Referrals.

Who doesn’t want referrals?

How can you get some more and have a cheese blintz at the same time?

I’m about to tell you. Today we’re spending some time working on something lucrative and, as a bonus, it’s high in fat. That’s an unbeatable combination.

Why blintzes, you might ask? Because the food of 19th-century Jews in Eastern Europe is suddenly trendy. Yes, everything old is new again, and that includes building your referral network.

Today we’re going to build a small group that will generate referrals for the rest of your professional life. You’re going to have fun doing it, and you’re going to get fed. What else could you possibly want?

What we need to create is a breakfast meeting. This is a breakfast meeting for the long haul. You might end up serving as pallbearers for one another. This breakfast is serious as well as delicious.

The breakfast meeting will take place on a regular schedule: either weekly, biweekly, or monthly (my father’s group dined more or less daily—that’s where I stole this idea from). It’ll be up to you and the group to figure out a schedule, but it’ll be one of those things you can remember like “every Wednesday at 7:30” or “the first Tuesday of the month at 8:00.” You get the idea.

The meeting will be a mix of business people from various types of businesses. You need to mix it up. You’ll start small and grow.

Building Your Breakfast Club

Here’s the plan:

1. Identify. Identify three other group members. Think dentists, insurance people, accountants, auto-glass shop owners, and restaurant owners. Go with business owners and avoid starting with lawyers. Make the group diverse. Think friendly, entertaining, and fun. Don’t worry about their ability to refer. Think about which business owners you would enjoy having breakfast with for the next 30 years. I bet a few people are coming to mind immediately. They may already know one another.
2. Invite. Invite them to breakfast. Explain that you’d like to grow a group of business owners to share ideas. Talk about how it’s lonely at the top and how you need to expand your peer group to bat around ideas and get some sympathy. Don’t worry about referrals. Discuss ways you can help one another by sharing insight. Explain that you’d like to eventually expand the group.
3. Drive. Drive the breakfast schedule in the beginning. Take responsibility for getting a place, reminding everyone of the date and time, and carrying the conversation to get it primed. Push hard and turn the meeting into a habit for everyone.
4. Expand. Once the group gels (which could take three meetings, or it could take 10), ask each member to invite someone new. Bring in the newbies one at a time and integrate them. This may happen without you even needing to bring it up. If someone else takes on some leadership of the group, step back and let it happen. Don’t feel like you need to own the group.
5. Discuss. Bring your real issues to the group. Ask for help with the flaky receptionist. Tell them when revenues are down and you’re scared. Ask them for advice when your spouse isn’t happy with something you did. Be open and honest, and don’t be afraid to share.
6. Help. Be there for your new friends. Show up on moving day and carry some boxes. Attend the funeral when someone’s mother passes away. Offer their child an internship. Of course, you should refer to their business as well.
7. Reap. You’ll be rewarded for your effort. The rewards will come in the form of business, friendship and the knowledge that you’ve built a secure income stream for you and your family. Your group will prosper in part because of the effort of the group and, in part, because you’re all the kind of people willing to commit to the group.

Referrals plus cheese blintzes. Who could ask for more?