Half the new business is referral. Six people send all of it.

Referral-led growth looks like a cheap, self-sustaining channel, until you count the people it actually depends on.

By Steve 5 min read
Abstract bridge artwork for Half the new business is referral. Six people send all of it.

Ask most owner-managed firms where their work comes from and the answer is some version of “word of mouth, mostly”. Ask for the list, and something uncomfortable emerges. Not hundreds of happy customers quietly recommending you. Six people. An accountant who has sent work for eleven years. A former client who now sits on two boards. A supplier’s sales manager who passes on anything outside his own scope. Between them, they account for more new revenue than the website, the trade shows and the outbound calling combined. This is not…

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