97: What to Do When You Receive a Bad Referral Without Damaging the Relationship

What should you do when someone sends you a referral that simply isn’t a good fit?

Turning down the opportunity may be necessary, but how you handle the person who referred them can either strengthen or weaken an important relationship.

In this episode, Faithann shares how to respond to a bad referral with gratitude, clarity, and care. You’ll learn why it’s your responsibility to teach your network what does and does not make a good referral, how to explain that you couldn’t help without overexplaining, and how to guide the referral partner towards better-fit opportunities in the future.

You’ll learn:

How to prevent bad referrals by educating your network

Why you should follow up quickly with every referral

What to say to the person who sent the referral

How to make gratitude the hero of the conversation

A simple phrase that explains why you couldn’t help

How to remind your network what a great referral looks like

A bad referral doesn’t have to damage a valuable relationship. Handled well, it can become an opportunity to build trust and help someone refer you more confidently next time.

Would this episode help someone in your network navigate a bad referral? Share it with them so you can both become the current of the lazy river that draws and keeps the right people close.