Another simple education this week around an issue I see from time to time that causes real problems for members.
When a member refers themselves and their partners to another member, there is an extra degree of risk for the referring member that often isn’t considered by the member receiving the referral. In fact, not only isn’t the extra risk considered by the member receiving the referral but they actually pay less attention to the referral than they normally would.
This week we are going to look at why this might be and what the extra risk to the member making the referral is.
Are some referrals more important than others?
No, they are all equally important, but some require more care and thought than others.
A specific example of this is when you receive an internal referral from a member that involves the member and their partner or just for the member’s partner.
What are the possible pitfalls of such a referral?
Sometimes the member assumes that the relationship with the partner is the same as the one they have with the referrer. They may also assume because of the relationship that they have with the referrer that there is less care needed in follow up quoting, communication, promptness etc. In fact, other than the recommendation of the referrer the partner may have no more reason to trust you than anyone else.
What can be the impact on the referrer if a partner referral goes awry?
It can make life at home difficult in three ways:
1. Making another BNI referral to the partner could be very difficult.
2. The partner will question the referrer’s involvement in BNI.
3. The partner won’t help refer BNI members to their network.
Has anyone had this experience?
If you receive a referral that involves a member’s partner, treat the partner as you would an external referral and be extra vigilant about following your normal business processes with them.
