FOREWORD

Ken Blanchard

Coauthor of The New One Minute Manager
and Leading at a Higher Level

The Referral of a Lifetime was the first in the Blanchard series with Berrett-Koehler. I am thrilled with its success and with this new, revised edition.

When I originally selected this book as the lead publication in my series, I was committed to providing leaders and managers with short, easy-to-understand, parable-type books that offer simple truths and profound wisdom focused on uplifting the best in the human spirit within organizations. Based on The Referral of a Lifetime’s bestseller status and translation to twelve languages, the book has accomplished that vision perfectly—and with the release of this revised and updated edition, it will continue to do so.

The new chapter and principle on social proof, along with lots of fresh ideas such as how to identify your Perfect Client Avatar, make this edition even more useful and relevant than the original. My hope is that all readers will continue to share this book with the important people in their lives.

With so many deadlines to meet, places to go, and things to do, we rarely have the time to stop and thank the people who have helped us achieve our goals along the way. The Referral of a Lifetime will cause you to realize how priceless those relationships are, both personally and professionally. While reading this book, you will not only learn to value relationships in a new light but also find a number of truths that will help you simplify and increase your business.

Appropriately, I was originally referred to this wonderful little book by my good friend Vince Siciliano, whose relationship I trust and respect. It’s my strong relationship with Vince that motivated me to pick up The Referral of a Lifetime and read it in one sitting.

Within the time it took me to read the book, I found myself reevaluating myself, our employees, and how we all view relationships at home and at work. I started to imagine the possibility of my business and personal life excelling and staying grounded simply by applying the golden rule and putting relationships first. I immediately wanted to share this book with my most important relationship—my wife, Margie. Together, we shared it with the rest of our family as well as the key leaders in our company.

The concept of putting relationships first is not a complicated one, but it’s certainly one that’s been taken for granted by many organizations. If you are interested in increasing client retention, building more referrals, and better serving your current client base, The Referral of a Lifetime may be the answer you seek. I guarantee it will show you how to stop and value the relationships you have and help you keep them from slipping away.

Thanks, Tim, for not only continuing to remind us how important our relationships can be to one another’s lives but also showing us how to make them valuable as they relate to achieving business goals. I wish you continued success sharing this important message and trust your valuable relationships will last a lifetime.