BCG Referral

Hi there,

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for quite a lot of users, so I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

• Without knowing much about you, it seems rather hard to provide accurate tips. Would it be possible to receive some additional information about you to identify potential starting points for your referral strategy?
• Generally speaking, you might think about your closer and wider circle of friends, family, alumni, past colleagues aso. as potential starting points for a referral. Obviously, the closer the potential referee is to you the less subtle you need to address the question of a referral.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on how to best develop a meaningful referral strategy, please feel free to contact me directly.

I hope this helps,

Hagen

Hi there,

Feel free to reach out for tailored advice, templates, further instructions, etc. Overall, you should follow these steps:
 

a) Reach out to people in your network

 

b) Reach out to people once removed from your network

 

c) Reach out to people with a similar background to you (i.e. same alma mater, same historically underrepresented demographic i.e. gender, orientation, ethnicity, etc., same career switch, etc.)

 

d) Tailor a message to them specifically both showing interest in them and their journey and demonstrating that you have done your research and could be a valuable hire

 

e) Play "tag" across calls you get so that you can work your way towards the company/office/role you want

 

f) Never directly ask for a referral, but "hint" at needing one (this is nuanced and important...happy to talk through wording)

Hi there,

To find a referral, you should follow three main steps:

1. Identify the people that can help you
2. Write them a customized email
3. Have a call and indirectly ask for a referral

As general tips:

• Don’t use LinkedIn for your communication – emails work better. You should target 30% conversion for your messages; if you are not achieving that, there is space for improvement.
• When sending emails, your goal should be to organize a call, not to ask questions – you can then use the call for the questions.
• You need to close the call with an indirect request for a referral – don’t leave that to chances. There are specific ways to phrase it.

You should prepare three main things before the call:

• Your own pitch. 3-4 lines should be enough
• 3-4 questions on the personal experiences of the person. Avoid to ask questions about the company
• A closing question for the referral. It should be an indirect request to avoid being too pushy

If you need help please feel free to PM me, I do a 30min session on referrals, including scripts and all the steps to follow, at 50% discount. I used this process myself and got 6 invitations out of 6 applications – including all MBB.

Best,

Francesco

First try through your network. You may need to go through 2 degrees of separation to find the people you want, though.

If this doesn't work, linkedin is a valid option. Not email. Email is intrusive - you only send an email to someone who have you their email address (or through a connection).