What 1,000 one-to-ones taught us
Surge members logged their 1,000th one-to-one on September 9. We went through a year of data to see what actually predicts referrals and closed business.
Blog · Learn
Stories and playbooks from the room
News from the chapters, plus practical articles on 1:1s, referrals, pricing and follow-up. Written by members who do this every week.
Turn your networking group into a pipeline you can measure
Treat referrals like a sales pipeline: clear stages, six numbers worth tracking, a 15-minute monthly review, and the habits that make the numbers lie.
Summer mixer recap: one barn, three chapters, 23 referrals before dessert
I spent the Surge summer mixer behind a camera at The Hayloft on Darby. Here's what 140 people, a banh mi bar and a projector on a barn wall looked like.
How to ask for testimonials that actually sell
Most testimonials say 'great service' and persuade nobody. A barn venue owner on the four parts of one that sells, when to ask, and the exact text she sends.
Pricing your work so referrals don't underpay you
Referred jobs cost less to win and the same to build. The math on a $17,000 roof, what I offer instead of a friend discount, and how I say no without losing the job.
Surge Plain City is officially chartered
Fourteen founding members, fifteen weeks and a chapter built around land, builders and farms. Surge Plain City signed its charter on July 16.
Cash-flow basics for owner-operators
Why a profitable month can still drain your account, how to build a 13-week cash forecast, the leaks I find in cleanups, and the 30-minute check I run every month.
How to follow up without being annoying
Speed to first contact, a day-by-day cadence, reasons to reach out besides just checking in, and texts you can copy, from an agent who answers at 6 a.m.
The 60-second weekly pitch people actually remember
A five-part structure timed to the second, an eight-week theme rotation, and three pitches written out word for word, from someone who edits short video for a living.
Member spotlight: Sam Kessler and the four-day panel swap
A failed panel, an insurance hold and four business days before closing. How a Marysville master electrician and three other members saved a first-time buyer's deal.
How the Surge Pulse feed works
Every 1:1, referral and testimonial you log shows up on your chapter page, your chapter's X account and the meeting-room screen. Here's what gets shared and what never does.
How to write an ideal-referral statement people can act on
Asking for anyone who needs a website got me nothing for three weeks. Here's the four-part fix, with rewrites from a roofer, a CPA and an HVAC shop.
How to give a referral that actually closes
A name isn't a referral. A former underwriter on permission, light qualifying, honest temperature and the three-way intro that gets a referral to the closing table.
The one-to-one playbook: a 45-minute agenda that ends with referrals
The agenda I print for every one-to-one: what to read the night before, a timed 45 minutes, the questions that surface referrals, and the 24 hours after.
Why we started Surge
Most referral groups can tell you who showed up last week. We wanted to know what happened next: the 1:1s, the referrals and the business that closed.