We proudly present Fable Fridays. This weekly installment will draw parallels between referral networking and some of society’s most cherished moral tales: Aesop’s Fables.
You could go to expensive seminars and buy up every book on referral marketing, but it doesn’t take a marketing genius to realize that Aesop got it right nearly 3,000 years ago.
The Fox and the Grapes
One afternoon a fox was walking through the forest and spotted a bunch of grapes hanging from over a lofty branch. “Just the thing to quench my thirst,” quoth he. Taking a few steps back, the fox jumped and just missed the hanging grapes. Again the fox took a few paces back and tried to reach them but still failed.
Finally, giving up, the fox turned up his nose and said, “They’re probably sour anyway,” and proceeded to walk away.
“It’s easy to despise what you cannot have.”
The Accountant and the Bookkeeping Referral
One day the accountant received a sales lead and followed up with the prospect. “”Just the thing to fill up my schedule this tax season,” quoth he. While speaking with the prospect he learned that they were actually looking for bookkeeping services. He was unable to close a sale.
Finally, giving up, the accountant muttered, “Why did this guy call me anyways, it clearly says I do accounting on my website; not bookkeeping!”
“We often forget that sending indirect referrals today, could be the first step to a prosperous referral relationship tomorrow”
Indicates your referral relationship is balanced,
Indicates an imbalance.