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That is one of the most common questions I was asked when I used to invite people to join referral-focused networking groups. And it's a perfectly valid question. After all, referrals are based on trust, and surely you need to build trust before referring people.
However, things aren't that black and white. You certainly wouldn't give a strong unqualified referral to someone you have only just met. You can, however, still make a connection while making clear the nature of your relationship with the person you are referring, qualifying the referral.
Use qualified referrals to build your trust in new people in your networks, making it clear to the buyer of their services that you aren't vouching for them but that they may be able to help. As you get to know them better and get good feedback about their work, the nature of the referrals you pass will change with increased trust.
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