Book Your Call
One call. Clear direction. Faster execution.
How a small-business accounting software company opened a new lead channel with affiliates and customer referrals.
Skillfi designed, launched and ran an affiliate program for accountants and creators, plus a customer referral program, from scratch. In six months, partners and referrals brought in 27% of all new leads. It's a channel our fractional marketing service builds and manages.
Paying more for every lead, while fans recommended them for free.
Nearly all of the company's leads came from paid search and social, and the cost of each one had climbed 60% in 18 months. Meanwhile, accountants, bookkeepers and happy customers were recommending the product every week, informally and without anyone noticing.
There was no partner program, no terms, no tracking links and no way to pay anyone. Referred customers signed up like any other lead, so nobody knew what word of mouth was worth, and the people sending business had no reason to send more.
Accountants were recommending us every week, and we had no way to thank them, track it or ask for more.
VP of Marketing, client
Turn word of mouth into a channel you can measure.
We designed the program around the people already sending business, then built the tracking and payouts so it could scale. Partner onboarding and updates ran on marketing automation, and every referred lead was attributed in the company's CRM.
Two tracks, clear rewards
An affiliate program for accountants, bookkeepers, consultants and creators, and a "give a month, get a month" referral program for customers, with simple terms and fraud rules.
Tracking and payouts that just work
An affiliate platform with tracking links and a partner dashboard, automated monthly payouts agreed with finance, and attribution for every referred deal.
Recruited, equipped and managed
Outreach to 600 potential partners, a co-branded resource kit, in-app referral prompts and a fractional marketer running the program every month.
Six months, step by step
From informal recommendations to a tracked, paid and growing lead channel. Here's how the engagement unfolded.
- Week 1–32 program tracks
Program design
We interviewed existing advocates, chose the two tracks and set commissions, terms, cookie window and fraud rules.
- Week 4–6CRM attribution
Tech & tracking
Affiliate platform, tracking links, partner dashboard and payouts set up, with every referred lead attributed in the CRM.
- Week 7–8Program live
Partner page & launch
A partner landing page, application flow and welcome sequence went live, starting with the company's existing advocates.
- Month 3600 reached
Partner recruitment
Personal outreach to accountants, bookkeepers, small-business consultants and content creators across the US and Canada.
- Month 4–5Resource kit live
Enablement & in-app referrals
A co-branded resource kit for partners and referral prompts inside the product at moments customers were happiest.
- Month 627% of new leads
A proven new channel
Partners and referrals were now a steady source of lower-cost, longer-staying customers.
Four parts that turned fans into a lead channel
People recommend products they love. The program made it easy for them to do it, rewarding when they did, and visible to everyone involved.
Affiliate program
- Accountants, bookkeepers & consultants
- Content creators
- 20% recurring, 25% at 10+ a quarter
Customer referrals
- Give a month, get a month
- In-app prompts at happy moments
- One-click share link
Attribution
- Tracking links & partner dashboard
- Every deal attributed in the CRM
- Cookie window & fraud rules
Paid on time
- Automated monthly payouts
- Clear statements for partners
- 100% paid on schedule
Six months after launch
Cost to acquire a customer
54% less to win a customer through partners than through paid ads.
Our best salespeople turned out to be accountants who already loved the product. Now they're rewarded for it, and we can see every deal.
CEO, clientCustomers already recommending you?
Our fractional marketing team will design your affiliate and referral programs, set up tracking and payouts with marketing automation, and run it every month. If partners are part of a bigger go-to-market shift, a fractional GTM lead can shape the full plan.
- An affiliate & referral program design
- Tracking, attribution & automated payouts
- Partner recruitment & a resource kit
- Monthly program management
30 minutes. No obligation.
Related Case Studies