Who Needs Referrals When You Have Friends?

Hey, how was work today? Did you get any new business?" Doesn't that sound like a caring spouse? A concerned parent? Maybe a good friend? Sure. But be careful how you answer.

Even more likely, they may not understand how to refer you.
If you believe that people who like, care, and respect you will refer business to you, you're in for a potentially costly surprise, warn the authors of a new book called, "Truth or Delusion: Busting Networking's Biggest Myths" (Nelson Business, ISBN 0785223207).

"They know you, they trust you, but they may be hesitant to mix business with personal life," explains New York Times best-selling author Dr. Ivan Misner. "Even more likely, they may not understand how to refer you."

"Familiarity also has its dangers," observes Misner. After all, "as much as your mom loves you, she’s seen you at your worst -- runnynosed, squalling, tattling, lying, throwing tantrums. Perhaps she secretly harbors the fear that if she referred her best friend to you for business, you’d end up embarrassing her."

Fortunately, he adds, "Anybody can be trained to refer business to you, including friends and family." You'll just want to read the tips from Misner and his "Truth or Delusion" co-authors first.

Questions? Call Dr. Ivan Misner at BNI Headquarters in the USA at 1-909-608-7575.

BNI is a referral networking organization, with more than 4,400 groups in 33 countries worldwide. BNI's Founder & Chairman, Dr. Ivan Misner is the author of several book's including the NY Times best-seller, "Masters of Networking," and the recently released, "Truth or Delusion". He is also the Senior Partner for the Referral Institute, a referral training company with operations around the world.