The same people problem keeps returning.
Different employee, different month, same outcome. Something upstream may deserve attention.
For Advisors Whose Clients Eventually Ask an HR Question
Faulkner HR Solutions Partner Program
Your clients may come to you first when an employee issue, management decision, compliance concern, or recurring people problem becomes difficult to sort out. You do not need to diagnose it or decide which HR service they need. Make the introduction with enough context for us to understand what is happening. We will determine whether we can help and what the situation actually requires.
10% starting referral rate
Up to $5,000 per referred client
15% Strategic Partner rate
Non-exclusive
Referral Standard
What Makes a Referral Useful
We are most useful when we know why the introduction is being made. A short explanation of what is happening, who is involved in the decision, and why the organization may need outside HR support is enough for us to begin evaluating fit.
Describe what is happening. We will determine what support, if any, makes sense.
You do not need to select an FHRS service before making the introduction. Share the event, pattern, decision, or concern that prompted the referral.
FHRS will ask the follow-up questions, assess the situation, and determine whether an engagement is warranted.
The value of the referral is the context and access, not a preselected solution.
A consequential decision is approaching.
A termination, complaint, leave issue, classification question, restructuring decision, or leadership problem needs more than an improvised answer.
The advice is clear. Execution is not.
The client may already know the legal, financial, or benefits answer and still need help making the organization carry it out.
Leadership cannot explain why this keeps happening.
That is often the point where another set of eyes becomes useful.
Qualification Criteria
When a Referral Qualifies for the Program
A referral generally qualifies when there is an identifiable HR, workforce, management, or organizational issue; the organization fits the markets FHRS serves; the prospective client knows the introduction is being made; the introduction reaches someone positioned to evaluate or authorize help; and the opportunity is not already active in the FHRS pipeline.
Identifiable situation
Something has happened, keeps happening, or is about to require an important people decision.
Organizational fit
The organization is within the market FHRS serves and the situation is reasonably connected to our work.
Client permission
The prospective client knows why the introduction is being made and has agreed to the contact.
Decision-maker access
The introduction reaches an owner, executive, administrator, HR leader, or another person able to move the conversation forward.
Enough context
There is enough information for FHRS to understand what prompted the introduction and determine whether we belong in the conversation.
When a referral does not qualify for compensation: Referral compensation is intended for genuine professional introductions that create a new FHRS opportunity. It generally does not apply to existing FHRS clients or active prospects, duplicate referrals, purchased or scraped contact lists, mass prospect lists, unsolicited contact information, or introductions where the prospective client has not agreed to be contacted. FHRS confirms referral acceptance in writing so both parties know whether the opportunity qualifies before work begins.
The Referral Conversation
You Identify the Situation. We Determine What It Requires.
A benefits broker may notice the same supervisor issue surfacing during client conversations. A CPA may see payroll becoming the landing place for classification or termination problems. An attorney may resolve the legal question while the client still needs help implementing the decision. A municipal advisor may hear leadership describe inconsistent personnel decisions. The partner recognizes the point where another perspective may help; FHRS takes it from there.
Context for the introduction
Tell us what happened, what keeps happening, or what decision the client is facing. A short explanation of why you believe an outside HR perspective may be useful is enough.
Example: “They have gone through three supervisors in two years and the same employee problems keep coming back.”
What the situation actually requires
FHRS handles discovery, diagnosis, scope, pricing, contracting, and delivery. The answer may be a focused project, an audit, ongoing support, a different professional resource, or no engagement at all.
The service follows the situation rather than being selected before we understand it.
Referral Compensation
How Referral Compensation Works
Every approved partner begins at the Referral Partner rate. Strategic Referral Partner status is available to partners who have demonstrated that their introductions consistently produce well-matched FHRS client relationships.
Referral Partner
10%
Up to $5,000 per referred client
This is the standard starting level for approved partners. The referral fee applies to eligible collected fees from the client's initial FHRS engagement, subject to the written Partner Referral Agreement.
- No minimum number of referrals required
- Referral must be accepted by FHRS in writing
- Payment follows collection of eligible client fees
- Non-exclusive relationship
Strategic Referral Partner
15%
Up to $10,000 per referred client
Strategic status recognizes partners who have demonstrated that their introductions consistently produce well-matched FHRS client relationships.
- $25,000+ in collected FHRS revenue
- At least two referred clients in a rolling 12-month period
- Consistent adherence to the Qualified Referral Standard
- Written FHRS approval; applies prospectively
The higher rate reflects demonstrated referral value, not simply the number of introductions made. Meeting the revenue and client threshold makes a partner eligible for Strategic Partner review. It does not automatically change the partner's rate.
Program Fit
Who the Program Is Designed For
The program is designed for professionals whose work regularly places them near consequential employer decisions but whose primary role is not to provide operational HR consulting. The strongest fit is someone who already has the client's confidence and occasionally encounters a situation where experienced HR judgment would help the client move forward.
Employment Attorneys
Legal guidance may answer what is permissible while the client still needs help carrying the decision into policy, management practice, documentation, or execution.
Benefits Brokers
Client conversations often expose employee-relations, management, leave, documentation, and workforce issues that sit outside benefits administration.
CPAs, Payroll Providers & Fractional CFOs
Payroll and finance frequently become the first place classification, compensation, termination, staffing, or management problems become visible.
Municipal Advisors, Consultants & Associations
Leaders may raise personnel problems with a trusted advisor before they know whether the issue requires HR, legal, financial, or operational intervention.
