A referral is a small act with a long tail. You mention a name in a meeting; months later, the client's opinion of you is partly shaped by how that specialist behaved. This playbook is for accountants, lawyers, lenders and brokers in Ontario who want to refer trades clients to a marketing specialist, whether that's us or someone else, without putting the relationship at risk.
The steps apply to any specialist. Where we describe how we do things, we say so.
Step 1: Recognise the right moment
Strong referrals answer something the client has already raised, or a pattern you can point to. The worst ones feel like a sales pitch.
Good moments include:
- the owner asks you directly whether they should spend more on advertising
- year-end figures show marketing costs rising while revenue stays flat
- the business is about to change shape: incorporation, a new partner, a purchase, a sale
- a growth plan depends on revenue that nobody has explained
- the owner wants to hire but can't say where the extra work will come from
Poor moments include the middle of a stressful transaction, a meeting about something unrelated, or any time the client hasn't shown interest. If in doubt, wait for the client to bring it up.
Step 2: Check your own obligations first
Before you agree to any ongoing arrangement, read your own professional rules. Lawyers and paralegals answer to the Law Society of Ontario, CPAs to CPA Ontario, and mortgage professionals to FSRA. Each body sets standards for the people it regulates, and those standards may affect what you can accept, what you must disclose and how you document it.
We won't interpret those rules for you, and no marketing provider should. If you're unsure, ask your regulator or your firm's practice adviser. Your firm may also have its own policy on referrals that's stricter than the regulator's.
Step 3: Vet the specialist
You're lending your credibility, so check what you're lending it to. Ask any marketing provider these questions before you refer anyone:
- What do you measure? Look for booked jobs and cost per booked job, not just clicks, traffic or "leads."
- Who owns the client's accounts? The right answer is the client's business, always.
- What's the contract? Long lock-ins and cancellation penalties are a warning sign for a small trades company.
- What are your published prices? Vague pricing makes it hard for you to know what your client is walking into.
- What won't you do? A trustworthy specialist has clear limits and says when something is outside them.
- What results can you show, and from which sector? Be wary of borrowed or unnamed results.
- How will you handle my client's information?
For reference, our own answers are on the about page, the pricing page and the results page.
Step 4: Put the arrangement in writing
Before the first referral, get a short written description of how the arrangement works. It needn't be long. It should cover:
| Topic | What to record |
|---|---|
| How referrals are made | Who contacts whom, and when |
| Consent | That no client information passes without the client's permission |
| What comes back to you | Which reports, if any, and only with client approval |
| Money or benefits | Whether any fee or benefit is involved, and if so what |
| Disclosure | How and when the client is told about the arrangement |
| Boundaries | What the specialist will not advise on |
| Ending it | How either side can end the arrangement |
Our own practice is to send this description before any referral happens and to tell referred clients about it. If a specialist resists writing things down, treat that as an answer.
Step 5: Make the referral with consent
The simplest and safest method is to give the client the specialist's contact details and let them make the call. That way the client chooses what to share.
If the client prefers an introduction, ask their permission first and keep it minimal: their name, their business and why you thought of the specialist. Don't forward financial statements, files or correspondence. Canada's private-sector privacy law, PIPEDA, applies to organisations that collect, use or disclose personal information in the course of commercial activity, and consent is one of its core principles. Letting the client control the first contact keeps things simple.
A sentence that works for most professionals:
"I can't advise you on marketing, but I know a specialist who works with trades businesses. Here are their details. Whether you call them is entirely your choice, and here's how my arrangement with them works."
Step 6: Disclose clearly to the client
Clients should never discover the arrangement later and feel surprised. Tell them, in plain language, that you know the specialist, how the arrangement works and whether you benefit from it in any way. Encourage them to ask the specialist the same question.
This matters even when no money changes hands. A client who learns afterwards that their accountant and their marketer have a standing relationship may wonder what else wasn't said.
Step 7: Stay informed only as the client chooses
Many professionals like to know how a referral turned out. That's reasonable, but the information belongs to the client. A good specialist will ask the client whether to copy their advisor on reports and respect the answer.
If the client agrees, a one-page monthly summary is usually plenty: marketing spend, genuine enquiries, booked jobs and cost per booked job. Our advisor-ready reporting uses that format. If the client declines, the specialist should tell you nothing beyond what's needed to manage the arrangement itself.
Step 8: Review, and know how to exit
Look at each arrangement once or twice a year. Ask yourself:
- Have referred clients been treated well?
- Has the specialist stayed within their boundaries?
- Were the written terms followed, and are they still accurate?
- Would you be comfortable explaining the arrangement to your regulator?
If any answer is no, end it, in writing, as the terms allow. Any client already working with the specialist should be free to continue or leave on their own terms.
Common mistakes
- Referring without asking. Passing on a client's details before they've agreed.
- Over-endorsing. Saying "they'll double your leads" turns a suggestion into a promise you can't keep.
- Undocumented arrangements. Nothing written means nothing clear.
- Forgetting disclosure. Even a no-fee relationship should be mentioned.
- Referring the wrong problem. If the business can't handle more work, more marketing makes things worse. See marketing numbers for accountants for a quick way to tell.
- Drifting into advice. Once you start recommending budgets or platforms, you've stepped outside your field.
How this works with us
If you'd like to set up a referral route with Ontario.Associates, call, text or email. We'll answer your questions, send the written terms and wait for you to read them. Your profession's page explains the specifics: accountants, lawyers or lenders and brokers.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a written agreement to recommend someone?
Simply mentioning a name to a client doesn't require one. Once there's an ongoing arrangement, and especially if any fee or benefit is involved, writing it down protects everyone, and your own regulator's rules may require more.
What should I tell the client about the arrangement?
Enough that they could never feel misled: that you know the specialist, how the arrangement works, and whether you benefit in any way. If you'd feel awkward saying it aloud, that's a sign to rethink it.
What if a referral goes badly?
Talk to the client first, then the specialist. A well-documented arrangement makes that conversation easier, because everyone can see what was agreed. If the specialist isn't meeting the standard you expected, end the arrangement.
Can I refer to more than one marketing provider?
Yes, and many professionals do. Giving clients a choice can reduce the sense that you're steering them. Apply the same written standard to every specialist you refer to.