"I genuinely thought I'd have more referrals with all the networking I'm doing..."

Nov 13, 2026 — John Way

"I genuinely thought I'd have more referrals with all the networking I'm doing: every major conference, every chamber lunch, hundreds of business cards. Even with my work history, ex-Fortune 50, a former VP, it's been a tough year."

That's what a consultant told me recently.

Ever feel like that? You're doing all the activities, but somewhere there's a bottleneck.

You can't see it, but you can feel it. Connections always start off great, but the referrals don't come. 

And before you:

…shell out for more conference tickets in 2027
…sign up for more networking groups
...decide you need more referral partners

Take a minute and figure out what's actually going on.

Here's what I mean. 

Most people I talk to think of referrals as a straight shot:

Your name gets dropped → Sales meeting. 

So they conclude that if their sales calendar isn't filling up, that must mean their name isn't being dropped.

But is that *actually* the case? Do you know for a fact or are you making assumptions?

So here's how you find out what's really going on. 

Find out what people think when someone recommends you.

Specifically, will they ask for an intro? If not, what would they do instead and why?

The why is the most important clue. 

Now, you could ask your friends, family, or peers from BNI or Vistage, but they're not the right people. Those are people who recommend you, so they already think you're great. 

You want feedback from people who are hearing about you for the *first* time. 

That's the scenario we tested at the Growth Lab in Atlanta. It was a room full of trusted advisors (executive coaches, fractionals, growth consultants, etc.), probably the same type of people you're hoping to meet, too. 

Each person wrote their intro, and had someone else recommend them: 

“I just met [Name], who helps [what they do]. I think they'd be a great connection for you. Here's their website and email. Do you want me to make an intro?”

Then we asked the advisors in the room: “Given this recommendation, what would you do next: ask for an intro or something else?”

Only a tiny minority asked for an intro.

Everybody else wanted to check out the person first: website, LinkedIn, etc. They only wanted the intro *IF* they liked what they saw. 

Now that's other people. How people react to you might be completely different.

But you never know until you ask. 

Now you can find the right people and ask them yourself, but I'm putting together the Advisor Referral Roundtable, so you don't have to. 

Established consultants, coaches, and advisors only. Must be in business 2+ years. 

Come find out what happens *after* you're name-dropped.
 
Tue, Dec 8, 11am CT, on Zoom. One hour. Free.

Seats are exclusive by role. Limit 8.

Register