ZILCH!

I recently received this message from a fellow member of Ecademy:

'How does one become a Professional Referrer ?

I've given people lots of Business leads - but basically got ZILCH !'

My response was:

One of my favourite quotes with relation to networking is 'Give without remembering, receive without forgetting'. It is so important to give wherever you can, whenever you can; if it is easy to do so.

My personal philosophy is that, if I can give something of possibly high value at little personal cost (whether that be financial or, more likely, time and effort), I will.

Whenever you refer, you are helping to oil the wheels of the networking system and potentially building a team of 'Champions' for you. If you have this team, but you are not getting anything back, the important thing you can do is look at the message you are giving out. Do people understand HOW they can help you, have a clear vision of the leads or support you are looking for?

Many people don't get much back because others do not clearly understand what they do or how they can help. Speak to people in your network, find out how clearly they understand your business and your needs. It is always illuminating to find out how others perceive us.

And remember, the way that the networking process works, you may not necessarily get back from the same direction to which you gave. But that shouldn't matter, as long as your needs are met.