These are the questions that come up most often, from both sides of a referral. Professionals tend to ask about terms, consent and boundaries; trades owners ask about price, contracts and results. The answers above are short by design, and the sections below add context where a one-paragraph answer isn't enough.
Frequently asked questions
How does a professional refer a trades client?
Usually by mentioning us and passing on our phone number or email, so the client contacts us directly. If the client prefers a warm introduction, the professional can make one, but only with the client's permission.
Is the referral arrangement written down?
Always. Before the first referral, the professional receives a short written description of how referrals work between us, including whether any fee is involved. The referred client is told about the arrangement too.
Can my professional rules affect a referral arrangement?
Yes, potentially. Lawyers, CPAs and licensed mortgage professionals each answer to their own regulator, and those rules may limit what arrangements they can accept. Professionals should check their own obligations; we can't advise on them.
What does it cost a referred trades business?
The same published Trades.Agency plans as anyone: from $1,999 per month month-to-month, or $1,499 per month on annual billing, plus 13% HST for Ontario clients. The first 30-minute consultation is free for eligible trades businesses.
Is there a long-term contract?
No. Every plan runs month to month; give 30 days' notice and it ends. Annual billing is optional and lowers the monthly price.
How long before marketing shows results?
Paid search can produce enquiries within weeks. Local search and reviews usually take three to six months to build and keep working afterwards. Three months gives a first fair read; twelve shows the seasonal cycle.
We tried an agency before and it didn't work. Why would this be different?
We can't promise it will be. What we can do is measure booked jobs and cost per booked job from the start, report them plainly every month and tell you early if something isn't working. Most failed engagements we hear about never measured jobs at all.
Who owns the website and accounts?
Your business should. Domain, website, Google Business Profile, ad accounts and phone numbers belong in the company's name, not ours and not one employee's. If they currently aren't, we'll help you list them so you can sort that out with your advisors.
Who sees my monthly report?
You do. Your accountant, lawyer or lender sees it only if you ask us to send it, and you can change that at any time.
Do you give legal, tax, accounting or lending advice?
No, never. We're not a law firm, an accounting firm, a lender or a broker. Those questions go back to your own professionals.
Do you install, repair or service anything?
No. We are not a contractor. We market and advise trades businesses; the trade work is yours.
Can you promise a set number of leads or rankings?
No. Nobody can honestly promise either. We show the arithmetic behind a plan, results from our HVAC work as evidence of the method, and monthly reports so you can judge for yourself.
Which trades do you work with?
Established trades and home-service businesses, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, renovation, landscaping and similar. Our published case studies are results from our HVAC work.
Do you list your partner firms?
No. We don't publish partner names, and nothing on this site implies any professional endorses us. Each referral relationship stays private.
For referring professionals
The most important thing to know is that a referral to us never asks you to step outside your profession. You don't explain marketing, recommend a budget or vouch for results. You suggest a specialist, the client decides, and the terms are written down first.
Three practical points professionals often raise:
- Privacy. Canada's federal private-sector privacy law, PIPEDA, applies to organisations handling personal information in commercial activity. The simplest safeguard is to let the client contact us themselves.
- Your regulator. The Law Society of Ontario, CPA Ontario and FSRA each set rules for the professionals they oversee. Read yours before agreeing to any referral arrangement, with us or anyone else.
- Fit. If a client's problem is capacity, pricing or cash flow, more marketing won't help. We'll say so.
Each profession has its own page: accountants, lawyers and lenders and brokers.
For referred trades owners
Being referred doesn't commit you to anything. The consultation is free for eligible trades businesses, and if you go further, plans run month to month. You'll talk to a senior strategist, not a sales team.
Before you call, it helps to know three numbers: what a typical job is worth to you, roughly how many jobs you do in a month, and what you spend on marketing now. Those figures shape almost everything about the plan. Referred-client marketing explains the full process.
About price and value
Our pricing page shows every plan and works through a break-even example. The short version: compare the monthly cost with what an average booked job contributes after direct costs, and you'll know how many extra jobs the plan needs to produce to pay for itself. If that number looks unrealistic for your business, a monthly plan may not be the right first step.
About results and proof
Our published case studies are results from our HVAC work, named and linked. They show the method, not a forecast. For your own business, we'll set a baseline at the start and report cost per booked job monthly, so you and your advisors can judge progress directly.
About boundaries
The questions that matter most to referring professionals are about what we won't do. We won't advise on law, tax, accounting, lending or regulatory compliance. We won't contact a client who hasn't agreed to it. We won't publish partner names or suggest that any professional endorses us. And we won't start any arrangement without writing it down first.
Those boundaries exist because a referral relationship is only as strong as the professional's confidence in it. If any of them ever seemed unclear in practice, we'd want to hear about it.
About timelines
Owners often ask how quickly they'll see a difference. Fixing basic problems, such as a wrong phone number on a listing or a website that hides the call button on phones, can change things within days. Paid search usually produces measurable enquiries within the first month. Search visibility and reviews compound more slowly, typically over three to six months, and keep paying off once built.
A last word for owners
If an advisor you trust suggested us, that's a good reason to have one conversation, not a reason to sign anything. Ask us hard questions, compare us with anyone else you're considering, and take the written plan back to your accountant before you decide.
Still have a question?
Call, text or email. Professionals are welcome to ask how we'd handle a particular kind of client before referring anyone; trades owners can ask anything before deciding. The contact page explains what to include so we can answer quickly.