Picture this: a brand-new solo attorney sitting in a coffee shop at 9:15 AM because he’s already burned through his entire caseload for the day. Five whole files. That was me in my first weeks of private practice.
I’d spent the previous three years building what looked like a respectable legal career—law clerk to a judge, Director of my state’s Legal Services for the Elderly program, trial attorney for insurance companies. Then I had what author Michael Gerber calls an “entrepreneurial seizure” and walked away from it all to hang my own shingle.
Bad timing? Maybe. But that morning coffee shop visit became my MBA.
The owner noticed me there every morning and asked me to review a lease. That led to his son, the owner of the dry cleaners up the street. His son had a friend with a DWI case. Suddenly, I wasn’t finishing my day’s work by 9:15 AM anymore.
The $10,000 Lesson I Almost Didn’t Learn
That September, I attended a marketing program where I learned something that should have been obvious: happy clients will introduce you to others if you simply ask.
Simple, right?
But I “forgot” to have that conversation during my next thirteen client appointments.
When I finally worked up the courage, I was meeting with Fred, a printing business owner, celebrating a settlement we’d just won. I stumbled through my introductions request, half-expecting him to brush me off.
His response stopped me cold—and enlightened me:
“Thanks for asking. You always seem so busy, I didn’t know you were interested in more business like mine. I’ve been sending people to my brother-in-law who is an attorney. And I HATE my brother-in-law.”
A week later, I signed a retainer with someone Fred introduced me to. Then another. And another.
That’s when everything changed.
What Fred Taught Me (That Nobody Else Had)
Fred wasn’t waiting for me to ask because he wanted to help me. He was waiting because he wanted to help his friends and colleaguesget the same quality of service he’d received.
I’d been thinking about referrals all wrong. This wasn’t about growing my business. It was about extending great service to people who needed it.
That shift in perspective turned an uncomfortable, self-serving request into a natural, generous conversation. And my practice exploded.
Years later, when I became National Sales Training Director for First Investors, I started teaching this system to financial advisors. The ones who embraced it? Their businesses took off. The ones who kept doing what everyone else taught? They kept struggling.
The Fatal Flaw in Traditional Referral Training
Most advisors learn to ask: “Who else do you know who could benefit from my services?”
It’s transactional. Awkward. Self-focused.
My system flips the script entirely. Instead of asking clients to help grow your business, you’re asking about people theymight want to help by connecting you with them. People who could benefit from the same transformation they just experienced.
But here’s what nobody tells you: you have to EARN the right to have that conversation. And you have to genuinely BELIEVE you deserve to have it.
That’s not some motivational poster nonsense. It’s the foundation of the entire system. Without it, the words ring hollow. With it, introductions flow naturally, almost effortlessly.
Your Turn
In the past, I’ve offered group coaching on my Mastering Client Introductions system for $997. For a limited time, I’ve cut that price in half—to $497.
You’ll get 6 short, focused videos you can watch at your own pace, plus weekly group coaching sessions where I’ll personally answer your questions and help you overcome whatever’s holding you back from having these conversations with confidence and making them work for you.
Learn more and register here: https://sandyschussel.com/register
The coffee shop attorney with five files is long gone. But I still remember what it felt like to be afraid of a simple conversation that could change everything.
Don’t wait for your thirteenth time. Check out this program now.
Keep REACHING…
