- Know your niche and who else serves it. Being clear on exactly who you’re serving will make your potential referral partners clear. Past referral sources are also a good place to start. If you need help, consider asking your current clients which other related services they utilize.
- Pay attention to the job titles of people already in your network. Then search for those titles online and on social media to get leads on potential referral partners.
- Brainstorm who you’d like your business to be associated with. For example, if there’s a medical practice in your area that serves the same types of clients you serve, check your network for common connections, do some research on what makes that practice stand out, and evaluate whether they really are a good match for your practice.
- Understand the value you can bring. The referral partnership is a reciprocal one and you’ll have more success finding the right partners when you know why they’d want to work with you.
- Look at complementary services your practice doesn’t currently offer. Then find out who does offer them. Those practices who also don’t offer your services can be ideal referral partners.
- Find out which complementary businesses have the best marketing. Those who rise to the top will be strong candidates.
- Ask your most trusted colleagues who their referral partners are. Reach out to those key professionals as appropriate.
Once you’ve decided on a short list of potential partners, start reaching out to introduce yourself and pitch the idea of helping each other. This is where knowing your niche and why you’d be a good referral partner in return will come into play. From there, do your part to promote your partners, build trust with them, and show that they can benefit from working with you.