How Ichelon Partner Connect works · The eight-step Partner journey end to end.
Partner Connect has exactly eight moving parts. No hidden gates. No mysterious approval committees. No portal you have to log into. This page is the operating manual — every step, the typical timing, who from ICG owns it, what document or WhatsApp message accompanies it, and the exact rupee outcome that follows. If you are considering applying and want to know what you are actually signing up for, read this page top to bottom. It takes about 12 minutes.
From application to Partner Share, in one visual line
Below is the compact version — every step named, timed and priced. Each of the eight is unpacked in detail in the sections that follow. Read the summary first; if a step looks unclear or too good to be true, jump straight to that step's detail block and read the mechanics.
You fill a 3-minute form. Rohit reviews it personally. That is the entire gate.
The Partner Connect application form lives at ichelonconsulting.com/partner-connect/apply. It asks for your full name, mobile with WhatsApp confirmation, email, city, your current role (dropdown from Centre Manager through Software Vendor), the organisation you work at (free text — clinic, hospital, chain, consulting practice or independent), and one optional line about the introduction you already have in mind. That is it. There is no CV upload, no video pitch, no portfolio requirement. If you have a legitimate healthcare-adjacent role and a real network, you qualify to apply.
Every application lands directly in Rohit's inbox. He reads it the same day it arrives. Approval is not delegated to a BDR, not routed through a Google Form spreadsheet, and not sitting in a queue waiting for a Monday review meeting. Roughly 6 in 10 applications are accepted. If a rejection happens, you get a WhatsApp reply explaining why and, where possible, a suggested change (for example, "wait until you have a specific peer clinic in mind" or "warm-up your target contact for another 30 days first").
Full name * · Email * · Mobile (WhatsApp) * · City * · Your role * (dropdown) · Where you work * (free text) · The introduction you have in mind (optional, 500-char free text) · Confirm 4 checks (4 checkboxes) · Agree to Partner Connect MoU terms (single checkbox linking to /partner-connect/mou PDF).
Common questions in the first 60 seconds after the form loads
Do I have to give the specific introduction I have in mind? No. The field is optional. Many Partners apply first, get accepted, then think for a week about who to introduce.
Will I be added to a mailing list? No. Applications flow into the Partner CRM only, not the general newsletter. If you want the ICG newsletter you subscribe separately.
What if I am rejected? Rare, and every rejection comes with a reason and a suggested path back. Re-application is welcome after the flagged issue is resolved.
Within 24 hours of acceptance, a five-file bundle lands in your email and WhatsApp
The Welcome Kit is deliberately compact. You get five files, not fifty. Nothing is gated or drip-fed. On day two of your Partner journey, you have everything you need to have a credible first conversation with a healthcare decision-maker about ICG — the language, the pricing, the case history, and the contract you are underwriting.
1. Programme Overview PDF (4 pages)
The whole of Partner Connect — earnings, checks, payment cycle, exit clause — on a single reference sheet. This is the document you send when someone asks "what is this thing you are enrolled in?"
2. Partner Connect MoU (2 pages)
The signable Memorandum. Party details, earnings clauses, validation checks, payment cycle (7th), TDS clause, exit clause (30 days), jurisdiction (Delhi/NCT). Clause-numbered for easy reference.
3. Redacted case-study library (12 cases)
Anonymised outcomes across IVF, dental, dermatology, aesthetic, hospital, pharma, diagnostic lab and medical tourism. Clinical and commercial results preserved; client names masked.
4. ICG Service & Pricing sheet
Published pricing for SEO Foundation / Growth / Scale, Google Ads retainers, Meta Ads retainers, YouTube (YODA), ReputationShield, PatientPulse and DoctorBrand. Use it in your first message.
5. WhatsApp Introduction Script (90 seconds)
A copy-and-adapt script for the warm handoff. Written so the prospect immediately understands what is happening and who will call, and gives clean consent.
The Welcome Kit is the same for a Centre Manager in Kanpur and a hospital business head in Gurugram. There is no differentiated tier and no premium bundle. Every Partner is on equal footing — the MoU, the pricing, the case studies and the payment mechanics are identical for everyone in the programme.
