A Tale of Two Referrals

This is a tale of two referrals, one handled well, another handled badly (really badly!)

First the right approach. I introduced my friend Ellen (not her real name) to one of my contacts. Ellen immediately responded via email to thank me for the introduction. She also kept me up-to-speed on their discussions. As it turned out, their discussions went nowhere. Nonetheless, Ellen thanked me profusely.

 Now the wrong approach. I introduced Sue (name disguised to protect the guilty) to a colleague.

•  Mistake  #1 – No response from Sue thanking me for the intro.
•  Mistake #2 – I then ran into my colleague who said he’d hired Sue for some consulting work. No word from Sue about getting the assignment. 
• Mistake #3 – Sue called me the very same day and asked me if I could help her find some more consulting work.

My response (paraphrased) “ EXCUSE  ME………(a) you never thanked me for the referral; (b) you never thanked me when you got the job (c) you never asked how you could help me. Tell me again why should do anything more for you….”

 The moral of this tale:

•  Always thank the person providing the referral (the “referrer”) for making the intro
• Always keep the referrer in the loop about your discussions
• Always inform the referrer about the final outcome even if you didn’t get the project.

  And by the way, I will Always bend over backwards to give Ellen referrals. Sue is toast.