About Us

Strategic Referral Team Methodology

The Strategic Referral Team Methodology differs from more traditional referral marketing tactics by focusing on long-term strategic relationship building, strategic networking, and a holistic view of business growth rather than simply asking for referrals or implementing short-term referral campaigns.

  • 1. A complete methodology that integrates referrals into every aspect of the business. We know and answer the three key questions in business:
    a. Why should I meet with you?
    b. Why should I buy from you?
    c. Why should I refer you?
  • 2. Focus on a referral culture: We emphasize creating a “referral culture” rather than just trying to earn referrals at the end of a sales process. We advocate for making referrals a core part of one’s entire business mindset and approach.
  • 3. Referrals are the only form of marketing that, when done well, require personal development. Referrals only scale as well as you do. Leadership, EQ, sales skills and psychology are only a few of the areas you will need to truly capture the massive opportunity that only referrals can deliver. This absolute requirement to improve yourself is also why it isn’t for everyone.
  • 4. Strategic and calculated: While SRT believes in being warm, personable and spontaneous, we stress the importance of being strategic and calculated about how to invest time in referral relationships. In our system we identify time as the essential measurement, not money.
  • 5. Emphasis on giving referrals: We explicitly discredit approaches that focus solely on getting referrals and give ‘lip service’ to giving. We instead continually develop intellectual property focused on teaching people how to give referrals, believing this creates more sustainable referral networks and better adherence to the system.
  • Targeted approach: We believe that having a well-defined target market improves referral effectiveness. Our system primarily focuses on who will refer to you, not just who can refer you.
  • Concierge mindset: The foundation of our system encourages becoming a “concierge of problem-solving contacts” and being a go-to source for solutions, not just focusing on direct business referrals.
  • Values-based relationships: Our methodology requires building authentic referral relationships based on genuinely caring for people and enhancing their lives, whether they become clients or not.
  • Comprehensive system: We teach and consult on a complete referral system that you can predict, providing a more systematic and replicable approach to referral marketing.

What do you think?

At the core of my being, this is what I believe about referrals and what I believe about humanity in marketing.

What We Believe

1. Word of Mouth Marketing is the only form of marketing that YOU own and that cannot be de-platformed or canceled.
2. Doing business by referral grows your business and yourself.
3. A true referral marketing system focused on serving other people is uniquely scalable and honoring of humanity.
4. Everything in the business needs to be aligned with and in support of the referral system to create exponential growth and new opportunities.
5. The most important metric in a predictable referral system is knowing the real value of an initial referral meeting (not the sale).

Our Founder, Mike Garrison

Mike Garrison, when not fly fishing or dreaming about it, has worked for 25+ years with financial advisors and small business owners across the globe helping them to both grow their business and enjoy their lives through the power of a complete referral system that you can predict. Mike also enjoys helping business owners preserve legacies through his work as a Value Advisor in the exit planning process as a holder of the CEPA designation.

Mike also is the founder of Blue Ridge Legacy Partners. At BRLP, Mike is growing a peer advisor council business as a Licensed Partner with LX Council.

mike garrison of strategic referral team

Mike is honored to be a faculty member of the Exit Planning Institute Academy and to have been invited to speak at their annual Exit Planning Summit. He is always willing to go speak about referrals and exit planning.

Relationships are everything to Mike, both personally and professionally. He has spent the entirety of his career helping leaders and producers grow their businesses… and transform their lives and the lives of those that depend upon them. He believes, without any hesitation, that we are all designed to accomplish so much more than we realize and is committed to helping people that are dedicated to being intentional about their unique expression of what it means to be human.

can i borrow your car how financial advisors can grow their business and love their life by Mike Garrison book cover

Mike’s Book Projects

Mike Garrison is the author of ‘Can I Borrow Your Car? How Financial Advisors Can Grow Their Business and Love their Life’. He is also the co-author of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal,​ Amazon.com and USA Today bestseller: ‘Truth or Delusion: Busting Networking’s Biggest Myths’. Mike is also a contributing author to the number one bestseller ‘Masters of Success’.

Personal

Mike is a Christian and is blessed to be the husband of his wife Jocelyn for the last 30 years (and hopefully many more to come!) and the father of their son Robert. Robert is a medical miracle and multi-disabled adult whose ongoing health challenges have pushed Mike to become deeply involved in several different special needs causes.

Mike has jumped out of ‘perfectly good airplanes’ in the U.S Army, climbed frozen waterfalls and spoken to thousands at conferences. You can find out more about what he thinks and where he has been fly fishing by checking out his activity on his social platforms.