Two pages, ten clauses, zero renegotiation. The MoU is the binding contract.
The Partner Connect Memorandum of Understanding is intentionally short. Two pages. Ten numbered clauses. Written in plain English with no defined-term glossary at the back. If a clause is not clear at first reading, we have failed. The current version has been read and signed by clinic administrators, hospital business heads, medical practice consultants and device sales reps — nobody has yet asked for legal review beyond a courtesy skim, because there is nothing hidden inside it.
The ten clauses in one paragraph each
You (Partner, individually named) and Ichelon Consulting Group Private Limited, registered in Delhi.
A Partner introduces qualified healthcare buyers to ICG. ICG pays a Finder's Fee and a Partner Share against retainers that close and stay.
15% of the Month 1 retainer, paid within 30 days of Month 1 invoice clearance.
5% of every retainer invoice cleared thereafter, every month, for the full life of ICG's engagement with that specific client. No 12-month cap.
Every introduction must pass 4 checks: decision-maker, real requirement, new to ICG, warm and consenting.
All Partner disbursements batched and released on the 7th of every month by bank transfer (NEFT/IMPS/RTGS) or UPI.
GST invoice route for registered Partners. TDS at 10% under section 194J deducted at source. Form 16A issued annually.
Both parties keep client identities and retainer values confidential except where required by law or the Partner's tax return.
Either party can exit with 30 days written notice. Partner Share on introductions already closed continues for the life of each retainer even after exit.
Delhi / NCT courts. Governing law: Indian Contract Act, 1872 and applicable amendments.
The MoU is not negotiable per Partner. If it were, it would create a two-tier programme and dilute the trust that makes Partner Connect work. Every Partner gets identical terms. The document is signed digitally (DocuSign, PandaDoc) or as a scanned copy over WhatsApp. From ICG's side, Rohit signs. From your side, you sign. Both signatures are captured in the Partner CRM. From that point, your private introduction URL is unlocked.
Read the MoU before signing. The full PDF is at ichelonconsulting.com/partner-connect/mou. Print it, mark it up, WhatsApp Rohit with questions. Nothing about the signature is designed to catch you out.
The single most important step. Get this right and everything downstream is easy.
Partner Connect earnings are back-loaded — nothing pays until an introduction becomes a signed retainer. That means the quality of the prospect you identify is the biggest driver of your total earnings across the programme. Two well-chosen introductions per year comfortably beat twenty poorly chosen ones. This step is where most of the thinking should happen.
The 4-question filter every prospect should pass in your head
Can they sign a ₹50,000-6,00,000 per month retainer without needing a boss to approve it? If no, this is a lead, not an introduction. Wait until you can access the person who signs.
Not "they might want marketing help someday" — a defined complaint: patient volume is falling, cost per lead has doubled, a competitor just outranked them, a new location has no demand pipeline, a pharma brand is being launched with 90 days to build awareness.
You can WhatsApp Rohit or the Partner team a name before you submit — we'll tell you within 24 hours whether the prospect is already tracked in our CRM. Duplicate introductions are closed at intake, so it saves time to check before you invest the warm handoff.
They should have said yes to ICG calling before you submit. Not "yes I might be interested one day" — a clear "yes, they can call me this week." This is the single biggest close-rate lever. Cold introductions convert at under 3%. Consenting introductions convert at roughly 20%.
If you cannot picture yourself picking up the phone to this person and getting through — with them recognising your voice and being willing to talk marketing for 5 minutes — they are not ready yet. Wait a month. Warm them up. Then submit.
One WhatsApp message. One clean submission. Then hand-off to ICG.
The warm handoff is where most Partner conversions are won or lost. If the prospect knows you, trusts you, and knows ICG is calling because you asked, the close rate jumps. If the prospect gets a cold call from ICG saying "your friend Rakesh gave us your number" without any prior heads-up, the conversation stalls. The Welcome Kit includes a 90-second WhatsApp script — the recommended version is below in plain form so you can see exactly what a good handoff looks like.
