Last week I met an old friend for lunch and got to talking shop. It had been a while since we had last met, so he didn’t know what I had been up to.

I told him about my new venture and how I have decided to make my life’s work in helping small and mid size companies be found, seen and heard online. But enough with the self promotion…(just setting up the story here) 😀

He immediately looked back at me and said, “I have 2 former clients that you have to speak with.”

Being a new company, there is no such thing as too much business, until of course you have too much business, so I excitedly said “Absolutely!”

He promised to make the introductions as soon as he could and away we went.
 

An Introduction (Referral) Is Worth Its Weight in Gold

 
We all know the value of a referral. That is why we are all so busy networking. It isn’t the only purpose by any means, but having a robust network is ideal when a need arises.

So the next day when my friend sent me a note to say he had spoken to both of the clients and they would love to speak with me, I was thrilled. Batting 1000 on the day is an average I can live with.

A few minutes later the notes came out…

“Dan, Meet Bob (Not really) – Bob runs a Finance Company (Again, not really) and I think you two should talk about how you can work together…”

Perfect, great introduction and me being the nomophobe that I am, I saw the message instantly.

This is where I had a Senior or perhaps Junior moment and thought to myself…Should I reply right away or should I wait? Will it seem desperate if I’m too prompt? Will I seem indifferent if I’m too slow? I happened to be at my desk editing some copy at that moment so I was in a good position to respond right then. I don’t think i had been so confused since I was trying to figure out how to ask my now wife on a date. But I digress.

I found myself asking, what is the best way to handle a referral?
 

Is There a Right Way to Handle a Referral?

 
In the end I decided I would just wait until I was done with the copyediting that I was doing and then I would reply. So it was about an hour later.

In the connected world an hour to get a response can feel like a long time, but in actuality we all know that is nothing and sometimes it can take days and weeks to get a response.

But to this moment I haven’t figured out if there is a right way to handle these situations.

Do you think responding too fast makes you too eager? Does responding too slow show non-chalance?

What are your rules for responding to new opportunities to make a best first impression?

Inquiring minds want to know.