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Plumbing and sanitaryware distributors · Referral marketing

The plumber tells the homeowner which counter to go to long before the homeowner searches.

Referral marketing for a plumbing and sanitaryware distributor means looking after the plumbers, contractors, designers and brand officers who send you buyers, and recording who sent whom. GullySales builds the referrer list, the thank-you routine and the source field that shows which referrers deserve your time.

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

A distributor demonstrates a tap fitting to a contractor

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 plumbing and sanitaryware distributors

Sales and marketing for plumbing and sanitaryware distributors, the overview.

Last updated 6 Oct 2026.

For plumbing and sanitaryware distributors

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

  • “The plumber who is not thanked sends the next job elsewhere”

    The plumber buys at your counter and recommends whoever remembers their name. A distributor that only meets them when credit is needed loses them to one that rings after the job.

  • “Brand officers pass leads to the last distributor they spoke to”

    An area officer with a household enquiry gives it to the distributor they trust to answer. You get it by being that distributor, not by asking.

  • “Designers send a client once and hear nothing back”

    The designer who sent a family to your display never learns whether they were quoted or served. The next client goes where the feedback came.

  • “Nobody can say who sent whom”

    An order arrives and the counter writes the item and the amount. The person who sent the buyer is not recorded and so is never thanked.

What we do

What we deliver for plumbing and sanitaryware distributors.

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

  1. A list of referrers by type

    Plumbers, contractors, masons, designers, architects, site engineers and brand area officers, each with the shops or projects they have sent.

    Result: You know who steers your business.

  2. A source field on every order and quote

    A line on the order sheet asking who sent the buyer, filled at the counter or by the salesman.

    Result: Referrals are counted, not remembered.

  3. A thank-you routine within the rules

    A call after a job, a sample for the referrer's own bathroom, an invitation to a brand training, kept within what the brand's scheme and the referrer's profession allow.

    Result: The people who refer feel the distributor noticed.

  4. Feedback to the designer

    A short note on what happened to the client they sent: seen, quoted, ordered or delivered.

    Result: A designer learns the referral was handled.

  5. A one-page note for brand officers

    Stock, delivery area, order desk number and how fast a household enquiry is answered, in one page the officer can keep.

    Result: The officer has a reason to send the enquiry to you.

  6. Referrals counted by referrer

    Orders by referrer type and by person, set against the baseline.

    Result: You see which referrers repay your time.

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 work in this trade

Who sends buyers to a plumbing and sanitaryware distributor, and how to look after each.

Plumbers and plumbing contractors
They name the counter on site. Record who sent each order, thank the sender on the next visit, and check what the brand's points scheme already gives them before you add anything.
Masons and civil contractors
A mason who runs a house build decides where pipes and fittings are bought. Keep the mason's name against the site and the delivery that went well, and ring when the next stage starts.
Architects and interior designers
Offer a sample set and a display visit for the client, and send word on what happened. Bodies that regulate architects and engineers have rules on commissions, so check theirs and do not offer a hidden reward.
The brand's area officer
Area officers hear from households and builders first. Give them a one-page note of your stock and delivery area, answer the enquiries they send, and tell them the outcome.
Builders' purchase staff and site engineers
The purchase manager recommends a supplier to the next project. Keep the delivery record for each site and the name of the person who raised the order.
What never to do
Do not pay a plumber to push a brand the homeowner has not been told about, offer an inducement to a person bound by a professional code, or promise a referral reward you have not cleared with your accountant.

Who it is for

This is written for these plumbing and sanitaryware distributors.

  • CPVC, UPVC and SWR pipe and fittings distributors
  • Sanitaryware and CP fittings distributors
  • Water tank and storage distributors
  • Multi-brand plumbing wholesalers supplying sub-dealers
  • Distributors with a bathroom showroom and a trade counter
  • Project suppliers to builders and contractors
  • Valve, pump and water heater stockists
  • District sub-distributors and stockists

Not for

It is not the right fit if.

  • You cannot say who sent which job, so a thank-you for the plumber would reach the wrong person.
  • The brand forbids rewards to plumbers and you have not read its terms, so a scheme could breach them.
  • Your counter does not hold stock for the jobs plumbers send, and a referred buyer would meet an empty rack.

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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 plumbers a commission on orders they bring?
Many brands already run points schemes for plumbers, so check what yours covers first. If you add a commission, the homeowner should not be misled into paying more to fund it, and your accountant should tell you how it is booked.
How do we know who sent a customer?
Ask at the counter and on the quote, and write the answer on the order sheet. People are happy to say who sent them. If the field is blank, the salesman fills it on the next visit. After a season, the names that repeat are your referrers.
Is it all right to ask an architect for referrals?
Ask for the chance to show your range, not for a referral. Offer a sample set and a showroom visit for a client. Rules on commissions differ by body, so check with the architect's own council and never press for a reward.
How often is too often to ask a plumber for referrals?
Ask after a job that went well, and not when you have just argued about an exchange. A plumber who is thanked and kept informed will mention you without prompting. Asking each time the plumber comes to the counter turns the thanks into a transaction.
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

Further reading for plumbing and sanitaryware distributors.

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Everything else we would do for you.

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Also for plumbing and sanitaryware distributors

Or start from the overview: sales and marketing for plumbing and sanitaryware distributors.

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