I shy away from referrals like it's the plague because like the op said, it has the tendency to reduce trust if it doesn't meet the expectations. I rarely talk about my dealings with crypto for (1) security reasons and (2) it's hard for them to understand so I don't bother trying.
With how the economy is tight, everyone is looking for a quick means of income and when you try to tell one that if you invest in Bitcoin, it will yield much profits provided you're patient, you'd have to further that patience part for them because they will think it's about putting money and constantly monitoring it, but won't really be interested in knowing that the market is volatile and can go up and down any moment. So I keep my mouth shut instead and try not to refer or give any investment advice so I don't get my head on the chopping block when it caves in.