Most professionals do not hesitate over a referral because of what they earn. They hesitate because of the introduction itself. You have spent years building trust with that client. If the firm you send them to is slow, or vague about scope, or arrives with a bill nobody agreed, the client does not blame the firm. They remember who made the introduction.
After an introduction, the client is scoped, quoted and onboarded without you carrying any of it, and you stay their trusted contact throughout. The first thirty days decide whether a referral strengthens your relationship or quietly damages it, so this is what happens in ours.
Want to understand the process before you introduce anyone? WhatsApp us and we will walk you through it first.
Quick Summary — The First Thirty Days
| Stage | Timing | What you do |
| Introduction | Day 0 | One message or email |
| First conversation | Within 2 working days | Nothing |
| Written scope and quote | Within a few days | Nothing |
| Client decides | Their timeline | Nothing |
| Onboarding and access | 1 to 2 weeks | Nothing |
| First monthly cycle | Month one | Nothing |
Day Zero: The Introduction
A message or an email is enough. A name, what they need, and how to reach them. You do not prepare a brief, sit on a call, or explain their situation on their behalf.
What helps, if you happen to know it: whether the requirement is ongoing or one-off, and how far behind they already are. Neither is essential. We establish both in the first conversation.
What we do not ask you for is a sales push. If the client is not ready, we would rather find that out ourselves than have you spend your credibility persuading them.
The First Conversation
We speak to the business within two working days. The purpose is to understand what they actually need, which is frequently not what they think they need.
A business that asks for bookkeeping often turns out to need a catch-up first. One asking for GST filing sometimes has an unanswered notice sitting in the portal. We would rather surface that at the start than three months in.
If the fit is wrong, we say so at this stage rather than taking the work and underdelivering. A referral that we decline politely costs you nothing. A referral we accept and handle badly costs you a client relationship.
Written Scope, Before Anything Starts
The client receives a written scope and a quote before any work begins: what is included, what is not, what it costs, and what we need from them.
This matters to you more than to us. Scope disputes are where referrals go wrong, and they almost always start with something assumed rather than written. A client who knows exactly what they bought does not come back to you asking why they were charged for something.
Onboarding
Software access, historical records, portal credentials, and a named point of contact. Most engagements are running inside one to two weeks. Where there is a backlog, catch-up work usually runs in parallel with the current month rather than delaying it.
You are not in this chain. You do not chase documents, forward emails, or explain our process to the client.
The First Monthly Cycle
The client gets their books closed, their filings made, and a monthly report. Same team each month, so they are not re-explaining their business to a new person.
If something goes wrong, it comes to us. You should not be finding out about a service problem from your own client, and if you ever do, tell us and we will deal with it directly.
What Stays Yours
The relationship. We are handling a scope of finance work, not becoming their advisor on everything.
If the client asks us something outside our scope that sits inside yours, we point them back to you. Partners who send work repeatedly do so because the client came back to them more confident, not less.
Where a Referral Is Not the Right Answer
Sometimes the honest thing is not to refer at all.
If the requirement is a single filing, a one-time registration, or a pre-revenue business with no transactions, an ongoing engagement is the wrong shape and everybody knows it within a month. Those are better handled directly or pointed elsewhere.
The referrals that work are businesses with real, recurring finance work: monthly transactions, employees, GST, and a reason to want it off their desk.
A Note for Chartered Accountants in Practice
For a practising CA, we work on a reciprocal basis rather than a commission arrangement. You refer the bookkeeping, GST and payroll work you do not want to run, and we route audit and attest work back to you. Your professional code makes that the cleaner structure, and in practice it is worth more to both sides than a payment would be.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to stay involved after the introduction?
No. Scoping, onboarding and delivery are handled entirely by our team.
What if my referral does not convert?
Nothing is owed either way. We would rather tell you a referral is not a fit than take work we cannot do well.
Will you sell my client other services?
We handle the agreed scope. Where a client asks about something outside it that sits inside yours, we point them back to you.
What if the client has a problem with the work?
It comes to us. If you hear about it first, tell us and we will deal with it directly.
Can I refer a business outside my city or country?
Yes. Delivery is remote across India and internationally, so location is not a constraint on either side.
How long before the client is properly running?
Most engagements are onboarded within one to two weeks, with any backlog handled in parallel.
References
- Terms of the TaxKitab partner agreement, shared before a first referral
- Engagement scope and confidentiality terms, issued in writing before work begins
⚠️ Partner terms are set out in the partner agreement and may change. Confirm the current terms before making a referral.
Related Reading: Switching Accountants Mid-Year: The Handover Checklist · Who Actually Does What: A Vendor Map for Your India Subsidiary · Outsourcing Accounting to India: Cost, Quality and Safety
Call or WhatsApp: +91 7448200422 Email: info@taxkitab.com See the Partner Program page, or get in touch to talk it through before you refer anyone.
