The Pain That Built a Referral Machine: How a Year of Hell Led to the Keithgo Circle Method

Thursday, February 20, 2025

The Year I Built a Referral Machine (Because I Couldn’t Talk on the Phone)

There are two types of pain in this world.

1️⃣ The kind where you stub your toe, yell something inappropriate, and move on with your life.

2️⃣ The kind that latches onto your soul, drags you through the depths of hell, and makes you question every life decision.

I had the second kind.

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At the end of 2023, I developed severe abdominal pain—not the "take some Advil and walk it off" kind, but the "I can't think, I can't work, and I might throw my phone across the room if one more person asks how I'm doing" kind of pain.

I was at a level eight out of ten on the pain scale, and if you’ve ever had pain that high, you know it’s like trying to hold a business meeting while being stabbed in the gut.

And here’s the worst part:

It didn’t go away.

For all of 2024, every phone call, every conversation, every client interaction—came with a side of anxiety, frustration, and an overwhelming feeling that I was losing everything I had built over 23 years.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re slipping, like the work you put in is starting to disappear, like you’re losing your edge… I get it.

And here’s what I realized:

👉 My tonality changed. People could hear the exhaustion in my voice.

👉 My patience evaporated. Small talk became intolerable.

👉 My ability to build relationships shrank to zero.

And guess what happens when your entire business is built on referrals, but you can’t hold a conversation?

Your business crumbles.

But here’s the twist—this pain was actually a gift.

Because it forced me to solve a problem that all of us have been ignoring.

💀 The Business Killer No One Talks About

Here’s what no one will tell you:

🚨 We’ve already lost the phone.

People don’t want to answer calls anymore.

People don’t have time for chit-chat.

And if you’re relying on outdated cold-calling, networking, or hoping referrals just “show up”, you’re already behind.

I had no choice but to find a new way.

So I built one.

I created the Keithgo Circle Referral Method, which allowed me to:

✅ Generate referrals without chasing people

✅ Stay top of mind without being glued to my phone

✅ Actually enjoy building relationships again

And the crazy part?

It worked.

Even when I was physically unable to talk on the phone, referrals kept coming in.

If I could do this while barely functioning, imagine what you could do without the abdominal apocalypse.

🔄 The CIRCLE Method: How to Get Referrals Without Begging

Most salespeople treat referrals like a one-time thing.

They ask, get ignored, and then complain about how “the market is tough.”

But referrals aren’t a transaction—they’re a system. A repeatable cycle that, once set up, never stops bringing in business.

Here’s how it works:

1️⃣ C = Connect

Stop randomly calling people. Start friending, following, and engaging with the right referral partners on social media. Visibility creates opportunity.

2️⃣ I = Invite

Want stronger relationships? Invite people into something. A free workshop, a challenge, a podcast, a one-on-one conversation. Relationships don’t form out of nowhere—they start with an invitation.

3️⃣ R = Relationship Building

Old-school scripts like “How are you today?” are dead. You need to discover if they actually have a problem you can solve. If not? No pressure. Relationships should be built, not forced.

4️⃣ C = Collaborate

Want more referrals? Work together. Run a webinar, record a podcast, brainstorm marketing ideas. The more you collaborate, the more natural referrals become.

5️⃣ L = Lead into Opportunities

Collaboration leads to new doors opening that you never even considered. And suddenly, referrals stop being a transaction and start being a byproduct of trust.

6️⃣ E = Evolve & Repeat

This is where 99% of people fail. They get a referral and assume the relationship is solid. It’s not. If you don’t keep bringing value, the referrals will stop. Simple as that.

Then the cycle starts over. Connect → Invite → Relationship → Collaborate → Lead → Evolve. Rinse and repeat.

🚀 Next Week: Why We’re Starting with the R in CIRCLE (And Why You’re Struggling to Get Referrals Right Now)

Now, you might be wondering… why are we starting with “R” (Relationships) instead of step one?

Simple.

Because this is where most people are struggling right now.

You’re not getting referrals—not because you don’t know how to ask, but because you’re not building relationships the right way.

Next week, I’m going to show you:

✅ Why people ignore your follow-ups (and what to do instead)
✅ How to stop sounding like a salesperson and start being a trusted expert
✅ The one question that instantly builds trust with referral partners

And most importantly I am going to tell you about these abdominal problems happened but more importantly how to make sure you or your loved ones never go through the pain I went through.

I’ll be covering it all in a future issue.

📩 Hit reply and tell me: What’s your biggest struggle with getting referrals right now?

I’ll cover the top responses in next week’s newsletter.

Let’s build something that works,
— Keith G.