Staff Key in Getting Referrals

Summary: Advisers work hard to get their clients and professional contacts to recommend their services to others. They sometimes don't focus enough on another key source of referrals: their staff. Not just junior advisers but administrative assistants and operational staff all can play an important role in identifying and developing new leads. To get them really involved, "firms should create a referral culture," says Jylanne Dunne, senior vice president of practice management at Fidelity Investments in Boston.