First valid referrer vs last touch: how referral credit is decided

Who gets credit when two people refer the same company?

At SourceX, credit goes to the first valid referrer whose introduction leads to a verified company application within the attribution window. It is a first-valid-referrer rule, not last touch. Whoever merely appeared last in the conversation does not take over credit, and the window itself is set in the signed agreement and the program terms.

The rest of this page puts that rule next to the other rules programs use, so you can see what you are signing up for and why a long-cycle introduction needs it.

What attribution rules do referral programs use?

Programs built around browser clicks tend to favor last touch because a click is easy to timestamp. That logic breaks when the conversion is a conversation with an owner or CFO weeks before any application exists.

What makes an introduction valid?

"Valid" is the part that matters. Under SourceX's approach, an introduction counts when it is a real one: you reached an authorized decision maker at a US company, the introduction is recorded (referral link or referral form), and the company then completes a verified application inside the window. The exact conditions are in the terms and your agreement; read those rather than relying on this summary.

Things that do not make an introduction valid:

• A name pulled from a list with no contact made.
• Forwarding the program link to a general inbox with no follow-through.
• A company that never applies.
• A company outside the baseline, such as one with fewer than 50 full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded).

How are duplicates handled?

Duplicates are common in a small business world: an owner might hear about the program from a banker, an accountant and a peer group chair.

1. The company applies. The application carries a referral code if a link was used.
2. The rule asks whether an earlier valid introduction exists for that company inside the window.
3. Credit goes to the first valid referrer. Later introductions do not take over.
4. If you believe a record is wrong, contact SourceX with your dated notes.

Because credit is decided by time and validity, the best protection is to introduce early and leave a clean trail. The guide to separating marketing attribution from contractual referral credit shows what to record, and the page on how long attribution windows are explains why long cycles need care.

Which rule is better for the partner?

It depends on what you do.

• A relationship partner who sits with owners, such as a banker or advisor, benefits from first valid referrer. Your early introduction is protected even if the owner later hears about the program from someone else.
• A broadcast referrer who posts a link widely would prefer last touch, but this program is built for personal introductions to decision makers, not broadcast traffic.
• A team of advisors at one firm should agree internally who introduces which company, because the rule credits one valid referrer, not a pool.

How does credit relate to payment?

Credit decides who is entitled. Payment depends on a separate trigger: the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee. Partners earn 25% of the eligible platform fees actually collected from the referred company's licensing deals, capped at $100,000 per referred company. A lead, meeting or signed agreement alone does not trigger payment, and no reward is guaranteed. For that distinction, read paid on signed contract versus paid on collected revenue.

Where does ethics enter?

Credit disputes are less risky than undisclosed fees. If you are a licensed professional, check your own rules on referral fees and disclosure; referral fee versus kickback explains why disclosure matters. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm with your own counsel or professional body.

How involved should you be after the introduction?

Check the terms on what staying involved means for credit. In practice, a light touch helps the company reach an application. See passive referrer versus active co-advisor for the tradeoffs. Partners never handle confidential records either way.

Before you introduce anyone

• The company is a US business with 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded).
• You reached an owner, CEO, CFO or authorized representative.
• You ran the company fit checker or read who qualifies.
• You will introduce through your referral link or the referral form.
• You have a dated note of the introduction.

A worked example

Illustrative, fictional. A regional accounting advisor, a business broker and a peer-group chair each speak to the owner of a 90-person engineering firm in the same quarter. The advisor spoke first and submitted the referral form that week. The broker sent the owner the program link a month later. The chair mentioned it at a meeting.

The owner applies using the broker's link because it was in the inbox. Under a last-touch rule, the broker would get the credit. Under first valid referrer, SourceX looks for an earlier valid introduction in the window; the advisor's recorded referral form comes first, so the advisor is credited, provided the terms' conditions are met. The broker's link does not override it.

The lesson is not to hide your introduction. It is to record it at once, so the record exists when the application arrives.

What to put in your own records

• The date of the first conversation and the role of the person you spoke to
• The date you submitted the referral form or sent your link
• The company name and what you said about the baseline
• Follow-ups sent and replies received
• Anything the company told you about other people who raised the program

Next step

Register as a partner, get your referral link and make the introduction while you are first.