In kitchen and bath design, that might mean understanding whether the homeowner actually had a project.
What were they considering?
Were they replacing cabinets or contemplating an entire remodel?
Did they have measurements?
Were they working with a contractor?
Were they at the beginning of the process or ready to make decisions?
The same principle applies in other professional services.
Before introducing two people, understand enough to know why the introduction makes sense.
That preparation does two things.
It gives the person receiving the referral a better starting point.
And it saves the prospective client from having to begin the story all over again.
A referral becomes more valuable when the person making it has already reduced some of the uncertainty.