I try very hard to practice the principle of taking care of people I network with (assuming they will take care of me). Part of that is that I try very hard to find good leads for the people I network with.
Note: GOOD leads.
Sometimes that means that there is a person I network with that hasn't gotten a lead from me yet. It's not that I'm not trying, I just haven't found a "hot" lead I think is worth his or her time.
Take my friend Eric Spawn. Eric owns The Spawn Group, which does home remodeling and roofing. I've known Eric for about a year and a half, and I like him a lot.
In the time I've known him, I've given Eric one lead.
One.
That lead didn't even lead to a job. But I recommended Eric to someone I care a lot about, and I recommend him to you, too. Remember, I take recommendations very seriously.
I am constantly looking for ways to get Eric a referral. But I won't give him "leads" that aren't going to help him. I like and respect him too much to waste his time. I want to be sure that Eric has a good chance to turn a lead into business.
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| I'm pretty sure there's a good lead in here somewhere. |
While usually this is well intentioned, what happens is that the person given the lead tries to develop it, and it turns out, the referral isn't really ready or willing to engage in business. So it's basically a dead end.
So before you provide a lead, consider whether there is a reasonable chance that it will develop, or is it just a shot in the dark guess that it might work out. If the latter - hold off, investigate it a little more yourself, and if you have a good feeling that it will turn into business, facilitate the introduction yourself.
Your referral partners will appreciate it - and do the same for you.
What do you think? I'd love to hear from you!
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