How It Works
What Happens After You Make the Introduction
Your role is the introduction. FHRS handles the fit assessment, discovery, scope, pricing, contracting, and delivery directly with the client. Your existing client relationship remains separate from ours.
Make the introduction
Share the client's contact information with permission and include enough context to explain what prompted the connection.
FHRS confirms referral status
We check fit, conflicts, duplication, and whether the opportunity qualifies under the partner agreement.
FHRS works directly with the client
We handle discovery, recommendations, scope, pricing, contracting, and delivery under our own client agreement.
Referral compensation is paid
If the accepted referral becomes paid work, the applicable partner rate is paid under the written agreement after eligible client fees are collected.
The Terms, Plainly
What the Partner Structure Means in Practice
This page summarizes the program. The signed Partner Referral Agreement controls the legal and payment terms for every relationship.
Partner Referral Agreement
Summary of Key Terms
- Referral Partner rate
- 10% of eligible collected fees from the referred client's initial engagement, up to $5,000 per referred client.
- Strategic Partner rate
- 15% of eligible collected fees from new accepted referrals after Strategic Referral Partner status is approved in writing, up to $10,000 per referred client.
- Strategic eligibility
- At least $25,000 in collected FHRS revenue from at least two referred clients within a rolling 12-month period, consistent Qualified Referral Standard performance, and written FHRS approval. Meeting the threshold creates eligibility for review; it does not create an automatic entitlement to Strategic status.
- Referral acceptance
- Every referral is subject to fit, conflict, duplication, and relationship checks. No referral earns compensation unless FHRS accepts it in writing.
- When payment occurs
- Generally within 30 days after FHRS receives the applicable client payment and has the partner's completed W-9. No collection, no referral fee on the uncollected amount.
- Follow-on work
- Unless otherwise stated in the signed agreement, compensation applies to eligible fees from the initial engagement. Renewals, unrelated future projects, extensions outside the initial engagement, and other follow-on work do not automatically create additional referral compensation.
- Client relationship
- FHRS controls its own scoping, pricing, contracting, recommendations, and delivery. Partners may not quote, promise, negotiate, or represent services on behalf of FHRS unless separately authorized in writing.
- Exclusivity
- None. Partners may refer clients elsewhere, and FHRS may maintain other partner relationships.
- Professional restrictions
- No referral fee will be paid where compensation is prohibited, restricted, or inappropriate under law, procurement rules, ethics requirements, employer policy, or professional obligations.
- Ending the relationship
- Either party may end the partner relationship according to the written agreement. Any treatment of previously accepted referrals is governed by that agreement.
This summary is provided for convenience and is not the Partner Referral Agreement. Request the current agreement at thomas@faulknerhrsolutions.info before relying on any program term.
Professional Requirements
Referral Compensation and Professional Restrictions
FHRS works with municipalities, nonprofits, growing businesses, attorneys, brokers, financial professionals, and other advisors whose relationships may be governed by procurement rules, professional obligations, employer policies, or disclosure requirements.
If a referral fee is prohibited, restricted, or inconsistent with the partner's professional obligations, the introduction can still be handled appropriately without compensation. Raising those considerations before the referral helps protect the client, the partner, and FHRS.
Partner Conversation
See Whether the Partner Program Fits Your Work
Tell us who you typically advise and the kinds of HR or workforce situations that tend to reach you. We can determine whether a referral relationship makes sense and send you the written Partner Referral Agreement for review.
Start with the clients and situations you already encounter.
We will review how your work intersects with FHRS, explain the referral process, and confirm whether the compensation structure is appropriate for your role and professional obligations.
Common Questions
Partner Program FAQ
How much does a Referral Partner earn?
Approved Referral Partners start at 10% of eligible collected fees from a referred client's initial engagement, up to $5,000 per referred client, subject to the signed Partner Referral Agreement.
How do I reach the Strategic Referral Partner tier?
A Referral Partner becomes eligible for Strategic review after generating at least $25,000 in collected FHRS revenue from at least two referred clients within a rolling 12-month period and consistently meeting the Qualified Referral Standard. Strategic status requires written FHRS approval and applies prospectively to new accepted referrals. The threshold creates eligibility for review, not an automatic upgrade.
Why does referral quality matter if the client ultimately decides whether to hire?
Because the value of a referral comes from trust and context. A strong introduction gives the client a clear reason for the connection and gives FHRS enough information to determine whether we can be useful. That produces a better experience for the client, the partner, and FHRS.
Do I need to know which FHRS service the client needs?
No. The most useful starting point is usually what is happening, what keeps happening, or what decision the client is facing. FHRS can then determine whether outside support is warranted and, if so, what form that work should take.
What happens to my client relationship?
Your existing professional relationship remains yours. FHRS works under its own agreement, uses independent professional judgment, and does not treat your introduction as permission to compete with the services you provide.
My profession or employer restricts referral compensation. Can I still introduce a client?
Possibly, but raise the restriction before the referral. No fee will be paid where compensation is prohibited, restricted, or inappropriate. The parties may consider another written relationship if appropriate and permitted.
Is the partner relationship exclusive?
No. FHRS does not require exclusivity. Partners may refer clients to other providers, and FHRS may work with other referral partners.
Referral Partnership Inquiry
See Whether the Partner Program Fits Your Work
Tell us who you typically advise and the kinds of HR or workforce situations that tend to reach you. We can determine whether a referral relationship makes sense and send you the written Partner Referral Agreement for review.
Prefer a call? 1 (210) 446-8730, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM CT.