Start with the people who already trust you
Wealthy households hand their diaries, homes and children’s schedules to people they trust, and trust in this market is borrowed before it is earned. That is why the first clients of almost every boutique concierge firm come from the founder’s own network: a former employer, a hotel guest who remembered them, an executive they once supported.
Make a list of everyone who has seen your work up close. Former principals, colleagues from hospitality or private banking, the executive assistants you worked beside, the hotel managers and restaurateurs who know how you operate. Then write to each one personally. Tell them what you have started, who it is for, and ask a single question: who do you know who would value this? Asking for an introduction is easier to say yes to than asking someone to become a client.
Keep these first conversations short and specific. Two or three sentences on what you do, one example of the kind of request you handle well, and an offer to speak with anyone they think of. Then follow up once, two weeks later, and leave it there.
Pick a niche you can describe in one sentence
“We look after everything for busy people” is impossible to refer, because the person you are asking has to do the work of deciding who fits. “We run travel, homes and schools for founders with young families in New York and London” gives them a name before you have finished the sentence.
A good niche combines a type of client with the work you do best. You can always widen it later, and a narrow niche does not stop you taking a good client outside it. What it does is make you memorable to the people who refer.
- Families with several homes who need someone to coordinate staff, maintenance and arrivals.
- Executives and founders whose assistants need a reliable partner for travel and personal requests.
- Clients relocating to a new city who need schools, housing, doctors and introductions.
- Members of a private club or residential building, served under a corporate agreement.
- Yacht or aviation owners who need shore-side and travel logistics around each trip.
Build a small bench of referral partners
After your own network, the steadiest source of clients is the professionals who already serve wealthy households and hear their problems first. They are not looking for a commission so much as a reliable name to give when a client asks “do you know someone who can help with this?” Aim for a handful of strong relationships rather than dozens of loose ones.
| Partner | Why they refer | What earns their trust |
|---|---|---|
| Private bankers and wealth managers | Clients ask them for help with life admin they can’t provide | Discretion, no conflict with their advice, never soliciting other services |
| Family offices | Small offices lack lifestyle staff for travel, events and households | Clear reporting, careful handling of documents and payments |
| Luxury real estate agents | Buyers relocating or setting up a new home need everything at once | Fast, polished help in the first weeks after a purchase |
| Hotel and club general managers | Guests and members ask for help beyond the property | Respecting their relationship and never poaching their guests |
| Yacht and aviation brokers | Owners need logistics around each charter or flight | Knowing the industry’s etiquette and timing |
| Executive assistants | They manage a principal’s life and need a dependable partner | Making them look good to their principal, every time |
How to approach a referral partner
Ask for twenty minutes to learn about their clients, not to pitch yours. Find out which requests they get that sit outside their remit, how they prefer to make introductions, and what would embarrass them. Most partners have been let down by a provider before, and they will tell you exactly what went wrong if you ask.
Then make it easy to refer you. Leave them a short description they can forward without editing, explain how an introduction works from your side, and tell them how you will keep them informed. If you offer a referral fee, check first: many bankers and wealth managers work under compliance rules that restrict accepting payments, and an offer can make the relationship awkward. A thoughtful thank-you and reliable service usually matter more.
Finally, give before you ask. If a client of yours needs a new wealth manager, an estate agent or a club introduction, send it to a partner you trust. Referral relationships that run in both directions last.
Use paid trial engagements that lead somewhere
Wealthy clients are used to trying a service before committing to it. A trial lowers the risk for them and gives you a chance to show how you work. Keep it paid, keep it short, and agree in advance what success looks like.
For example, you might offer a single project, such as planning a family’s summer travel or opening a newly bought home, or a 30 or 60 day period at a set fee with a cap on requests. At the end, meet the client, walk through what you handled and what you learned about them, and present the ongoing arrangement. Your pricing guide (see our guide to concierge pricing) should already say how a trial converts into a retainer.
- Agree the scope, the fee and the end date in writing before you start.
- Capture every preference you learn during the trial, so the client sees you remember.
- Respond quickly and keep the client informed without being asked.
- Book the review meeting on day one, not at the end.
Introduction etiquette and discretion
In this market, how you handle an introduction is itself the first test. A client who sees you treat a referrer carelessly assumes you will treat them the same way.
- Reply to every introduction within the same day, thank the introducer, and move them to bcc.
- Never name a current or past client to a prospect, even to impress. Describe the work, not the person.
- Ask the prospect how they prefer to communicate and who else may contact you on their behalf.
- Tell the introducer when a conversation has happened and whether it went ahead, without sharing details the client has not agreed to.
- If you decline a prospect, do it politely and let the introducer know you have.
- Offer an NDA before the prospect asks for one, and keep their details out of shared spreadsheets and personal chats.
Track every introduction and every promise
When clients come from introductions, a forgotten follow-up costs you twice: the prospect and the person who referred them. From your first week, keep a record of who introduced whom, when you spoke, what you promised and when you will follow up. A simple sheet is enough at the start.
Use the same discipline with what you learn in first meetings. A prospect who mentions a nut allergy, a daughter’s birthday or a dislike of early flights should never have to repeat it. Our free concierge client intake form gives you a structure for those first conversations, so nothing is lost between the call and the first request.
As introductions grow, you will want each conversation, preference and referral source in one place your whole team can see. That is what a CRM built for concierge work does. Until then, the habit matters more than the tool.