Wealth management firms · Referral marketing

A chartered accountant sees the business sale before you hear about it.

Referral marketing for an advisory firm is the relationship with clients who recommend you and with the chartered accountants and lawyers who see money move first. What may be paid for a referral is restricted in financial services. GullySales builds the list and the introduction, and keeps the arrangement in writing.

Tell us what you needor call +91 80958 58589

Scope, fee, reporting and term are agreed in writing after we have read your brief and spoken to you.

Realistic editorial illustration of wealth management firms at work in India

What referral marketing means

Referral marketing is asking an existing customer to recommend you to someone they know, usually with a reward for both sides. It differs from a loyalty scheme because it brings in a new customer rather than a repeat purchase. GullySales builds the ask and the reward into a point where a customer is already satisfied.

Also for wealth management firms

Sales and marketing for wealth management firms, the overview.

Last updated 8 Nov 2026. Rules for this trade differ by state and professional body, and they change. We describe restrictions in general terms, so check the current position with your own council or adviser before you publish anything.

For wealth management firms

Where it usually goes wrong, and what we would do.

“The accountant sees the money before you do”
A business sale, a property transaction or a large maturity crosses the professional's desk first. The firm they trust to be plain about fees gets the call, and that trust is built between transactions, not during one.
“Paying for referrals is restricted, so find out before you offer”
Rules for registered advisers and for distributors limit what may be paid or received for introducing a client, they differ by registration, and they change. Put any arrangement to your compliance officer before it is agreed.
“Clients refer over a worry, not over a return”
A colleague nearing retirement, a friend who has inherited, a sibling with an ESOP payout. Name the situations you handle and the client recognises the person, which is easier than being asked to refer anybody.

What we do

What we deliver for wealth management firms.

Every deliverable, what it covers for you, and the result it is there to produce. Nothing here is an extra.

A professional introducer list
The chartered accountants, company secretaries and lawyers in your area who see money move, with a named contact and the date of the last conversation.
Result: The relationships get worked rather than hoped for.
An introduction the client can forward
A link and a short message saying who you work with and what you do, written so a client can send it without having to explain anything.
Result: The recommendation arrives as something the friend can open.
The ask, at a moment that suits it
What is said after a review meeting, and the situations to name, so the client thinks of a person rather than of an idea.
Result: Asking stops feeling like selling.
A record of who referred whom
Every enquiry marked from the first call with the client or professional behind it.
Result: You know which relationship is carrying the firm.
A written line on what is paid, checked by compliance
What the firm offers a referrer, what it does not, and what is disclosed to the client, agreed with your compliance officer.
Result: Nobody in the firm improvises an arrangement.
A way to thank that is not a fee
Work sent back to the accountant, a joint session for their clients, or a call from a partner.
Result: The relationship is looked after without a regulatory question.

Show 3 moreShow fewer

How the result is measured

Referrals received
Referral conversion rate
Cost per referred customer

Recorded as a baseline before work starts, so every later report has an honest comparison.

Read the full referral marketing page

How referrals reach an advisory firm

Clients refer you over a worry they have solved, and professionals refer over a worry they cannot.

The chartered accountant: The professional sees a family's income and tax before you do. Introduce yourself with your registration category and your scope, and offer a joint meeting with a client, never a fee to them.
The lawyer who drafts wills and handles estates: A lawyer meets families when there is a succession to plan. Send the lawyer a short note on what you do and do not advise on, and keep it free of any promise about returns.
An existing client's family member: Ask a client at a review whether somebody close to them would like to hear how you work. Make the introduction easy to forward, and let the client say what they are comfortable sharing.
The banker and the relationship manager: A banker meets clients with surplus and cannot advise outside the bank. Check what the bank and your own registration allow before any arrangement, and write down the outcome.
What never to do: Never tie a gift or fee to the amount invested, name a client without written consent or mention returns in an introduction. What may be paid for a referral depends on your registration, so ask your compliance officer.

