Looking for Mr. or Ms. Right – Who is your best referral source?

Walk into the lobby of most accounting firms and you will hear the managing partner chanting to the partners, “Go out and bring in the business! We have a lot of mouths to feed!” Ideally, as the partners and sales team are beating the pavement, they have well defined goals and objectives. Having strong referral sources makes the business development process much easier and more fun. What determines who your best referral source is? What are the attributes to look for to make that perfect match? Keep the following in mind as you search for the perfect match:

Compatibility - sharing clients is not the definition that works here. You and your source have to be compatible. You should be able to have a couple of common interests other than business. So as you are searching for lead generators, you really need to listen and learn about their family life, hobbies and points of distraction. The more you share the better. The more you can connect with them, the stronger the magnet. People will generally favor people they like, so finding ways to be liked is critical. It is not friendship you are striving for - it is comfort.

Intellectual Chemistry - going beyond the client at hand or the prospect is the key. Both of you must be able to brainstorm on professional matters with no strings attached. Picking each other's brains on technical matters has to be a common occurrence. The deeper you get into each other's competency, the more secure the relationship and the more intensely you will watch each other's back. Serving as a full service intellectual resource, even when it is not with a shared client or prospect, will position the relationship for many more common causes.

Inclusiveness - this is much more than being on the guest list for firm events. The quality of this characteristic is a function of how you each introduce the other to your own centers and spheres of influence - and how often. Are you helping each other go beyond the firm-to-firm or business-to-business goal and creating a networking relationship? The less selfish you each are with your contacts and points of influence, the more inclusive and the more sincere the relationship will become.

Complimentary Engagement - this isn’t just the ability to say nice things to each other. You want a referral relationship that generates assignments in areas where you not only excel, but enjoy as well. When this occurs, people will truly appreciate the value of your expertise. The best way to broadcast and boast of success to potential clients comes after a positive working experience on a mutual project. Complimentary engagement must include positioning each other in areas where you each perform best.

A referral relationship, just like a marriage, is a two way street. The best referral relationships will embrace the factors noted above whether they are with clients or independent resources. Many referral relationships have the potential to be your best and certainly to become better – it is up to you and your potential mate to make it work - and that means making it work at all times during the year including tax season and busy season.