Let me start with the part most people bury at the bottom. When I send a business owner to my contact at ADP and they sign on, I get a referral credit. I'm telling you that here, at the top, because you should know it before you read another word. I make the introduction because it helps the owner. I'm upfront that there's a credit in it for me.
Now here's why I bother making the introduction at all.
The second job nobody warns you about
Hire your first employee and you sign up for a second job you never applied for. Payroll has to run, and the taxes on it have to be right. Workers' comp has to be in place. Depending on your state, a retirement plan or a state program might be required, with a deadline attached. None of it is the work you got into business to do. All of it tends to land around the same time.
I watch owners try to juggle it themselves and burn hours they don't have. Or worse, miss something that turns into a penalty. Health coverage is my lane, and I'm glad to carry that part. The rest of the stack isn't something I want a client white-knuckling alone.
Who I send people to, and why
My contact for that is Mike Mackenzie, an Associate District Manager at ADP. ADP runs the payroll and the taxes, the workers' comp, the retirement-plan administration, the whole back-office stack that lands on a new employer. When a client of mine is drowning in that stuff, Mike is who I introduce them to.
I recommend him because the introductions I've made have gone well, and because it lifts a real weight off the owner. That's the entire reason it's a referral I'll put my name on.
Full transparency on how it works
Here's the honest version, plainly. If you start with ADP through my introduction, I get a referral credit. That's it. It is not a paid endorsement, and ADP is not a program I'm enrolled in or a product I'm selling you. I make the introduction. If it turns into a fit, I'm credited.
I tell every client this the same way. The thing that makes me useful to you is that I'm straight with you. I work for you, not for a carrier and not for ADP. An introduction that helps you and happens to credit me is one I'll make in the open. One that didn't help you wouldn't be worth my name.
What it means for you
If the back-office stack is eating your week, I can make a warm introduction so you're not cold-calling a payroll company. No obligation on your end. Nothing about it changes how I handle your coverage.
And if you're not even sure what your business is required to have yet, start there. The Employer Obligation Finder shows you which obligations actually apply to you in about a minute, so you know what you're dealing with before you talk to anyone.
Drowning in payroll, workers' comp, and the rest? Reply and I'll set up an introduction, no strings. Or run the Employer Obligation Finder first to see exactly what your business needs.
Questions owners ask me
Do you get paid to refer me to ADP? I get a referral credit if you start with ADP through my introduction. It's not a paid endorsement and not a program I'm enrolled in. I disclose it because you should know.
Do I have to use ADP to work with you on insurance? No. The introduction is optional and completely separate from your coverage. I handle your health insurance the same either way.
Why take an introduction instead of just calling a payroll company myself? A warm introduction puts you in front of a real person I trust instead of a sales line, and it tends to move faster.
What does ADP actually handle? Payroll and payroll taxes, workers' comp, and retirement-plan administration. The back-office stack that lands on most new employers.
Mary Jones is an independent health insurance broker licensed in 38 states, known to her clients as The Traveling Insurance Agent. Disclosure: if you become an ADP client through an introduction from me, I receive a referral credit. This article is general information, not advice for your specific situation. Reach out and we'll figure out what fits.