So I’m about to take the plunge and buy a house.

Now property tycoon I ain’t, so I thought it worth speaking to someone in the know to help me navigate the murky waters of mortgages, estate agents and all those other befuddling things.

I figured a good first port of call would be my good friend Dan. With a portfolio currently standing 8 properties strong and having ‘flipped’ a further 7, it’s safe to say he’s a little less wet behind the ears.

As we got onto mortgages and Dan told me about his advisor Zoe who he recommended I speak to, something struck me – the power of the secret sales force.

Let me elaborate – Dan purchased his first house in 2009, with Zoe sourcing the mortgage. Property price: a meagre £120k.

Let’s assume she earned 1% in fees / commission and Zoe pulled in a grand old £1.2k. Nice, but not going to be retiring anytime soon.

BUT – she was a good’un. Great customer service and ‘stretched’ the rules to get Dan the best bang for his buck. Yep he’d use her again.

Since then Dan’s purchased a further 14 properties – with Zoe orchestrating the finances on each.

Here’s the kicker though – he’s also recommended her to a further 16 people who’ve used her.

If we assume that just 50% of those people successfully recommended her to 1 further person, then from Dan and his 2nd degree network, that’s 38 additional mortgages she’s arranged since that maiden sale.

Not forgetting she’s also now got momentum in Dan’s 3rd, 4th and 5th degree networks, with her secret sales force continuing to spread the good word.

Quick spot of maths: let’s say those 38 houses cost £300k on average (London’s since gone bonkers!), earning her 1% on each and that’s an additional £114k she’s made from Dan.

Imagine if she’d left Dan with a sour taste in his mouth and he’d gone elsewhere? Safe to say her coffers’d be a little lighter.

This can apply anywhere: where there’s customer service, there are secret sales forces.

Just think of all the things customers recommend to friends – their gym, who they bank with, the airline they fly with, the software their business uses, the energy supplier with that great new smart meter, their mobile network giving them free coffee.

Going above and beyond’s crucial to activating these sales ninjas.

Remember, it’s never just one customer, it’s their entire network. Let them do the hard yards for you.