Built on Referrals

Sometimes the biggest threats to a referral-based business aren't market conditions, competition, or lead generation challenges. Sometimes it's the way we show up in conversations. In this episode, I share a candid story about a recent interaction with a business owner that sparked an important reminder: if you want to build a business on trust, relationships, and referrals, you can't afford to ac...

Get your Referral Score in 2 minutes and grab a free copy of The Upstream Model here: https://builtonreferrals.com/referralscore Call reluctance is one of the biggest hidden killers of a referral-based business. In this episode, we break down why relationship-driven entrepreneurs, real estate agents, and service professionals avoid outreach calls — and how to build a referral business through auth...

Many networking events feel like a waste of your time, and you're not alone in thinking that. This video addresses the four fatal flaws of typical networking events and provides practical networking tips. We'll show you how to truly make the most of your time and effort, ensuring you're building valuable connections and mastering how to network at events.

Today, we are tackling a foundational question: can you scale a massive business built entirely on relationships? Or are you stuck constantly chasing new, cold leads? Many entrepreneurs fall into the trap of believing that growing big requires a massive advertising budget. In this episode, Justin and Amy shatter that myth. They reveal how an initial failure with $30,000 billboard ads sparked a rev...

Today, we are tackling the currency that matters most in a world full of AI and automation: trust. Building deep, instant rapport with a new connection isn't about delivering the perfect elevator pitch or talking endlessly about yourself. In fact, the fastest way to become the most interesting person in the room is to be the most interested person in the room. This episode reveals the exact three-...

Today, we are tackling a massive blind spot that most service professionals do not even realize they have: their database. If you are treating your CRM like a digital Tupperware container for storing names and numbers, you are thinking way too small. This episode is a complete paradigm shift designed to help you transform your database from a passive list of contacts into a highly strategic relati...

Today, we are tackling a common struggle for relationship-based professionals: the cringe-inducing feeling of self-promotion. If you naturally prefer asking questions over talking about yourself, forced self-promotion can feel completely out of alignment. But what if you could market your business effectively without ever having to beat your own chest? This episode reveals a brilliant workaround:...

Following up on our previous conversation about the dangers of outsourcing your connections to robots, today we are tackling the right way to use technology. If you knew everything about a prospect before walking into a room, you could add unique, hyper-relevant value from the very first handshake. But doing that kind of deep research manually takes hours. This episode reveals how to practically a...

Today, we are tackling a feeling we all know too well: the grind. If you feel like you are pushing a boulder uphill to get your business to the next level, it might be time to stop forcing it and find your alignment. There is a lot of noise telling you to automate everything and integrate endless new tech tools, but what if your greatest breakthrough requires leaning into the relationship-building...

Today, we are tackling a modern dilemma: how do you integrate AI into a relationship-based business without destroying the very trust you’ve built? There are endless shiny new tools promising to automate your client interactions, but outsourcing human connection is a fast track to losing it. This episode serves as a reality check on when to leverage AI and when to keep things profoundly human. If...

Today, we are tackling a crucial question: is a referral-based model actually the right fit for you? There is a lot of noise out there pushing transactional, lead-based strategies as the only way to grow. While attention certainly matters, trust moves you much further and faster. This episode is designed as a litmus test to help you discover if your professional DNA is wired for long-term relation...

Welcome to the Built On Referrals podcast! I’m your host, Justin Stoddart, and I am absolutely thrilled to share this brand-new project with you. Whether you’re joining me from my nine years hosting the Think Bigger Real Estate Podcast , you've read my book The Upstream Model , or you’re brand new to my world—thank you for being here. I am extremely excited about what we are going to build togethe...