“I get by with a little help from my friends”- The Beatles. We all need friends in life to help us through the bad times, but as well, we need them in the good times. In life though, most importantly, everyone needs a “Guy”. In business, having “Guys” and “Gals”, that serve well as great referrals when needed, can help win the trust of those you seek to build relationships.

Having the perfect “Guy” for your associates when the need arises, becomes one of the best relationship building tools you can have in your business tool kit. When determining who your “Guys” will be, you need to keep three things in mind before making those referrals:

1. Know your “Guy’s” capabilities and that the business fits your referral’s needs
2. Have a track record with your “Guy” and know that they will make a lasting positive first impression
3. They have to be extremely reliable and exceed your expectations on a regular basis. 

If your a vendor, you might be asking yourself; How do I become the “Guy”? It’s not easy and sometimes takes months, if not years of consistently proving yourself to your clients, before they are willing to stick their personal reputation out on the line for you. Here are the three things you need to be the “Guy”:

1. Be consistently great and genuine in your desire to serve their needs
2. Be easy to work with, always offer suggestions that make sense and show your committed in their successes, never over promise and under perform
3. Stay involved with your clients, personally and professionally, treat them like they’re family and don’t sell to them, suggest

In closing, being the “Guy” and knowing the right “Guy” is hard work and takes a true commitment to maintaining a reputation of excellence in all that you do. Good luck in the pursuit of knowing and being the “Guy”