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I am no fortune teller but my guess is you have said, “Oh yeah, what’s better than a referral?” My answer, “Almost any other lead is better.” Before you accuse me of being full of the stuff the bull leaves behind, hear me out. I will give you some “submyths” to support my theory.

Submyth I: Friends of clients are always as easy to work for as the original client. Well, they might be but you have to assume and of course so do they. Asking a friend for an opinion that costs money is fraught with potential for hurting someone’s feelings or worse.

Submyth II: If the clients accepted responsibility and did selections on time, so will the referral. You may have the best procedures on the planet, but if the friends pushed the envelope a little, you can be prepared to see the same thing; it’s a matter of how much with the referral. You can also expect the referral to know some costs and to question any differences.

NOTE: If you have found these first two submyths aren’t myths at all for you, stop now and go play golf. You don’t need to read any more and by the way; stop and buy a lotto ticket on the way, maybe your luck will hold.

Submyth III: The referrals will have the same sense of cost vs. value as the clients. NOT! This can lead to what I call reverse-double jeopardy — remodelers never win in RDJ. You are either asked to divulge a confidence or to defend someone else’s taste; either or both are lose-lose scenarios.