Introduce us to your next vCISO client. We’ll cover a month of yours.
If you’re a current Summit vCISO client, an introduction that becomes a new twelve-month vCISO engagement earns your company a full month of service at no charge — not a commission, not a gift card, just a thank-you inside the relationship we already have.
Most of Summit’s best client relationships start with one executive telling another that a security problem finally got handled properly. This program is how we recognize that formally, on behalf of your company — not as a sales incentive to any individual.
How it works
Four steps, in the order they have to happen.
Register before we talk
Submit the Referral Registration Form below before Summit has any substantive conversation with the business you’re introducing. We’ll confirm acceptance in writing.
Usually within 5 business days.We make the introduction count
We contact the business only after you’ve made an introduction or they’ve agreed to hear from us. No contact lists, no bulk outreach, ever.
After your introduction.They become a client
The business signs Summit’s standard twelve-month vCISO Master Services Agreement and gets through the standard thirty-day Mutual Fit Window without either side walking away.
Within 180 days of acceptance.You get a month, free
Once their first invoice is paid, we send you an Award Letter to countersign, and a full month of your own service is credited to your next invoice.
Within 10 business days of qualification.What you earn
A full month, not a percentage.
One month of vCISO service, at no charge
The credit equals 100% of your then-current Monthly Retainer, applied to a single invoice. You still receive the full scope of services and your full monthly hour allocation during that month — it’s a fee-free month, not a service-free one.
Proportionality cap
If the company you refer signs on at less than half your own Monthly Retainer, the credit is capped at their Monthly Retainer instead of yours — so the reward never exceeds the revenue the referral produced.
Limits
Up to three credits per twelve-month term, with one applied per calendar month. Credits have no cash value and can’t be transferred, sold, or applied to a past-due balance.
Who’s eligible
Both sides of the introduction have to qualify.
To refer
You must be a current Summit vCISO client under an executed Master Services Agreement, past your own thirty-day Mutual Fit Window, current on your invoices, and in good standing. Whoever submits the registration must be authorized to act for your company.
To be referred
The business must be new to Summit — not a current or former client within the past twelve months, not already in conversation with us, not affiliated with or related to your company, and not already referred by someone else.
What qualifies
The engagement has to be the real thing.
Qualifies
- Summit’s standard twelve-month vCISO Master Services Agreement, signed within 180 days of your registration being accepted.
- An engagement that survives the standard thirty-day Mutual Fit Window without either side terminating.
- A first invoice, and any onboarding fee, paid in full.
Does not qualify
- One-time assessments, readiness reviews, or other project-only work.
- Month-to-month or pilot arrangements, or terms shorter than twelve months.
- A renewal or expansion of an existing client’s own agreement.
The fine print
Stated plainly, because it governs every referral.
- The credit goes to your company, applied to your company’s invoice — never cash, gift cards, travel, or anything of value to an individual, at your company or the one you refer.
- If your company’s policy doesn’t allow accepting a discount from a vendor, tell us when you register, and we’ll make a donation of equivalent value to a 501(c)(3) of your choosing instead — in Summit’s name, with no tax deduction or acknowledgment passed to you.
- We will not tell the business you referred that you referred them, and we will not tell you anything about their engagement, scope, or status, without your written permission either way.
- A private introduction needs no disclosure. A public endorsement — a review, a post, a testimonial — made while you’re participating should clearly disclose that you receive a service credit for referrals. We never make the credit conditional on a positive review.
- Referrals involving government entities, healthcare organizations, financial institutions, insurance licensees, law firms, and accounting firms are reviewed individually before acceptance, and may be declined.
- We decide whether to engage any referred business, and may decline for conflicts, capacity, or risk reasons without liability. We may change, pause, or end this program on thirty days’ written notice; referrals already accepted stay governed by the terms in effect when we accepted them.
Questions about the program
If yours isn’t here, ask when you register.
Do I need to already be a client to participate?
Yes. This program is available to current Summit vCISO clients in good standing. If you’re not yet a client but know a company that needs one, we’d still love the introduction — just reach out to us directly.
Can I get paid in cash instead of a service credit?
No. The credit is structured as a reduction in what you pay us, not a cash payment — which is why it isn’t income to you and doesn’t require us to issue a tax form for it. It only has value if you continue as a client.
Does this apply if I refer someone for a one-time assessment?
No. The referred business needs to sign a twelve-month vCISO Master Services Agreement. One-time assessments, project work, and month-to-month arrangements don’t qualify, though we’re always glad for the introduction regardless.
What if my company’s policy doesn’t allow us to accept vendor discounts?
Tell us when you register the referral, and we’ll make a donation of equivalent value to a 501(c)(3) of your choosing instead, in Summit’s name, so your company can participate without a policy conflict.
What if the deal falls through?
If the business doesn’t sign, or signs and then exits during the thirty-day Mutual Fit Window, no credit is earned — but there’s no downside to having made the introduction.
Can I refer more than one company?
Yes, up to three credited referrals in any twelve-month term, with one credit applied per calendar month.
Register a referral
Please register before discussing Summit with the business you’re introducing, so we can accept the referral cleanly. We confirm receipt within 5 business days.