Just to clarify, are you suggesting that I offer the client to bill them directly at a lower rate right off the bat? My friend would not receive this well, sin

Just to clarify, are you suggesting that I offer the client to bill them directly at a lower rate right off the bat? My friend would not receive this well, since he would get nothing from the introduction, and he probably not refer me to something similar in the future. Do you think my friend is being unreasonable?