Episode 5 - How To Ask For Referrals with Thomas Coles: Your Network Is Your Net Worth
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Hello and welcome to the Growth Workshop Podcast with your hosts, me, Matt Best and Jonny Adams. In this podcast, we'll be sharing insights from our combined 30 plus years experience and hearing from other industry leaders to get their thoughts and perspectives on what growth looks like in modern business. We'll cover all aspects of leadership, sales, account development and customer success, alongside other critical elements required to build an effective growth engine for your business. This podcast is aimed at leaders from exec all the way down to line managers. Hello and welcome to the Growth Workshop podcast with your hosts today, Matt Best and Jonny Adams. We're joined today by the fantastic Thomas Coles and we're really, really looking forward to exploring how Thomas has been a successful entrepreneur, developing and growing businesses over his illustrious career. But as is customary on the Growth Workshop podcast, Thomas, I'd like just to welcome you with our first question, which is, tell us what's been interesting in your week this week?
What's gone on that you can share with our listeners to get everyone excited at the start of today's podcast?
Hello, both of you. Hello, everybody. And thank you for the introduction. The best thing that's happened in my week has probably been how busy it's been, starting from before eight o'clock Monday morning, getting an order from a new customer right the way through the week. It's just been fantastic.
Brilliant. That sounds incredibly productive, which is fantastic. Thank you. And Johnny, what about you? You always have normally an interesting story to share with us at the start of these podcasts.
Oh, Matt, you've set the standards high there. So a personal sort of achievement, I achieved the management consultancy chartered status, which puts me in the top 1,000. management consultants in the uk it effectively means that as a business and as an individual running programs with our clients i uphold certain standards and ethics when delivering transformation projects so that was a really sort of personal achievement over to you matt what's going on your world brilliant i think in my week this week has been a chance i came off the back of a really um
really busy week last week, actually. And Thomas, much like yourself, lots and lots of meetings, really effective, great conversations. And we all know that in business development and sales, the week that follows that is a week of follow-ups. And that's really what this week has been about. But it's really great being able to reflect on those fantastic conversations with clients and prospects. And if we think about our listeners to this podcast and their own sort of focus on growth, just a little reminder of all of that hard work that you've put in, what comes out, and maybe some of our listeners will have shared your pre-8am contract signatures, Thomas, which is always a nice way to start the week. Let's hope so. Wonderful. Well, look, Thomas, you're a serial entrepreneur, right?
You've got vast experience in developing and growing businesses. So tell us, what's your biggest success?
So there's been all sorts of amazing teams I've worked with over the years, but probably if I had to choose one thing, I would say selling one business as an 82 times return has to stand out as a highlight. Wow. Yes. Why are you still working? People do ask that question. I would say divorce is expensive and my daughter wants to be a doctor. So I've got at least another nine years in me.
Fantastic. Just being married for one year, Thomas, I'm taking notes. So thank you very much for that.
So 82 times return flipping businesses clearly sets you out as someone who knows very well what they're doing. We'd love to know, what are the three things that have helped you in being so successful with that business, but also with the other businesses that you've worked with and achieved growth for?
There are three really clear, easy answers to that question. Firstly, the most successful way of generating new revenue and therefore growing businesses has always been using referrals. The second thing that I have to highlight in terms of total revenue coming from growth has to be around account management. looking after customers, growing the relationships with customers and retaining them.
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