Many real estate training programs teach us to constantly ask for referrals...but are we worthy of referring in the first place?

People generally refer us when they know us, trust us, and appreciate who we are as people. If we haven't proven that we can be trusted, then asking for a referral can be counter productive and damaging to our reputations. 

Before we ask for a referral, we should seek to serve first, and demonstrate our value to our clients. In many cases we'll learn that we don't even need to ask for a referral. Our clients will refer us without our knowledge, without us even asking.