What do I need to make a good referral?

The most important element of a referral is the trust behind it. A warm introduction from someone the client already trusts is worth more than a perfectly worded pitch. Everything else is context.

The three elements of a strong referral

Context about the business. Who is the client, what do they do, roughly how big, and what stage they are at. This helps Fulcrum prepare for the conversation and know whether to move quickly or take a more exploratory approach.

What you have observed. You do not need a formal diagnosis. You need to be able to say something like: they are growing well but their operations are not keeping up, or they hired three people and the business got harder to run. That observation is useful. It signals to Fulcrum where to start and signals to the client that you are paying attention.

Your genuine endorsement. You do not need to oversell Fulcrum. You need to be able to say honestly that you trust the team and think the conversation is worth having. That is enough.

What you do not need

You do not need to have scoped the problem, identified the right service, or briefed the client on what Fulcrum does. The discovery conversation is Fulcrum's responsibility. Your job is to make the introduction and provide enough context that the first conversation starts from a useful place, not zero.

Timing

The best time to make a referral is when the client is experiencing the pain. Not when they have decided to hire someone. Not when they have a budget conversation pending. When they are in the moment of saying things like: I do not know why this is so hard, or we keep solving the same problems over and over. That is the moment.