Referral sales happen all the time. Keep connecting and grow your business through referrals.

Under the category of “You never know when…” what’s the probable time it takes for someone you know to make a referral introduction?

(Just for the record, referral introductions can happen at any time, all the time. Read, “Give Your Customers a Reason to Refer You.”)

Several years ago I was introduced to Bill, who lives and works in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Bill is a sales entrepreneur in an aligned business to mine. The person who introduced us determined that it would be good for the two of us to connect. We spoke on the phone, I autographed my book and sent it to him, but we never met in person. He receives my newsletters, but the last time we spoke was a year ago.

Just last month, Bill sent an email introducing me to his client who wanted to build a referral program for his sales organization. I figured this was a perfect time to pick up the phone and reconnect with Bill. As typically happens, there was lots new with Bill, and we talked about new ways to work together. He gave me insights into the person he referred, and also told me about the company.

It was a winning conversation. We marveled at the fact we’d never met in person, the two of us hadn’t spoken in a long time, and yet he still made the referral introduction. In fact, Bill suggested the title of this blog post, “What’s the half-life of a referral?”

High Touch, Big Reward

Reach out and stay connected. Make time to prospect for referrals. (Nothing is more important than generating new business.)

Are you still top of mind for people? Stay connected. You never know….

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What’s your average connection time? How often do you reach out and proactively re-engage with your Referral Sources and network? How do you close the gap? Comment and connect here. I personally reply to all thoughtful posts.