Title: The Referral Engine

Author: John Jantsch

Genre: business and economics

Publication Date: June 30, 2011

Page Count: 256

Rating: ★★★☆☆

I got this book because I read Duct Tape Marketing over ten years ago and found that book super helpful in another business I had long before Lady V Writes.

I felt Duct Tape marketing was more targeted toward solo entrepreneurs who run a business themselves, a startup or business with under ten employees.

The Referral Engine seems to be targeted toward larger businesses. He talks about teams a lot. If you are the sole owner and employee of your business, a lot of advice can be scaled down to a point. I heard the words train your team so many times there was a point I said ….. “I am the team and I know this.” But that is just the second half of the book. The first part is the book drags out the explanation of why referrals are important, which I feel was unnecessary because the title “The Referral Engine” infers that you already realize that referrals are important. Why else would you buy the book?

I feel that mixing both personal and technology to build a ‘referral engine’ is a straightforward decision. Also, like Duct Tape Marketing, The Referral Engine is dated, which is shown by some tools that Jantsch mentions (there are some that are no longer in existence).

I had trouble getting on board with the idea of offering something that had nothing to do with my business. For example, if I sell t-shirts, I will not offer free gasoline for my customers just because it’s something unexpected for me to do. Some examples were like that. I will refer customers to products and services that make sense and, more importantly, I know, like, and trust.

This book would be helpful for someone new to business and the idea of referrals. Or someone who has no clue about marketing and referrals. In that case, I would recommend both Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine.

As someone who already has experience with marketing and referrals, I found the book to be redundant. I enjoyed chapter 11 because, in the examples showcased, single entrepreneur businesses instead of teams from larger companies.

The key is to value your current customers instead of seeking costly new ones; this will lead to repeat business, referrals, and word-of-mouth marketing. This includes loyalty programs, punch cards, and referral gifts.

In conclusion, I thought the book was too long for the concepts imparted. The first part of the book spent too much time explaining why referrals are important. The real meat of the back was the second half. I read a review where the team reading the started reading it backwards, and I would suggest this. I listened to the audiobook instead, so it wasn’t a viable option. This book is a great resource for new business owners seeking referral-building advice.