There’s no denying that good and capable employees can be very hard to find. Many businesses depend on referral agreements as these saves them both time and money. Employers know that good referrals can be extremely reliable and valuable sources of revenue and would not mind paying a referral fee agreement just to get a potential prospect.

Referral Agreement Templates

Types of referral agreements

To run a referral business, you must keep efforts for referral generation active by always being at the forefront and building as many touchpoints as you can along the way. You can also find ways to influence your referral sources to use a referral agreement to make your business known to others.

Referral Fee Agreements

Listed below are some of the most common types of referral agreement template you can use:

  • Direct
    This program simply states to a client your offer for the purpose of coming up with a referral agreement for a prospective client. For instance, you can refer one of your neighbors to a house remodeling service which includes a carpenter for a certain period to fix repairs around the neighbor’s home. This is a simple approach that’s both motivating and connected to the business does.
    However, a direct referral contract isn’t very common. It also implies that you would like to accomplish projects while making it too obvious you’re doing the project for someone else. It creates a situation where an acquaintance simply asks you to refer the party which runs the implied referral program.
  • Tangible
    One good advantage of a tangible referral agreement form is so you can give your customer something that has an actual value which they can pass on to the referral source. Furthermore, you can use this strategy several times each year at a reasonable cost. It’s also a low-exposure method for keeping referrals in mind.
    This means that every quarter, you can send your clients a gift certificate then ask them to share this gift with an acquaintance. This makes the process of referring tangible yet simple. If such sharing of the gift certificates attracts more customers, you can show your appreciation by rewarding the client.
  • Community
    You always find communities who need, as well as deserve, your support. Partnering with non-profit organizations and supporting their events, needs, and mission can give you an opportunity to also provide promotional support. You can accomplish this by having an occasional promotional event for the benefit of your partner.
    For instance, if you sign or purchase a referral contract, you can set aside a percentage of the income for the benefit of your community partner. Each time your partner benefits from whatever the sales that transpire, they will feel motivated to refer your business to others.
    The great thing about this multi-purpose strategy is that it’s possible for you to can build a single program only. From there, you can keep adding until you get referrals which come from various sources while still continuously promoting your business.
  • Business
    There are several referral agreement templates available for this kind of referral. Generally, business referrals occur when one company has links with individuals or companies that agree to the referral program. In this manner, when an employee gets dismissed or willingly leaves, they can easily get another job in the referred company.
  • Commission
    Use a referral agreement form for your organization if your business is to provide to corporate or private lenders and investors referral contracts on a commission basis. The agreement must contain all possible information of what a company provides to the broker and on what basis.

Referral Agreement Examples

Important clauses to include in your referral agreement

When entering into a referral agreement with other businesses, make sure you create a document to protect your interests. Without one, you run the risk of damaging your business’ reputation because of unsatisfied customers or poor referrals. Here are the important clauses that you should include in your referral agreement template:

  • Nature of the Agreement
    You should stipulate all of the details regarding your relationship with other businesses in your agreement. It should identify the referee and the referrer. It should state how you and the other businesses plan to give payments to each other as well as part of the referral fee agreement.
    When you make the nature of your agreement clear, this ensures that both parties know of their duties and obligations and thus, reducing the chances of misunderstandings or confusion.
  • Exclusivity
    This is another important part of the agreement because an exclusivity clause prevents your partner from starting similar agreements with others. Conversely, your partner can also prevent you from doing the same.
  • Duration
    You should also mention how long the agreement will last in the document. This may either be:
    short-term, wherein the agreement would only last two years; or
    long-term, such as an ongoing agreement that can only end should any one of the parties decide to terminate it for any agreed-upon reason.
    Generally, an active referral agreement won’t have an exclusivity clause or any kind of quota for minimum referrals. Rather, it will be more flexible. This is especially for businesses who search for reliable sources of acquiring customers. Of course, short-term agreements are more preferable if you plan to partner with businesses for the purpose of promoting an occasion that’s time-sensitive.
  • Referral Fees
    You must follow a specific method the calculations in your referral fee agreement. Another option is to generate the fees based on commissions. Also, set out the payable and due dates for these fees along with the payment methods. This avoids any disputes in the future when it comes to payment.
  • Referral Process
    Specify in the agreement how you want the referral to take place. The process could be something simple like one party providing another with the necessary referral details through email. Some may choose an online process of referral where customers can opt into your referral.
    It’s alright to include information about how you plan to measure the effectiveness of your referral process. Set a minimum standard for performance as this could help you save time and money if you should receive referrals that aren’t a good match for your business.
  • Intellectual Property
    It is a must to include a clause in the agreement that permits you or other businesses to give the other party a license that enables them to make use of any significant intellectual property.
    With this, you have the authority to make use of any marketing resources of your partner for your referrals. This clause must also specify that each party won’t misuse or disclose the other’s intellectual property.
  • Privacy and Confidentiality
    Referrals usually involve a transfer of sensitive or personal information like the name or birth date of your customers. You should keep such information confidential to comply with privacy laws. Making a detailed privacy and confidentiality clause helps in making clear, how you plan to use disclosed information in accordance with the agreement and the law.
    It’s the obligation of businesses who perform referrals to inform their customers about forwarding their details to a third party. This prevents any dissatisfaction from your customers should a third party contact them based on the details you provided to your partners with their knowledge.

Referral Contracts

Creating your referral template

Every referral agreement usually contains a response to requests and references to the referral forms sent to you. It contains information of you giving your permission to the parties who gave you the referral. Here are some steps to follow to create your referral agreement template:

  • Identify the entities involved in the agreement
    This is the first and most important step when making a referral agreement and is as basic as knowing the involved parties. Supply all of the details required to specifically identify each party’s name, address, and other relevant information.
  • Think about the qualifications of the referrals
    The second step in the creation of a referral agreement is to think about the qualification of every referral directed towards you. You can check other referral contracts for more information. Knowing these qualifications enables you to understand each of the employees better and this can also help you decide which jobs the employees will be best suited for.
  • Payment Methods
    The third step after you have listed all of the referrals is to determine the kind of payment method to use in paying the agency that provided you with the referrals. Payment can either be in cash, credit, cheque, installments, debit card or net banking. Also, provide a time frame of payment so that you can pay the agency on time.
  • Referral Expiry
    The next thing to do is to determine the expiry date of the referrals and when you must renew the agreement to continue acquiring referrals. This could also imply that if a referral becomes one of your loyal customers, stipulate in the agreement the maximum amount of time you will provide payments for the agency’s commission. Also, you can simply mention a pay-out period.
  • Revenue Commission
    It’s also important to be very specific in terms of the revenues which will get subject to payments. This entails making notes on all the returns and credits made from the business including tariffs, taxes, and duties. Also, make certain that the agency commissions you pay come out of your revenues.

Referral Agreement Forms

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Tagged:AgreementBusinessContractFormsReferral Agreements
TemplateLab April 29th, 2021