No matter their professions, their expectations of referrals are strangely different than the referral results they're getting. And when they finally have the chops to admit it, naturally their frustration over their referral results surfaces.

So what's really going on here with their referrals?

Well under the surface I can tell you that referral frustration (from lack of being active with referral generating activities) is rooted in a mindset. And it's a bad one. It's not grounded on intentions of furthering "progress-based" impressions with the other person.

What do I mean by this?

I mean business interaction involves influencing others. Whether it's direct, indirect, intentionally, or in a passive fashion, that's not the issue. The issue is this: building relationships based on interactions and impressions is at the core. The culmination of success is a "trust-bond" that is formed, to which others become introduced and referred to you.

But you've got to start somewhere. And it starts in a way that means getting to know what others mean to help them advance and progress. When you get to know others, the opportunity for them know you, and your work, is forced to the surface.

However, generating consistent referral flow, or a referral system from that process, takes time. It is a relationship formed on the promise of making progress together--sometime in the future. And that patience is a difficult pill to swallow. You can summarize it as follows:

1. What you know about me;
2. Who you currently know, right now; and,
3. How you creatively use that knowledge to share experiences with others.

If your referrals suck, it's probably because you are not providing progress to others and their lives. Because when you do, they can't help but open their mouths and tell others about you.

It's an approach that is rooted in helping the other person advance and progress based on their needs, NOT your own. And if your referrals do suck now, I'll bet that you've got the equation backwards. Remember, people trust people who bring progress into their lives.

You can do this simply as follows:

1. Genuinely care about the other person's business success.
2. Offer value to them willingly, and often times unexpectedly
3. Allow these benefits to shine so they recognize they will gain much by being associated with you and in an active relationship.

Go for it!