Last week I talked about why we build relationships, and I suggested having an action plan from a one on one meeting as a good place to start. One of the actions can be passing referrals, which is a great way to deepen a relationship.

This is the one time I am going to break my philosophy of “Do what works for you and don’t do what doesn’t.” If you don’t refer at least some people in your network, the whole system is going to fall apart. Do you have to refer everyone in your network? No, but you need to refer as many as you can. Word about you will get around, whether you like it or not. And the best word to be having go around is “This person really knows how to give.”

But beyond the giving aspect, passing a referral gives you reason to stay in touch with both people in the referral chain. Here’s an example.

A prospect of yours needs the services of some other business professional, say a printer. The smart networker says, “I think I have just the person for you, but let me just touch base with him quickly and be sure you are the right potential client for him.” You contact your printer and give a quick overview of your prospect and what she needs. Here is a “touch” to your printer, and one of the best possible touches because you are giving him potential business. Assuming the prospect’s needs are something the printer can fill, he says, “Yes, I can help.” You close the loop by passing on the contact information to your prospect.

And that’s where many people stop. But this is just the beginning. You now have an absolutely valid reason to touch base with her that has nothing to do with signing a contract or writing you a check.

So touch base with the prospect. Did the referral go well? Was the printer able to meet her needs? Is there anything else she needs that you can help with? Very often, that contact will give you an idea of where the prospect stands with you and your services.

And you have reason to again touch base with your printer because of course you want to close the loop on that side of the referral. Your printer might be able to give you some “inside” information on how close your prospect is to signing with you.

If either side of the referral did not go well, you need to know that too. People remember when things go badly. Fortunately for you, they also remember when things go badly and you called to find out and made it as right as you could. A lot of people don’t want to know when things go badly. Ignorance is bliss and all that. Ignoring the problem might even make it go away. But you probably won’t get business from the person who was on the bad end of a referral. Where if you do follow through, find out what went wrong, apologize and do what you can to fix it, that will establish you as an honorable, reputable business person well worth doing business with.

This is the place to start when building a new relationship.

The first step is knowing at least a little bit about the people you will be meeting with. The Internet is a great place to gather some basic information. Do they have a LinkedIn or Facebook profile? Do they have a website? From these sources, you can often get some idea of who they are and who they work with. Knowing that, you can make a few plans.

If they work with people you want to work with, great. You know some possible introductions you can ask for. Make some educated guesses about the types of businesses they probably know. Some of those might be good referral sources to ask for.

Think about who you might know who might be potential clients. Or who might be good strategic partners. Make a list prior to the meeting.

In other words, walk in armed with some possibilities. Then during the meeting, listen carefully. Ask questions about who they work with. Compare the information to the educated guesses you made. Think about who else you might know who they need to meet.

Of course, you want to be very clear about who you need to meet. Are the people they work with potential clients or strategic partners of yours? Do they know people who could be good mentors? Or people whose services you need? All of those are good introductions to ask for.

Finally, try to find something out about them personally. Perhaps you have shared interests. Or one of your clients is absolutely passionate about something this person likes. Shared interests give you easy ways to make introductions and follow up in the future.

If you have done all these steps, and the other person is at least willing to try, each of you should walk out of that meeting with some actions to take. Introductions to make. Events to attend together. Articles to send each other. The possibilities are endless.

The next step, of course, is to do implement the actions you said you would take. If you do what you committed to, you make it much more likely that the other person will do likewise. And the reverse is true. Sometimes people we have just met test us to see if we are committed. Make sure you pass that test!