exclaimed, "Why haven't you told me about these folks before?" And he said, "You never asked!" There I was, slapped with the obvious. We all wish it were always that simple. However, there is an art to getting referrals.

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