Get More Clients!
In this fast-paced episode of the Business Builder’s Playbook, David Bush interviews Kevin W. McCarthy—author of The On-Purpose Person, The On-Purpose Business, and creator of MyReferralStream. Kevin unpacks a practical, purpose-anchored method to turn your warm network into a steady pipeline of ideal clients—without being “salesy.” You’ll learn the DoDo Dialogue opener, the “don’t sell tools, sell the roof” positioning move, a 3-phase/9-question referral system, and how to quantify ROI so proposals become easy yeses.
Explore: myreferralstream.com (watch the 30-min training) and On-Purpose.me (find your 2-word purpose).
Top Takeaways
Warm market first. Most people around you don’t actually know what you do or who you serve. Educate them (who/what/how/why) and ask for permission to stay in touch.
Don’t sell tools—sell outcomes. Titles, assessments, and tech are means; buyers want “the roof” (protection, growth, time back, confidence).
The DoDo Dialogue (conversation starter). “Do you know how [your ICP] often struggle with [pain]?... I help them with that.” Short, curiosity-driven, and invites “How?”
System > spurts. Referrals come in bursts (then droughts) when you lack a repeatable system.
Design–Build–Act (3×3 System).
Design: (1) What matters to me? (purpose), (2) What matters to my clients? (outcomes), (3) What do I do for them? (clear one-liner).
Build: (4) Equip referrers (simple blurb + intro email line), (5) Who will refer me? (top 25), (6) Tracking system (light CRM/list).
Act: (7) Engage referrals via discovery, (8) Quantify value/ROI, (9) Propose simply and clearly.
Quantify ROI with CASE. Circumstances → Added value if solved → Subtracted value if not solved → Equals total value at stake. Price from value down, not hours up.
Wingman networking. Attend events with a partner who edifies you (and you them). Ask questions, connect, don’t pass out stacks of business cards.
Prime the pump. With the right design and cadence, you can be “up and running” in ~30 days—then compounding results.
Volunteers, not hostages. Work with hungry, willing clients—and be that person in your own process.
Stories stick. Share brief outcomes and origin-stories; people remember stories more than tools.
Action Steps (Do This Next)
Write your one-liner (What you do, for whom, and the outcome) and a 2-sentence credibility blurb.
List your Top 25 referrers (people who’d love to see you win). Add emails and phone numbers.
Equip them with a copy-paste intro line: “I think you should meet [Your Name]. They help [ICP] achieve [result]. May I introduce you?”
Ask permission to keep them updated and set a light cadence (e.g., monthly value note + one short case story).
Create a 10-minute “wow” (quick audit, checklist, mini-roadmap) that demonstrates value fast.