Over the next few days, I’ll share three short stories that explain the three types of referrals you’ll come across in any strong business network: The Sought, The Found, and The Sitter.

Today’s story is about The Sought, the referral you go out of your way to track down because someone in your network has asked for it.

A few years ago at my weekly networking meeting, the group’s plumber asked for an introduction to the principal of a large real estate agency, by name.

The plumber was a trustworthy friend who had completed work for me in the past so I knew I could refer him with confidence.

Most people would have made a note and thought, “I’ll keep an eye out,” and left it at that but a sought referral isn’t about waiting, it’s about taking action to find and make the introduction.

So, I thought about who I knew that might be close enough to the target to lead somewhere useful. My mortgage broker came to mind. He’d been in the business for decades and one thing I’ve learnt during my networking career is that you never know who people know. I made the call and asked the question and whilst he didn’t have a connection to the target directly, he introduced me to a well-connected property buyer he’d worked with regularly. One connection led to another, and after three phone calls the plumber had a warm introduction to his ideal referral.

That’s the heart of The Sought Referral, when you go out of your way to find an opportunity for someone in your network. It takes a time and effort and occasionally a little lateral thinking, but the results are worth it.