Awesome referrals bring interesting projects from great clients who close fast. Awesome referrals require much more than an introduction. The best referrals must have 3 parts.

Nathan is an attorney who used to complain clients didn't appreciate his expertise. He charged less than big firms, and yet clients still complained about his fees. The problem is simple. Nathan's problem is the solution.

How often do you make the same costly mistake as Judith? She took a course on business development with a component on persistence. By her estimate, adopting her new skill cost her law practice at least $100,000 in missed profit.

No business owner WANTS to pay big money for an audit. However, every business owner wants to grease the skids for growing their business.

The next time Lisa introduced herself, she nailed it. She moved the last 30 seconds to the front to highlight the situations where audits enable business opportunities.

Counter-intuitive fact of the day: Experts are rarely the best teachers. It's called "the Curse of Knowledge" and it's a significant obstacle to growth at law and other professional services firms.

Traditional mentoring--learn by watching what someone else does--is hobbled by the Curse of Knowledge. This is especially true for leaning how to generate business for your firm.

Rob is a financial advisor. He told me clients select him because of his 27 years in the business.

I told him I didn't think so.

After asking Rob a few more questions he realized I wasn't being a jerk. He realized I was right.

"Professionals hate selling" is a myth.

What lawyers, CPAs, and Advisors hate is getting rejected. "Sales" aka arm-twisting implies a lot of rejection.

Good rainmakers don't turn every potential client into a paying client, yet they don't feel rejection.

I refer a lot of business to other professionals via my network. Tell me you're "industry agnostic" and I scratch you off my list. Here's why.

I know a lot of estate planning attorneys. The ideal client for most is a "high net worth individual" so most of their marketing is literally interchangeable.

Darrin was just such an attorney. He couldn't understand why he struggled to communicate his value to potential clients and people in his network.

My wife was a Demolition Derby skeptic. The experience wasn't what she was expecting. The action comes in spurts and is neither methodical nor random.
A lot like the marketing and business development process at many professional services firms.