"Guidelines for Handling Referals" - please use, enjoy, and critique!

I did much research on other face painting groups (especially the NE Ohio, Central Ohio, DFW, and SoCal guilds) and also many general "artist" guilds, and came up with this Guide to Handling Referrals, for our guild members. This was one of the first things I wanted to tackle as we formed our guild, because I think it is the most important, and has the most opportunity to cause strife. But it also has the most potential to benefit our members, too! I probably spent 4-5 hours on this (no kidding), that is how important I think it is

Please would you critique it, and give suggestions? Also, enjoy it and use it for yourself, or your guild or jam or group.... (NOT for publication for any profit motive, please.)

Thanks, Barbie

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REFERRALS

One of the most important aspects of our guild is referring work to each other, when needed. The referral process is not one of the easiest things to maneuver, but with thought and attention it can be mastered! Much consideration should go into how you choose to manage your referrals, here are some ideas.


When you need to refer an event/client, you have two options:

1) Retain the client as yours. If you wish to keep the customer for the future, you must do the administrative work (called “agent legwork”) and assume the administrative risks of the event. You do all of the event administration, keep a % as your referral fee, pass the rest of the monies to your fellow artist, and tell your fellow artist when and where to show up. In this case, only refer to painters who agree to not pass on their contact information to the client. The going referral fee rate is between 10%-80% (yes, you read correctly!). Perhaps 20-25% is reasonable.

With this option, consider your future expectations with this client. Example: you have referred a fellow artist to a client and per your request, she only gave them your contact information. Months later, that same client is looking for the painter that last worked for them. Do you require that the client continue to use you as a middleman? Maybe. What if the scenario repeats itself with the client always requesting the same artist? At what point do you agree to relinquish your middleman rights and release that client to the other painter? This is truly personal preference, and you may want to consider this (and communicate it) upfront.

2) Hand the entire event to the other painter. If you refer the job out immediately, you leave the paperwork/risk to the other artist, and you take yourself out of the communication loop. In this case the customer and the new artist contact each other and (most often) you will not negotiate a referral fee (most artists only require a fee for gigs that they have already booked and confirmed – ie: “sealed the deal” - where the other painter need only show up). In this case, try not to give price quotes; if the customer insists on a ballpark figure, make it an “in the range of” ballpark.

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SUGGESTIONS:

Know your area artists and refer wisely. Know the skill-set of the artists on your list and only refer those that can not only deliver all of the quality you seek, but also will conduct business ethically/morally. Which of these (ethics and ability) you deem more important is a personal preference, but both should be considered heavily.

Be honest and fair. Karma *will* then treat us well. If ever it comes down to dollar signs versus integrity, we choose integrity. Our reputations are *critical* to our success, and are crucial to receiving referrals from fellow artists and business from potential customers.

Don’t forget to pass on information. If you do decide to do the “agent legwork” (the formal term) for a booking, it is imperative that you remember to pass on all information to the painter who is working the event. Please *over-inform*.

Communicate. Communication is so important; it deserves to be mentioned twice! Communicate with the painter (before and after the event). Communicate with the customer, if you are playing middleman (before and after the event). Keeping the lines of communication open nurtures healthy, productive business relationships and it ultimately keeps your customers happy.

Dug this post up as I'm looking for examples of how other painters have handled this situation. Thanks for having a concise reference available! =)