Insights
Referral guides for professional firms - spotting the moment, referring clients compliantly, and earning a share.
Showing articles tagged Practice growth — clear filter
The referral you already make for free — and what it's worth
Ask most firms whether they run a referral business and they say no. Ask whether they ever tell a client who to speak to about so…
Becoming the trusted hub: what happens when you can always say I know someone
There is a particular kind of firm clients never quite leave: the one that always seems to know who to call. Becoming that firm i…
The exit conversation: where consulting ends and the advice referral begins
As a business consultant you shape the sale-ready company, but the questions that follow the deal are rarely yours to answer. Thi…
The compliant referral conversation, word by word
A compliant referral is mostly a matter of language: introducing clearly, disclosing honestly, and never straying into advice. Th…
The referrals your practice already makes — and gives away for free
Every accountancy practice is a referral engine. Most run it for free. A look at the economics of the introductions you're alread…
The protection gap: how to spot the client who's underinsured
The protection gap rarely announces itself, but the clues sit in the everyday details you already handle. This is how to notice t…
Referral partnerships between professionals: making them stick
Professional referral partnerships fail quietly: three introductions, no feedback, then silence. Making them durable is a design …
Shareholder agreements and the wills that must match them
When you review ownership documents you often discover the shareholders' agreement and the owners' personal wills tell different …
The retirement runway: spotting the client who needs advice now
The years approaching retirement are when the right guidance counts for most. Here is how to spot the client on that runway and h…
Redundancy and a lump sum: the referral a professional should make
A redundancy payout lands amid upheaval and rarely comes with a plan. Here is how to recognise the moment and make the introducti…
Recurring vs one-off referral income: what to expect
Referral income comes in two broad shapes, one-off and recurring, and knowing which is which changes how you think about the valu…
Specialise, then refer the rest: the referral case for niching
Specialising makes a firm memorable and referable, but it also raises more out-of-scope questions. A referral network is what mak…
Producing the specialist: how referring makes you more valuable
Referring an owner's personal financial and estate questions does not diminish you. Being the person who assembles the right spec…
Measuring referral income: the metric hiding in plain sight
Professional firms track chargeable hours obsessively and referral income not at all. Measuring what your introductions are worth…
The client with no will: the commonest referral you're missing
The single most common estate-planning trigger is also the easiest to overlook: a client who has simply never got round to making…
An inheritance just landed: why it's a referral, not a windfall
When a client inherits, a large sum lands amid grief and uncertainty. Here is how to recognise the moment and hand it over with c…
Idle cash: when a client's balance is a referral waiting to happen
Cash that sits still for years is often a sign that no one has looked at the bigger picture. Here is how to spot it and pass it o…
How to choose a referral network you can trust
Not all referral networks are equal, and the wrong one can put your reputation and your clients at risk. These are the things wor…
Founder personal planning: the referral consultants overlook
Consultants pour energy into the business's roadmap while the founder's own financial and estate planning goes unmentioned. Namin…
Divorce and a financial plan torn in two: your cue to refer
A separation rearranges a client's entire financial life. Here is how to recognise the moment, handle it with care, and refer.
Referring clients on without feeling salesy
Most professionals dread cross-selling because it feels like a pitch. Framed as a referral to a trusted specialist, the same conv…
Referrals and Consumer Duty: doing right by clients in the chain
Consumer Duty and the wider standards of professional conduct are usually discussed in terms of the advice a firm gives. They als…
A referral income guide for marketing agencies: from introduction to commission statement
Marketing agencies hold monthly retainer conversations with founders whose money questions have nowhere to go. This guide covers …
A referral income guide for IT consultants: from introduction to commission statement
IT consultants serve contractors and founders wrestling with IR35, retained profit and exit plans. This guide traces a compliant …