Commission Breath: Why Nobody Passes You Referrals

Most directors, when they ask for a referral, don’t realise what the person on the other end is actually hearing.

What they hear is roughly this: “Do you know anyone with money who I can sell to?” And the moment they hear that, they start thinking about their network, their contacts, their relationships, and what happens to those relationships the moment they hand them over to someone who needs to hit a number this month. So they smile. They say they’ll think about it. And they never mention it again.

Because your referral request stinks of commission breath. And your clients can smell it from the moment you start the sentence.

The problem with asking for referrals is that it’s a withdrawal. You’re asking your client to give something up. Their credibility. Their relationship. Their trust. And clients are very good at saying yes with their mouth while saying absolutely nothing with their actions.

What if instead you made a deposit?

Something like this.

“I’d love to offer one of your contacts a free fifteen minute cashflow review. No pitch, no obligation. Just an honest look at where their business stands and what options are genuinely available to them right now. If anyone comes to mind, I’ll even give you a message you can copy and paste so you don’t have to think about what to say. And if nobody does, no problem at all.”

That’s the difference between asking and giving. One reeks of commission breath. The other feels like a favour. And people will do a great deal for you when it feels like a favour. They’ll do almost nothing when it feels like a sales call with a friendly face on it.

Lead with the give. The get takes care of itself.

And if you know a director who needs business finance right now, send them my way. I’ll take it from there.

Seriously, if you or anybody you know could do with a brutally honest chat with someone on their side to discuss finance options over the summer, visit my website and we can take it from there.