The internal partner should not have to become an ERP salesperson.
The referral engine works when Baker Tilly partners can recognize a signal, ask two or three credible questions, and introduce the NetSuite team without risking the client relationship they have spent years building.
Each Baker Tilly practice sees a different ERP buying trigger first.
The BDM's job is to translate those practice-specific observations into a simple referral motion, then do the selling and scoping work after the introduction.
- Parent-company systems need to separate after a transaction
- Acquired entities run different charts of accounts or inventory systems
- PE operating teams need consolidated reporting quickly
"When a carve-out or add-on cannot operate cleanly on the current finance stack, introduce me to the CFO / operating partner. I will qualify the systems path, pull in our delivery team and keep you informed."
- Month-end close takes 15-20+ days
- Manual consolidations across entities
- ASC 606 / approval / segregation-of-duties issues
"If the client is repeatedly spending audit hours on manual reconciliation or weak controls, let me determine whether the root cause is process, ERP or both before anyone recommends a platform."
- New EMEA/APAC entities
- Multi-currency and intercompany friction
- VAT, statutory reporting and transfer-pricing data fragmentation
"If finance is maintaining separate ledgers or spreadsheets just to support new entities, introduce me to the finance owner. I will validate whether OneWorld / a cloud ERP is appropriate."
- Interim CFO / Controller identifies process bottlenecks
- Cash, reporting and planning are disconnected
- Growth requires headcount because systems do not scale
"Where the advisory team sees finance work that should disappear through automation, bring me in to qualify the technology business case and mobilize the right ERP specialists."
Make the warm introduction a repeatable operating motion.
Internal referrals become predictable when the firm has a low-friction cadence, visible credit and a feedback loop back to the originating partner.
15-minute industry-team slot: what to notice, what to ask, what not to promise.
M&A, close pain, audit finding, new entity, CFO mandate or system ceiling.
Originating partner sends a short warm handoff. No ERP expertise required.
Business pain, buyer, process, timing, fit, independence and Oracle alignment.
Partner sees stage, outcome and attribution so they trust the channel enough to repeat it.
Three questions are enough to create the right introduction.
The partner's job is signal recognition, not product selling.
Is this client becoming too complex for the way finance operates today?
If the answer to any question below is "yes," send a warm intro. The NetSuite team will handle qualification, demo, proposal and SOW.
Protect the client relationship before pursuing the opportunity.
Professional-services selling has a constraint technology sellers do not: the commercial path must respect independence, conflicts and the originating partner's client relationship.
Audit and attest relationships can restrict permissible advisory or implementation activities. Route the opportunity through Baker Tilly's actual independence and risk process before promising scope.
Document who owns the relationship, what the client was told, and the next step. The BDM should create confidence that an introduction strengthens the relationship rather than hijacking it.