A referral starts with one piece of work
Accountants, bookkeepers, payroll bureaus and resellers of accounting and stock systems see the work between the systems. A client retypes emailed orders. A team chases missing timesheets. Someone copies figures into a report each week. Those are useful places to start a conversation about automation, which means having a system do a repeatable task.
You bring knowledge of the client and the task. I bring a way to check whether that task is worth automating. I work alone, so the person who discusses the job is also the person responsible for building and running it. The client stays your client.
1. Agree the referral terms first
Contact me before making an introduction. We agree a referral fee in writing before any introduction takes place. The agreement sets out what the fee covers and when it is due. You can describe the kind of task at this stage without sending client records.
2. Introduce the client and the task
Once the terms are agreed and the client is happy to talk, make the introduction. A short description of the repeated job is enough to start. Say what arrives, what the team does with it and where the finished work needs to go. You do not need to choose a technical solution.
3. Check the task with the client
I run the free five question check and a first call with the client. The aim is to understand the volume, the rules and the parts that need a person. I ask about the work as it happens today. A task that sounds simple may hide questions that only the team can answer.
4. Get the outcome either way
I tell you whether the job looks suitable and what happens next. If it is the wrong fit, you hear that too. A referral does not commit the client to a project. If there is a useful next step, the client sees the proposed job and its terms before deciding.
What the client gets
The first result is a plain answer about one task. If it is worth taking further, the proposal describes what the system handles, what stays with the team and how unclear cases reach a named person. It also says what is needed from the client before work can start.
For a job run as a monthly service, I build the system, run it and keep it current as the agreed work changes. The system handles the repeated steps. People decide the cases it cannot settle. The scope needs to make that boundary clear before the client agrees.
What you can rely on
I only discuss the agreed job with the client. I do not sell accounting, payroll or software. Your relationship with the client stays yours. The referral is for a defined piece of operational work, with you told the outcome either way.
If the conversation points to a different task, I bring it back to the agreed scope. A separate piece of work needs a separate discussion. An introduction is not permission to approach the client about unrelated services.
When this is the wrong fit
A rare task with little handling may not justify a system. Work with no settled rules may need those rules written down first. A client who cannot name someone to decide unclear cases is not ready to hand the repeated steps to a system.
This is also the wrong referral for a client seeking accounting advice, a payroll provider or a new software package. Those needs belong with the relevant adviser or supplier.
Choose a task you can describe plainly
Start with a client who can point to the same work coming back each week. A useful description names the input, the repeated steps and the expected result. Agree the referral terms before introducing the client.