"Hi Dr Sharma, hope things are good at the clinic. Small heads-up — I have been watching Ichelon Consulting Group run healthcare-only marketing for a couple of years now and they have produced real patient-volume outcomes across dental and derm clinics like yours. I mentioned your name to their Business & Growth Lead, Rohit. Would it be okay if they called you this week? No commitment, they will just diagnose and share what a fair fix might look like. Say the word if this is a good week, or a bad one and I will pause it."
What makes this message work: it names ICG explicitly (no bait-and-switch), it references your existing observation (not a testimonial), it asks for permission rather than assuming it, and it gives the prospect an easy out. The scripts that fail do one of three things: (1) hide who is calling, (2) over-sell the outcome, or (3) push for a same-day call without giving the prospect breathing room.
Submitting the introduction — the form
Once you have consent, the introduction form itself takes 90 seconds. Your private URL is ichelonconsulting.com/partner-connect/introduce — access is gated behind your MoU signature. The form asks for:
- Prospect full name and role
- Organisation name (clinic / hospital / chain / pharma brand / diagnostic lab)
- City
- Prospect mobile and email
- Marketing pain area (dropdown: patient acquisition / ad efficiency / brand launch / reputation repair / YouTube presence / other)
- Best time window for ICG to call
- Your comment (free text, optional — anything ICG should know before the call)
- 4 validation checkboxes — decision-maker, real requirement, new to ICG (best-effort), warm and consenting
The instant you submit, a WhatsApp alert reaches Rohit and the BD team. The CRM duplicate check runs in seconds. If the prospect is already tracked, you get a WhatsApp reply within 24 hours explaining the status of the pre-existing conversation and the introduction is closed at intake. If new, the Co-Founder assigned to the call reaches out to the prospect within 24 hours.
A Co-Founder runs the sale. You are updated at every stage.
The first serious call is taken by a Co-Founder, not a BDR. This is a deliberate structural choice. Healthcare buyers ask specialty-specific questions on the first call — "will SEO work for a single-doctor spine surgery practice in Pune", "what does patient CAC look like for a Tier-2 IVF centre", "how do I get a hospital OP volume back after a competitor opened next door" — and the only person who can give a credible answer is someone who has personally built the answer. Abhash Kumar (Delivery), Deep Das (Growth) or Rohit Gupta (Business & Growth) takes the call, matched by specialty.
The typical 4-stage close cycle
Stage 1 · Discovery call
Co-Founder calls the prospect. 30-45 minutes. Diagnoses the marketing situation, asks about current spend, historical results, competitor landscape.
Stage 2 · Proposal
A written proposal with productised pricing lands in the prospect's inbox. If SEO Foundation/Growth/Scale fits, they pick a tier. If custom, ICG builds a scope.
Stage 3 · Negotiation
Contract terms, kick-off timeline, reporting cadence. Most deals close in this window. Hospital and chain deals sometimes extend to day 45 because of procurement cycles.
Stage 4 · Signature & Month 1
MSA + first monthly SoW signed. Month 1 invoice raised. Once Month 1 clears, the Finder's Fee clock starts and payout follows within 30 days.
Your visibility during the close
You are not left in the dark. Between submission and close, you receive at least three WhatsApp updates: (1) confirmation the discovery call happened and the tone was positive/neutral/cool, (2) confirmation the proposal has landed and the prospect is reviewing, (3) either "signed" or "closed-lost with reason". If the deal stalls beyond 45 days, you get a longer update explaining why. Nothing is closed or lost behind your back.
Two structural reasons. One, a Partner introduction has already passed the 4 validation checks — the prospect is decision-maker, has real pain, is new to us, and knows we are calling. Two, a Co-Founder runs the first call — that removes the "let me ask internally" delay that kills most BDR-led first calls. Combined, the two lift close from a typical cold rate of 3-5% to roughly one in five.
15% of Month 1 retainer, paid within 30 days of Month 1 clearing
The Finder's Fee is the first cash outcome of your introduction. It is a single one-time payment of 15% of the client's Month 1 retainer, paid within 30 days of Month 1 invoice clearance. Because ICG batches Partner disbursements on the 7th of every month, in practice you receive the Finder's Fee on the 7th of the month after Month 1 clears — that is 30-45 days from Month 1 in most cases, and never longer than 30 days from Month 1 clearance.