Who it is for

This is written for these wealth management firms.

Independent practices registered as investment advisers
Registered investment advisory firms
Portfolio management services
Family offices
Mutual fund distributors
Insurance and wealth practices
NRI-focused wealth advisers
Retirement and pension planning practices

Not for

It is not the right fit if.

You plan to pay accountants or lawyers for introductions, which your registration may not allow and must be checked first.
Your advisers are not ready to give a referrer a clear note on what they will do with the introduction.

How it works

How the referral marketing work runs

The work itself, in order. How an engagement starts, from your brief to a written scope, is set out on our method page.

1
Read the margin and the relationship
We work out what a new customer is worth and what you can pay to get one, then check whether customers know others like themselves.
2
Find the referrals you already get
Your invoices, call notes and WhatsApp threads show who already sends people to you, and who they are. That sets the starting point and the first people to ask.
3
Write the offer and the rules
The reward, the definition of a valid referral and the payout steps are agreed in writing before anything is shown to customers.
4
Build the share path and the record
The message, the link or code and the referral sheet are built. Your team tests a referral end to end, from forward to reward.
5
Start with your best customers, then widen
The first asks go to people who have already praised you. What they say about the offer decides what changes before it reaches the wider base.

Where this fits

Three pieces of sales work, in this order.

This work sits inside sales process design, at stage 7, after the sale. The audit comes before it, and sales management keeps it running.

Step 1
Sales audit
Find where deals are being lost and what to fix first.
Start here if you cannot say where orders are lost.
Step 2 · you are here
Sales process design
One written way to sell, from first enquiry to repeat order.
Start here if every salesperson sells differently.
Step 3
Sales management
A target, a review routine and someone who owns the number.
Start here if the team has targets and no routine.

Tell us what you need Your brief is read before we call. Scope, fee and term in writing.

FAQ

Questions owners ask before they call.

Not here? More answers, or ask on WhatsApp.

Tell us what you need

Can we pay a chartered accountant for sending us clients?

Ask your compliance officer or check with the regulator before agreeing anything. What may be paid or received for a referral is restricted in financial services, differs between a registered adviser and a distributor, and changes. Reciprocal work and a clear disclosure to the client are the usual answer.

Our clients like us but never refer anybody. Why?

Usually because they do not know what to say about you, or which friend you would suit. Name the situations you handle and give them one link to send. Both are easier than describing a financial planning firm from memory.

May we tell an introducer how the person they sent is getting on?

Only that you have met, and only if the new client agrees. Do not mention holdings, advice or amounts to an introducer, even a professional one. Thank the introducer for the introduction and keep the rest of the client's affairs private.

Can a client's testimonial be used in an introduction or on our site?

Rules on testimonials and advertising by advisers differ by registration category and body, and change. Check with your compliance officer before using one. Never publish a client's name or any statement about returns, and keep the client's written consent on file.

How much does it cost?

There is no price list, because the work differs by business. The fee is scoped after we have read your brief and spoken to you, and put in writing before anything starts, split into our time, your media spend and production.

How long is the contract?

The term is agreed in writing after we have spoken, along with the fee and the reporting. It is never a default twelve months, and renewal is decided on the numbers against the baseline recorded at the start.

How soon will we see results?

It depends on the trade, the channel and what is already in place. After we have read your brief and spoken to you, we say what we would expect to move first and how it will be measured against the baseline. Nothing here is guaranteed.

Who will actually do the work?

The person you speak to before anything starts. We work from one office in Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru, with no account managers in between.

What do you need from us?

Your brief, and a conversation. After that, access to whatever this work touches, such as your website, your accounts or your enquiry record, and time with the people who handle your enquiries.

What if we are not happy with the work?

Tell us and the plan changes. Everything is reported against the baseline, so a number that is not moving is visible to both sides. The term is in your written scope, and the refund and cancellation policy sets out the rest.

From the blog