Diamond Effect - Strategies to Build a Service Business Worth Owning

This podcast helps service-based entrepreneurs and business owners scale their businesses in any economy without overworking or overwhelm. The goal is to create a valuable asset you could sell (if you wanted to) while enjoying life and freedom as you scale it.

Here, you turn your business into a client-attracting gem and become a high-performing CEO.

About the Host:

Maggie Perotin is the founder of Stairway to Leadership. As an international business and leadership coach, Maggie helps service-based business owners start, grow, and scale their businesses without overworking or being overwhelmed.

With her DREAM-PLAN-DO coaching model, her clients scale while transforming into high-performing CEOs of their businesses.

This is what USA Today wrote about this model in the article titled: "How Stairway to Leadership is turning small businesses into high-profit ventures."

"(...) her DREAM-PLAN-DO coaching model, she helps her clients align their mindset, business strategy, and high-performance habits to transform their businesses from an unreliable source of income to a super-productive, client-attracting gem. Maggie adds that she uses all her knowledge and experience to help her clients grow their businesses in a strategic and innovative way while supporting them in building a successful business that consistently attracts their ideal clients. She specializes in helping them build a brand that showcases their uniqueness to reach their full potential, becoming the powerful CEO they’re capable of being."

Maggie has over 15 years of experience in corporate leadership in various business domains and coaching. She holds an executive MBA from the Jack Welch Management Institute.

Maggie lives in Toronto, Canada, with her blended family of four kids. She loves spending time in nature, traveling, reading, dancing, good food, and giving back.

To learn more, head to www.stairwaytoleadership.com
To work with Maggie and gain breakthrough clarity on why your business isn't scaling, schedule a free 50-min consultation https://calendly.com/maggie-s2l/discovery-call

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Diamond Effect - Strategies to Build a Service Business Worth Owning

3 Steps to Consistent Referrals

January 05, 2026 • Maggie Perotin

0:00 | 3:23

Referrals shouldn’t feel like luck.

In this quick Maggie’s Moment, Maggie shares a simple 3-step approach to generate more consistent client referrals so it happens every time (bonus: automate what you can).

If you want referrals to become predictable, this is your starting point.

Have you ever thought to yourself, referrals are great for my business, but why do they feel so random? Like one month you get three amazing referrals, and then the next month, nothing.

The thing is reliable referrals don't happen by luck. They happen by design, and there are three simple steps you can do to make that happen, specifically from your current and past clients. Step number one. Over deliver and actually delight people. This is non-negotiable. You can have the best referral system in the world, but if your clients aren't genuinely delighted by the experience, they won't refer you and they won't come back.

So ask yourself, do you just. Do the service or did you create an experience that made them feel taken care of, supported and confident that they chose the right person? Step number two, ask no hint. No hope. Just ask because people are busy. Even the happiest clients forget, and if you're relying on their memory, referrals will always be random.

So make it normal and make it easy. Even a simple. If you know someone who would benefit from this, I would be so grateful if you shared my name we'll bring you referrals. And step number three, systemize the ask. This is where consistency comes from. Put a process around it so it happens every time, whether it's at the end of the service or your project after a win, after a review, or at a specific milestone.

And if you can automate parts of it, or even the entire process, even the better, because the goal is to remove the awkwardness and remove the guesswork. So if you want referrals to happen reliably, instead of randomly delight your clients, ask clearly and systemize the ask.

Instead of randomly delight your clients, ask clearly and systemize the ask.

People on this episode

Maggie Perotin

Host