Worked example — a ₹75,000 dental clinic retainer
Day 0 — you submit the introduction.
Day 21 — the clinic signs a ₹75,000/month retainer with ICG.
Day 51 (Month 1 close) — Month 1 invoice of ₹75,000 clears to ICG.
Day 60 (next 7th) — Finder's Fee of ₹11,250 lands in your bank account. Payment reference includes the client's coded name and your introduction ID.
Day 90 (Month 2 close) — the ₹75,000 Month 2 invoice clears.
Day 97 (7th of following month) — first Partner Share of ₹3,750 lands.
Every 7th thereafter — ₹3,750 lands, for as long as the retainer runs.
Payment mechanics
- Bank transfer — NEFT, IMPS or RTGS. Account details captured at Welcome Kit stage.
- UPI — if you prefer UPI, a VPA is captured and used for disbursements under ₹1,00,000. Above that, bank transfer only.
- GST — if you are GST-registered, you raise a tax invoice on the disbursement amount plus applicable GST and ICG settles against invoice. If not registered, the gross is paid less 10% TDS under section 194J.
- TDS — always deducted at source for non-registered Partners. Form 16A issued annually.
- Payment reference — every disbursement carries a reference of the format "ICG-PC-[Partner ID]-[Client code]-[Month]" so your bank statement is fully auditable.
If a Finder's Fee is delayed past 45 days from Month 1 clearance for any reason, you get a written explanation with a revised date. In the 12 months the current programme has been running, no Finder's Fee has ever missed the 45-day mark.
5% of every retainer invoice cleared, every month, for the full life of the retainer
The Partner Share is the compounding side of Partner Connect. Where the Finder's Fee is a single Month 1 outcome, the Partner Share is a monthly tail that keeps landing for as long as the introduced client stays on an ICG retainer. There is no 12-month cap and no fixed end date. If the client stays 24 months you receive 24 months of Partner Share. If they stay 60 months you receive 60 months. This is written into clause 4 of the Partner Connect MoU and is one of the two clauses ICG will never negotiate downwards.
What the Partner Share is calculated on
5% of the retainer invoice actually raised and cleared in that month. Not projected. Not committed. Cleared. If a client pauses (zero invoice), the Partner Share for that month is zero. When they resume, Partner Share resumes on the new invoice value. If they upgrade — say from a ₹75,000 SEO retainer to a ₹1,50,000 SEO + Ads combined retainer — Partner Share moves up to 5% of ₹1,50,000 = ₹7,500 from the upgrade month onwards. If they downgrade, Partner Share moves down. There is no floor and no ceiling; the calculation is transparent and matches what ICG itself invoices.
Compounding scenarios you should think about
Two things to notice. First, at every retainer size, Partner Share outweighs the Finder's Fee within the first 4-6 months and keeps compounding. Second, the difference between a 24-month client and a 60-month client is not linear — it is 3-5x depending on tier. That is why ICG's retention data matters to you as a Partner: our average client tenure of 18 months means most introductions will run well past the 24-month projection, and a small number will cross the 5-year mark.
See the earnings math in more detail. Full scenarios, tax mechanics and a live calculator are on the dedicated earnings page.
You have read the 8 steps. Apply, get your Welcome Kit within 24 hours, and start earning on your first close.
The application takes 3 minutes. Rohit reads every one personally. If you have a real network of healthcare decision-makers at organisations you do NOT work at, Partner Connect will pay you properly for the introductions you already make informally.
Apply now → WhatsApp Partner Team →More on Partner Connect
Partner Connect hub
The programme summary — who joins, what you earn, why introductions close at 20%.
Earnings scenarios & math
Six real-world retainer sizes, GST + TDS mechanics, tax planning tips.
40+ Partner FAQ
Every question we have been asked, grouped by topic.
Apply now
The 3-minute application. Rohit reviews personally within 24 hours.
