Leads are the lifeblood of any professional networking referral group. If you're the leader of such a group or if you belong to a leads club, here are proven methods for encouraging more lead giving.

1. Create a policy on what counts as a lead and have a reminder statement read out loud at the beginning of every meeting. It is the choice of the group founder as to what counts as a lead, but it should always support the development of business. It will not instill confidence in potential new members (and it will frustrate existing members) if there isn't real business being done and real money changing hands.

2. Have members be very clear in their description of what is a good lead for them. Everyone" is not a good lead. "Everyone who... breathes/has skin/wants more money" is not a good lead. They need to describe that potential referral in such detail that others can see that person in their mind's eye. And when they run into that perfect referral, there is no question that they are a good lead for your referral club member.

Here is an examples of an excellent descriptions of a good lead:

"A good lead for me is someone who always has to apologize for the quality (or lack) of their copies, who prints everything in black and white, or whose business has to produce a great number of copies."

Do you know what this person does? Do you already know someone who fits this description? This specific description makes it much easier to identify a lead than if the description was "any business."

Here's another good description:

"A good lead for me is a professional woman who is very busy, but wants to take great care of her skin. She probably notices other women with great skin and may ask them what they use because she's not happy with her current results."

3. Hold a contest. It doesn't take a huge prize, but everyone loves to win even a small item. An internal contest between members is good, but competing against another group is even better. Members of the group band together instead of competing against each other. The Clovis Chamber has two leads clubs. One recently challenged the other group to a leads-generating contest. The Membership Director even offered the prize of a website banner ad for the winning group each quarter. Leads have increased nearly 20% in both groups.

4. Ask top lead givers to share their secrets. It's a win for everyone. If the top lead giver teaches other people how to give more leads, they may be the recipient of some of that increased business.

5. Help members remember each other. Even a simple listing of names and companies is enough to job memories. Encourage members to have this sheet with them at all times. Maybe create it in a small booklet form. If they look at it every day, they will find more ways to give leads because their brain is seeking ways to connect.

Conclusion
As your members become more active and more enthusiastic, the momentum will help your group grow. You may not need to do all of these activities all the time, but keep these tools handy whenever the leads slow down.