Giving a “Thank You” gift is a simple strategy that will have people saying good things about you and generating ongoing referrals. Bill Cates shares the story of one of his clients for whom this strategy has been extremely effective.

I first met Harry Shor, an agent from Northern Virginia, when I spoke at the annual meeting of the Million Dollar Round Table. He told me he'd purchased my book and that my ideas had transformed his practice. This is a brief story of how Harry has turned his new referral mindset into a thriving referral-based practice:

Harry's practice is booming, in part, because of how he thanks people for referrals, a critical step that I've emphasized in previous articles. Harry's main niche is schoolteachers. He helps them maximize their retirement plans. They love his level of service, so he's very referable.

Whenever a client gives Harry a referral, he thanks them with a high-quality canvas book bag. The teachers immediately use it to carry their books and papers to and from school. It's a very visible gift and one that attracts the attention of other teachers. When Harry's clients are asked, “Where did you get that great bag?” They're told, “Harry Shor gave it to me, just for introducing him to another teacher.”

This simple strategy, which has people saying good things about Harry behind his back, keeps on generating referrals.

Tap into your creativity. What can you give to your clients who give you referrals to keep those referrals flowing?