Book Review: Endless Stream of Referrals

By Michelle Thompson

The easiest way to get business is through referrals. After all, people generally do business with people they know and trust. The thing is, getting high-quality referrals isn’t as easy as it may sound. It isn’t always a comfortable process, and it’s a challenge for most of us.

Well, there is a reason why you’re not getting the referrals you think you should be getting, and Success Championsfounder Donnie Boivin talks about it straightaway at the start of “Endless Stream of Referrals: 10 Ways To Bring In Referrals Daily” – You’re just not asking for them. You can’t wait for good things to happen to you. You have to go out there and make them happen.

“Endless Stream of Referrals” reminds us that we tend to make the mistake of passively waiting for referrals instead of actively asking for them. We’ve all heard about how word of mouth marketing is one of the best ways to attract new customers and drive more sales to our businesses, but instead of sitting back and waiting, we can do our part to amplify the effect by asking for referrals.

Many of us are uncomfortable asking for referrals because we don’t want to come off as salesy or desperate for business. But the fact of the matter is that we’ll get a lot more referrals if we ask our clients if they know anyone who can benefit from our products or services. It’s good to be reminded that we can actively ask for referrals without being pushy because some of our ideal clients will likely remain out of reach unless we pursue them.

As you can surmise from the title, Boivin has outlined ten proven ways to boost the quantity and quality of referrals, and one of the things that he talks about is how we should be asking the right questions so we can get the right referrals. Boivin gives an excellent example of how we can get very specific, and guide people through who we need to be introduced to. “When you sit across from somebody, and you’re having a referral conversation never go generic with whom you’re looking for,” Boivin explains in the first chapter of the book. “You want to say things like, ‘I’m looking for a get shit done (female badass the one that walks into the room and everybody gets her attention, not because of how she looks but how she carries herself. Her presence is felt in the room before she gets there. She’s an action taking badass that runs her own company. She used to run or has found success in the past in some executive capacity before she got tired of making money for everyone else and not living her dreams. She’s looking for ways to blow it up and increase revenue and scale her business. She’s got a circle of influence, she’s a badass that attracts other badasses. She’s driven as Hell and is changing the world with her actions.’”

Aside from walking us through each step of the process to get the referrals we’re looking for, Boivin also shared a system that can help your referral partner walk away with a list of their ideal clients. That way, both sides are happy with the quality of referrals that they are getting.

There’s just so much to unpack here. Don’t know where to look for the ideal referral? “Endless Stream of Referrals” will give you an idea of where you should focus your efforts.

Personally, I love the part where Boivin talked about his experience of asking for a referral after getting a “no” because it’s a rather unorthodox way to do it. Here’s an excerpt from the book:

“I had a massive deal I thought we were going to partner with the prospect on. Everything seemed like they were going to say yes. We spent a ton of energy and time working out the details. When they told me they weren’t going to move forward, I must admit, I was shocked to the bones, and they could tell. I had no poker face at all, which makes me human. Imagine being human on a sales call, you should try it.

I think it took me 30 seconds or longer to grab my wits and words. What I did next was completely reactionary. I said, ‘Thanks for telling me. I have to say I am a little shocked. I thought we were going to partner up. I’m glad we got closure on this. I respect the Hell out of you for saying no right now and not drawing it out. Now that we know we’re not a good fit, who is a similar business that we should be talking to?’

He looked right back at me damn near dumbfounded. I mean, his jaw actually opened up a little bit. He looked at me and he goes, ‘You’re

hired.’ I said, ‘What does that mean?’ He replied, ‘No, we’re starting your program.’ I said, ‘What the hell? What changed?’ He goes, ‘I want my sales team doing what you just did. I want my sales team to have the balls to ask that type of question after I told you we weren’t moving forward. And they don’t have that right now.’”

It’s an interesting way to ask for a referral, isn’t it? Of course, Boivin did note that the success rate isn’t that high, but it doesn’t hurt to try. What do you have to lose if that person already turned down your proposal?

“Endless Stream of Referrals” is filled with golden nuggets of information, with Boivin weaving in his own experiences to show us how he implements each of the methods he uses. There’s even a section on the importance of tracking down the number of referrals you’re giving out and bringing in. And the reason why we have to do this is simple – it helps us see what’s working and what’s not.

All in all, “Endless Stream of Referrals” is the book you’ll want to read if you’re not getting the referrals you want. The book gives us a muchneeded kick in the hindquarters when we’re starting to doubt our capabilities to bring in referrals, and it includes clear, actionable strategies to set us up for success. The book is pretty straightforward, so you can read it in one sitting and put what you learned into practice.

Getting high-quality referrals isn’t easy. But with the right systems in place, your clients and business partners will be happy to refer you to others.

Automation and Outsourcing saved my sanity. After a life-altering stroke, at the age of 36, I had to start all over again. From a successful MBA in Finance to a second grade IQ level... overnight. Since my stroke, I’ve had to learn how to automate and outsource as much as humanly possible. It touches everything I do. Now, I am on a mission to help free you up from all the unnecessary tasks you do, and I’ll stop at nothing to help you get your freedom back.