Accountants see the result of marketing in the numbers long before the owner admits there's a problem. If a trades client's marketing line keeps growing while revenue doesn't, or the business swings from overbooked in January to idle in May, you can refer them to us. We work on demand; you stay with the books.
What this partnership is
It's a simple, documented route for sending a trades client to a marketing specialist when the conversation drifts beyond accounting. There's no portal, no quota and no expectation that you sell anything. You mention us; the client decides whether to call.
The arrangement is put in writing before the first referral. That document explains how a referral is made, what we will report back (only with the client's permission) and whether any fee is involved. Chartered Professional Accountants in Ontario answer to CPA Ontario, and your own professional rules (or your firm's policies, if you're a bookkeeper outside that body) decide what kinds of referral arrangements you can accept, so read them before you sign anything with anyone.
Who it suits
This route works best for firms with a meaningful book of trades clients: plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, renovation, landscaping and similar businesses with between one and a few dozen staff. It particularly suits:
- bookkeepers who prepare monthly reports and see the seasonal pattern first
- small-practice CPAs who do year-end work for owner-operated trades companies
- firms that already advise on budgets and want a credible answer when the owner asks "what should I spend on marketing?"
Signals worth raising with a client
You don't need to diagnose anything. These are just the patterns that often mean demand, not accounting, is the constraint:
- Advertising grows faster than revenue for two or more quarters.
- Gross margin is healthy, but the owner can't fill the calendar outside peak season.
- One customer, builder or property manager supplies a large share of revenue, so losing them would hurt badly.
- Payments to several marketing vendors with no single person able to explain what each one does.
- The owner is planning to hire but can't say where the extra work will come from.
If two or more apply, a short conversation with us is usually worth the client's time.
What's included for your client
When the client calls, they get the same process as any trades owner: a consultation, a review of how customers find them now, and a written plan with costs. If they go ahead, the work runs on a published Trades.Agency plan, described on our pricing page.
For you, the useful part is the reporting. With the client's permission, we can copy you on a one-page monthly summary in the advisor-ready format: marketing spend, enquiries, booked jobs and cost per booked job. It's designed to sit beside the numbers you already prepare.
Timeline
- Week 1: the client calls or emails; we hold the consultation.
- Weeks 2–3: we review their listings, website and ad accounts and propose a plan in writing.
- Month 1 onward: work begins; the first monthly report follows at the end of the first full month.
- Months 3–6: search-based work such as local SEO starts to show in enquiry volume; paid ads show sooner.
How results are measured
We measure booked jobs and cost per booked job, not clicks or impressions. A worked example: a client spends $3,000 a month on marketing and books 15 jobs from it, so each job costs $200 to win. If the average job is worth $1,800 and the gross margin is 40%, each job contributes $720 before overhead. That is a number an accountant can sanity-check, which is the point. Our guide to marketing numbers for accountants goes further.
Mistakes to avoid
- Sending client data without consent. Introduce us or pass on our number; let the client share their own information.
- Implying an endorsement you haven't made. A referral is a suggestion, not a promise of results, and the client should hear it that way.
- Skipping the written terms. If an arrangement isn't on paper, it isn't clear enough.
- Referring a capacity problem. If the owner already turns work away, more marketing is the wrong answer.
To set up a referral route, call, text or email. You can also read the referral partnership playbook first.
Frequently asked questions
Will you ask me for my client's financial statements?
No. We don't need statements and we don't want them sent without the client's say-so. What helps us is a handful of figures the owner can give us directly: average job value, monthly marketing spend and roughly how many jobs come in.
Can you comment on whether marketing is tax-deductible?
No. Anything about deductibility, HST treatment or how to record marketing costs stays with you. We are not an accounting firm and won't answer tax questions, even casual ones.
What if the client's problem turns out not to be marketing?
We tell the client plainly, and with permission we tell you. Slow invoicing, an overloaded owner or underpriced jobs can look like a marketing problem from the outside, and more leads would only make those worse.
How is the referral arrangement documented?
Before the first referral we send a short written description of how referrals work between us, including whether any fee is involved. Check it against CPA Ontario's rules for your own practice before you agree.