The plumber, the electrician and the roofer serving the same street have the same customers and no reason to compete. Most of them never speak.
TL;DR Pick five non-competing trades with the same customer profile. Refer first, without being asked. Keep it informal and reciprocal. Do not build a formal commission scheme in year one.
Finding the right partners
The test: same customer, different job, no overlap.
Strong pairings
| You are | Natural partners |
|---|---|
| Plumber | Electrician, tiler, kitchen fitter, damp specialist |
| Landscaper | Fencer, tree surgeon, driveway installer, pest control |
| Cleaner | Carpet specialist, window cleaner, decluttering service, handyman |
| Electrician | Plumber, plasterer, alarm installer, EV charger fitter |
| Roofer | Guttering, chimney, loft insulation, scaffolder |
Also check they match on the things that matter
- Similar quality level. Referring to someone sloppier than you damages your name.
- Similar responsiveness. If they take a week to call back, your referral becomes your problem.
- Similar price bracket. A budget customer referred to a premium firm is an awkward call for everyone.
- Actually insured and legitimate. Check.
Five good partners beats twenty vague ones.
Refer first
This is the entire strategy and most people get it backwards.
Send them a real referral before you ask for anything. Not a suggestion, an actual customer with a real job.
Then tell them you did it.
Sent the Hardwicks your way this morning, they need a consumer unit replaced. Told them you were the person to call. No obligation either way, just thought of you.
Reciprocity does the rest. Almost nobody receives an unprompted referral and fails to return one. Asking first puts you in the position of wanting something. Giving first puts them there.
Making referrals easy to give
The reason people do not refer you is friction, not reluctance.
Give each partner
- Your mobile number in their phone, saved under your trade.
- A short line to use. “I know a good plumber, want me to text you her number?”
- Something physical. Ten business cards for the van glovebox.
- A simple handoff option. “Text me the customer’s number and I will ring them.”
The text-me-the-number handoff is the highest converting version, because it removes the customer’s step entirely.
Warm handoffs beat card handoffs
| Handoff type | What happens |
|---|---|
| Gives your card | Customer might call. Often does not |
| Texts you the customer’s number | You call within the hour. Much higher conversion |
| Three-way introduction | Best of all, and rare |
Ask your partners for the number, not the card handout.
Cross-promotional offers, done lightly
Formal discount schemes are administration. Informal ones work better.
What works
- “Mention Dave sent you and I will waive the call-out.” Simple, no tracking system.
- A joint seasonal reminder. “Getting your boiler serviced? While the engineer is out, worth having the gutters checked too.”
- A bundled quote for a job that genuinely needs both trades.
What does not work
- Formal commission percentages, in year one. They introduce accounting, awkwardness and suspicion.
- Exclusive agreements. Nobody wants to be locked in before trust exists.
- Anything requiring a shared platform.
Joint workshops and content
Higher effort, higher return, worth doing once or twice a year.
A joint educational session
Three trades, one evening, a community hall or a partner’s showroom. Each does fifteen minutes on preparing a home for winter. Everyone invites their own list.
You gain access to two other customer lists with an implicit endorsement, which is worth more than any ad.
A co-branded guide
A one-page seasonal home checklist with all three logos and phone numbers. Cheap to produce, useful, and each partner distributes it to their own customers.
Keeping it alive
Partnerships die from neglect, not conflict.
- Check in quarterly. A short message, not a meeting.
- Report back on referrals. “That job you sent me came off, thanks. Nice people.”
- Meet occasionally in person. Once or twice a year is enough.
- Drop partners who never reciprocate, quietly and without announcement.
Track it simply
You do not need software.
- A note field on the contact recording who referred them.
- A tally per partner, both directions, reviewed quarterly.
- Value, not just count. One good commercial referral outweighs six small jobs.
If a partnership is one-directional after six months, stop feeding it.
When to formalise
Only when the volume justifies it.
Signs it is time
- More than one referral a month, consistently.
- The jobs are large enough that a fee is meaningful.
- Both sides have raised it independently.
Then keep it simple. A flat fee per converted job, invoiced monthly, agreed in writing in a paragraph.
Pick three non-competing trades this week and send each of them one real referral. That single action starts the whole thing, and it costs you nothing you were not already giving away.
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