How to document client consent before you introduce a company

Why a consent record matters before an introduction

A consent record is a short note made at the time that shows who agreed to the introduction, what you told them about your compensation and which facts they let you pass on. It takes a few minutes and settles questions that otherwise surface months later, when people remember the conversation differently.

Data licensing introductions run over several stages. SourceX qualifies the company, the company completes a data inventory, price and terms are agreed, buyers review, and any partner reward is paid only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee. Over that stretch the sponsor can change jobs, a board member can ask how the approach began, or a new CFO can ask whether the advisor who made the introduction said they might be paid. A dated record answers all three.

Keep it lean. The goal is proof of permission and disclosure, not a file on the company.

The consent record checklist

Work through the groups in order. Each item is either a field in your record or a step to finish before you send anything.

Before you ask

• Confirm the person can authorize the introduction: an owner, CEO, CFO or another representative with authority to act for the company.
• Check the rules that bind you: licensing body, regulator, employer or broker-dealer policy, and the client's engagement letter or NDA.
• Decide the route: the company applies itself through your referral link, or you submit the referral form with its permission.

What you disclose, and note that you disclosed it

• That you may receive a referral reward from SourceX if the company licenses data through SourceX and the deal is paid.
• That the reward comes out of SourceX's fee and is never deducted from what the company receives.
• That nothing binds the company until it agrees price and terms and signs.
• That you will not see, handle or pass on any of the company's records.

What the client agreed you may share

• The company name and the sponsor's name, title and work email.
• The fit facts they cleared, such as a headcount band, years in operation and the kinds of systems in use.
• Anything they asked you to leave out, such as a pending sale, a dispute or a named customer.

How you captured it

• The date of the conversation and the date of written confirmation.
• The channel: an email reply, a signed consent form, or meeting notes confirmed by email.
• Where the record is stored and when it will be reviewed for deletion.

What you leave out

• No documents, exports, screenshots or data samples.
• No personal details beyond the sponsor's business contact information.
• No financial figures, valuation discussion or customer lists.

What a complete record looks like

The table below is Illustrative; the company and details are fictional.

The easiest way to get written confirmation is to ask for it in one message the client can answer with a single word:

How to read your checklist results

Once the record is complete, the result tells you whether to proceed.

That last row has its own page: should you pass a referral fee through to your client?

Keep the record small and time-limited

The best consent record holds less, not more. Store it where you already keep client matters, never on a personal device, and set a review date: for example, when the introduction is declined or once any reward is paid and your own retention rules are met.

If your business is subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act, the statute requires that collecting, using and retaining personal information be reasonably necessary and proportionate to the purpose. Even where it does not apply, minimum necessary is a sound default for a record like this.

If you recommend SourceX publicly, in a newsletter, post or webinar, rather than one to one, the FTC's Endorsement Guides address disclosing material connections between endorsers and advertisers. Keep a copy of what you published and the disclosure wording you used alongside your consent records. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm with your own counsel, tax adviser or professional body before acting.

Some professions add their own layer. Lawyers should read what Rule 1.6 lets a lawyer share when introducing a client, financial advisors should read Regulation S-P and sharing client names, and employees of advisory firms should check referral rewards when your employer is an advisory firm.

Red flags that mean you should stop

Pause the introduction, and note why in your record, if any of these appear:

• The person agreeing is not authorized, or the owner has not been told.
• The company's records mainly belong to its own clients, as at many agencies and outsourcers, and those clients have not agreed.
• A court, trustee or assignee controls the company's assets and has not been involved.
• The client asks you to describe or forward records so a buyer can judge them.
• Your professional rules restrict compensation for this particular client.
• The client wants the introduction kept from a co-owner or the board.

For how consent fits a wider approach to warm introductions, see referral marketing for business introductions.

Next step

Use the checklist on your next introduction. If the owner wants a quick read on fit first, the company fit checker gives a preliminary, non-binding screen with no contact details required. Then register as a partner and send your referral link; the program terms cover attribution and payment.