The Referral Bench

Let's face it - more often than not, our close friends and families never turn out to be our best referral partners. We know this to be true...whether we want to admit it or not. But why? Shouldn't they know how great we are and how much of an impact we can make? No doubt they do, but they also know all the other, less flattering aspects of our history, too.

In today's episode of The Referral Bench Podcast, Ian and Phil talk about why our closest connections probably aren't the right people to talk to about sending business your way, and more importantly, who we should be talking to.

Check out today's episode and let us know your thoughts on our social channels!

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Introverts tend to get a bad wrap when it comes to networking and business development - and often times, it comes from the voices in our own heads. What so many people forget, though, is that introverts can still make for powerhouse networkers without necessarily sacrificing their need to recharge on their own.

In today's episode of The Referral Bench Podcast, Ian and Phil talk about some of the differences that we face when networking as introverts and the strategies and tactics that we can implement when we go out networking that will help those of us that classify ourselves as introverts still make a big impact.

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Every time you go to a networking event, it seems like there's at least one person there who's regaling everyone they meet with stories of their background, where they went to school, and who they worked for in the past. And for some reason everyone there seems like they're soaking it in...but why?

In today's episode of The Referral Bench Podcast, Phil and Ian talk about why we seem to care so much about the backgrounds of the people we meet in business scenarios...and whether we should care. Check out today's episode and let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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In business, it's really easy to become a pretty one dimensional person - at least to the people around you. It's so easy to focus exclusively on business and business conversations and leave everything about who you are outside of business out of your conversations. It may seem natural, but what are you missing out on?

In today's episode of The Referral Bench podcast, Phil and Ian talk about the value of letting people see the other sides of you that may not be related to your business. Give it a listen and let us know your thoughts on our social channels!

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We learn more from our failures than we do from our successes. Whether it's in business, in sports, or in life in general, failure provides us with lessons that we'd never learn otherwise.

In today's episode of The Referral Bench podcast, Phil shares the story of his attempt at the Leadville 100, along with some of the lessons that it taught him. Give it a listen and let us know your thoughts on our social channels!

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A couple months ago, Phil and Ian talked about how to make a graceful exit from your network to avoid ruining the relationships that you've developed. In today's episode, Phil and Ian are talking about how to redevelop your network if your exit wasn't quite as graceful as you would have liked it to have been.

Check out today's episode and share your thoughts on our social channels!

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One thing that's been proven time and time again is that getting referrals comes when you believe in what you're selling. But it doesn't work so well if you just believe in it because of the paycheck. If you really believe in what you're doing, and you're working for a company that you know can really serve the people that they work for, referrals flow so much easier.

In today's episode of The Referral Bench Podcast, Phil and Ian talk about some of the issues with working with a company that you don't believe in, or doesn't have a reputation equal to yours, and how much easier it is to get referrals when you're doing something that you really believe in.

Check out today's episode and let us know your thoughts on our social channels!

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When you reach a certain point of success, it becomes a lot easier to give back and help other people grow and build their success along with you. But how can you help others grow?

In today's episode of The Referral Bench Podcast, Phil and Ian talk about some ways that you can use your success to help inspire other people, mentor other people, or just make connections for them.

Check out today's episode and let us know your thoughts on our social channels!

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I know that as professionals, we always follow through with what we say we'll do...but sometimes people do forget, or maybe they just hoped that you'd forget. How do you hold them accountable?

In today's episode of The Referral Bench Podcast, Phil and Ian talk about some ways to hold your referral partners accountable for making introductions that they say they'll make, and what to do if they ignore you.

Check out today's episode and let us know your thoughts on our social channels!

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Consider this Festivus and it's time to air out some grievances! We all have those networking pet peeves that make us roll our eyes and today's episode is all about those pet peeves.

Sure, it's cathartic to vent our frustrations with networkers but, more importantly, our hope is to help identify the things that frustrate other people so that you can figure out if you need to do some fine tuning in your networking game.

Do you have any networking faux pas that you want to share? Let us know on our social channels!

Check out today's episode and let us know your thoughts on our social channels!

Get Social!   Check out our Facebook page Check out our LinkedIn page

Contact Phil & Firestorm   Phil's LinkedIn Firestorm Website

Contact Ian & Mission Suite   Ian's LinkedIn Mission Suite Website