IQQuizThings you need to know—but might have missed—from No More Cold Calling this month.

Do you know what it takes to build a business based on referrals? Do you know how to ask for referrals in a way that gets results? Or how to nurture your network so referrals keep pouring in?

These aren’t trick questions. I really want to know your answers.

I’m doing some referral research and need your help. Please take my 14-question Referral I.Q. Quiz. The questions are mostly “Yes/No,” and it should take less than four minutes to complete. Once you’ve finished, you’ll be bounced over to a results page, where you can see the aggregated answers from everyone who has participated. Bookmark the results page, and come back later to see how answers evolve.

Take the Referral I.Q. Quiz now.

My goal is to get a 1,000-person sample, so please invite your network to take the quiz as well. Participation is anonymous, and I promise you won’t be added to any lists. (You know how I feel about spam.)

Thanks in advance for your support! Plus, here’s what you might have missed from No More Cold Calling this month.

What I Learned from Getting Fired

Did you ever get fired because you lost a deal? I did. I was so close to nailing a million-dollar deal—something no one in my company had ever done. I’d pulled out all the stops, and I could smell a win in the air. We were thought leaders; we had visibility; the client loved our solution for advanced sales training; and now we were one of two. Everything was going so well that in my head, I’d already spent my commission. But along the way, I’d consistently ignored some major red flags. I was “hoping” and not dealing with reality. My assumptions cost me a client and a job. (Read more.)

[Message to Management]: Don’t Confuse Sales Activity with Lasting Change

Why do so many salespeople refuse to learn new prospecting strategies or to change sales tactics that aren’t working? Change is the only way to grow and excel. And why wouldn’t salespeople follow the path to the highest commissions, the fastest closes, the best meetings, and the most powerful relationships? Much of the reticence is because change feels uncomfortable. Just as importantly, many sales leaders don’t know how to make the case for change. Here’s how to implement real change in your sales organization. (Read more.)

Inside Sales: Listen Up!

You really can stop cold calling. Well, you could—if only your manager would let you. If only you weren’t graded on the number of dials you made or restricted from spending too much time on the phone with a prospect. What salespeople—and sales managers—need to understand is that calls are either hot or cold. There’s no such thing as a warm call. Nor are your emails or social media messages warm, just because you’ve done a little research. In a new ebook from InsideSales.com and No More Cold Calling, you’ll learn how to turn cold calls into hot leads with referral selling. (Read more.)

Girl Power—Men with Daughters Get It

Gender equity is not just a girl thing. Women have important contributions to make and powerful perspectives to share. Smart leaders know that diversity of thinking fuels growth, and they claim it’s a priority. But the numbers reveal the truth: We still have a long way to go before we can talk about equality with a straight face. Women in the workplace see this clearly. And so do many men, especially those who love their little girls. Men with daughters in the workforce understand how much damage can be caused by unconscious biases. So how do you ensure the young women in your life get the equal opportunities they deserve? (Read more.)

4 Ways Salespeople Get Social Networking Wrong

“Aren’t you afraid clients won’t need you?” That’s what a shocked colleague asked when I told him I was including my entire referral process in my first book, No More Cold Calling. Yes, I was giving everything away—my content, my best ideas, and a process that took years to perfect. Why? If you’re at the top of your game, you got there because you helped others improve their game. You shared tips and ideas, told clients when they were going down the wrong path, suggested articles and books, and (gasp) even gave them access to some intellectual property. Today, we don’t call this giving stuff away. We call it “social engagement,” and it’s critical to increasing B2B sales effectiveness. Put simply: By giving to our customers, we give them reasons to buy from us. (Read more.)

Are You Unplugging Today?

How the heck did we communicate before mobile devices, emails, or even fax machines? People met in person, talked on the phone, or wrote letters. When they walked down the street, they made eye contact with others. It’s a different world today. We’re so afraid of missing something online that we’re glued to our phones. Even as we walk down the street, we only look up long enough to see where we’re going, so we miss out on the real-world events happening all around us. March 6 was the National Day of Unplugging—a day to remember that real life happens offline, that real relationships aren’t built in 140 characters or less, and that we miss the really important moments when we can’t take our eyes off our screens. Did you unplug? (Read more.)