Referrals
Exalynt doesn't pay for referrals or discount for them, for engineers or for clients. We want people to recommend Exalynt because of the work we do and the place it is to work, not because they're paid to.
We earn referrals; we don't buy them.
No referral fees or discounts
- Clients: referring another client or an engineer doesn't earn a discount, a credit, or free capacity.
- Engineers: referring another engineer or a client doesn't earn a bonus, a fee, or a higher share. Your payout is your Capacity Payout Basis × Engineer Share, and nothing else changes it (details).
- The people you refer: being referred doesn't change a client's price or how an engineer is paid.
What engineers gain from referring a client
Exalynt doesn't pay for referrals, but an engineer who recommends someone who becomes a client still gains something real: more work. Every block a new client buys is capacity Exalynt offers to its engineers, so a referral can mean more possible work for you, and for the engineers you work alongside and have become friends with at Exalynt.
- More clients mean more blocks to offer. Engineers are contractors, and work depends on clients choosing to buy blocks (details). A client who keeps buying blocks keeps creating work for the whole team.
- It's not a guarantee. Referring a client doesn't guarantee you'll be assigned to its blocks or offered its Engineering Lead role, and it doesn't change your payout for any block you accept (details).
- It's still a recommendation, not a sales pitch. Refer a client because you believe Exalynt will do excellent work for them. A client who isn't a good fit won't keep buying blocks, so it doesn't help them, you, or anyone else.
Referrals are not partnerships
Exalynt sometimes partners with another company to help find clients, and pays that partner under a written agreement. That's a business arrangement, not a referral, and it doesn't change anything on this page. Partnerships explains the difference.
Why we don't pay for referrals
- A recommendation should be honest. When a referral pays, the person hearing it can't tell whether you're recommending Exalynt or earning a fee. Without one, your word means what it says.
- People should come for the right reasons. Engineers who join for a bonus and clients who come for a discount aren't choosing the work. We want people who are choosing the work.
- The money belongs in the work. Every block payment pays the engineer first, then runs the company that stands behind the work (How the money flows). A referral fee would pay for a recommendation people make anyway when the work is good, and the work wouldn't get any better for it. When Exalynt does pay to find clients, it pays a partner for business development work, under a written agreement.
- Good work is the best referral program. If each block delivers real value and engineers enjoy doing it, people tell others. If it doesn't, no fee should convince them to.
Who Exalynt is for
A good referral is someone who fits. When you think about who to tell, this is who Exalynt is for.
Engineers who love being engineers
Engineers who enjoy using software to solve real problems, and want to own a solution from end to end: understanding the problem, shaping the approach, building it, shipping it, and keeping it running. They follow good engineering practices and take pride in quality, and they want to do it at a sustainable pace, without the pressure and stress that burn engineers out. See Why engineers choose Exalynt.
Clients who want software built well
Clients who want very high quality software, built in a way that limits their risk: one iteration at a time, with real progress at every checkpoint and no lock-in. They want engineers they can trust to understand their business and tell them the truth. See Working with Exalynt and Sharing risk.
Both, for the long run
Exalynt is a place for clients and engineers to build lasting, positive working relationships, and often friendships. The people you refer are joining those relationships, which is why we'd rather they come because you genuinely think they'll be glad they did.
If you'd like to refer someone
- Tell them what it's really like, including what might not suit them. For engineers, that includes variable work as a contractor.
- Point them to these documents so they can see exactly how Exalynt works before talking to us.
- Introduce them to us. We'll talk with them about what they're looking for and whether Exalynt is a good fit.
Frequently asked questions
Do clients get a discount for referring another client?
No. Exalynt doesn't offer referral discounts, credits, or free capacity. We'd rather you recommend us because the work has been worth it.
Do engineers get a bonus for referring another engineer or a client?
No. There are no referral bonuses or fees, and a referral doesn't change your Engineer Share. Your payout is set by your level and market, as described in Engineer compensation.
As an engineer, do I gain anything from referring a client?
Yes: more possible work. The blocks a new client buys are offered to Exalynt's engineers, so a referral can create work for you and for the engineers you work with. It doesn't guarantee you an assignment or change your payout. See What engineers gain from referring a client.
Does the person I refer get a better deal?
No. Being referred doesn't change a client's price, and a referred engineer is paid the same way as any other engineer at their level and market.
Lots of companies pay for referrals. Why doesn't Exalynt?
Because a paid referral is harder to trust, and it brings people for the wrong reasons. We want every recommendation of Exalynt to be honest, and we'd rather put the money into the engineers and the work.
If Exalynt pays partners, isn't that paying for referrals?
No. A partner is a company that finds clients for Exalynt as part of its business, under a written agreement made before any introduction. A referral is a personal recommendation, and it's never paid. See Partnerships.
Then why would anyone refer Exalynt?
For the same reason you'd recommend a great doctor or a favorite restaurant: you had a good experience and you think someone you know would too. That's the only kind of referral we want.