How to prove you made a referral, and what to do if credit is disputed

To prove a referral, keep dated written records showing you introduced the company first: the owner's written permission, the introduction email or referral-link application, and a same-week recap of any in-person introduction. At SourceX, credit goes to the first valid referrer whose introduction leads to a verified application within the attribution window, and the signed terms decide disputes.

The short answer: dated, written and first

Proof of a referral is a dated written record that ties you to the introduction before anyone else. For SourceX, the strongest records are the company's application through your referral link or your submission through the referral form, backed by the owner's written permission and the introduction email itself. Credit goes to the first valid referrer whose introduction leads to a verified company application within the attribution window, so what you need to show is timing and validity, not effort.

Two things carry little weight on their own: having known the owner longest, and having mentioned SourceX in conversation without leaving any written trace.

What counts as evidence of a referral

Rank your records by how independently they show the date and the parties involved.

Record	What it shows	How to keep it	Weight on its own
Application through your referral link	The company applied with your referral code attached	Held by SourceX; note the date in your log	Strong
Referral form submission	You submitted the company to SourceX	Held by SourceX; note the date in your log	Strong
Owner's written permission	You had consent to share the company's name	Save the original email or message as a PDF	Supports validity
Introduction email with both parties copied	Date, sender and recipients of the introduction	Save the original with full headers, not a forward	Strong supporting record
Same-week recap of an in-person or phone introduction	Who met, when, and what was agreed	Email it to the owner and keep your sent copy	Supporting
Calendar invitation for the introduction call	That a meeting was scheduled	Save it with the date visible	Weak alone
Your own CRM or notebook entry	Your account of events	Keep it, but pair it with an external record	Weak alone

Before you introduce anyone

A referral is easiest to prove when the record exists from the first conversation. Have these in place first:

You have registered as a partner, so your referral link and the referral form are ready before you raise SourceX.
You know the company's legal name and which entity holds its records.
The owner, or an executive with authority, has agreed to be introduced.
You have asked the owner whether anyone else has already raised SourceX with them.
You have read the attribution and payout sections of the program terms.
You keep one folder or log for referral records, separate from client working files.

How to create a referral record that holds up

Register before the conversation, not after. If you introduce first and register later, you lose the cleanest record: an application carrying your code.
Get permission in writing. A one-line reply such as "Yes, please introduce us" is enough. Save it as a PDF.
Introduce through a channel SourceX records. Send the owner your referral link, or submit the company through the referral form on the day permission arrives. The introduction email builder drafts an email that carries the link.
Confirm spoken introductions in writing the same week. If you raised SourceX at a dinner, on a call or after a board meeting, send the owner a short recap and keep your sent copy.
Ask the company to apply through your link. An application that never arrives creates no credit; a verified application within the attribution window does. One polite reminder after a week or two is reasonable.
Log each referral on one line. Record the date, legal name, contact, route and evidence file names, then update the status as it moves.
Never re-introduce through a second channel. Sending the same company through both the form and the link, or asking a colleague to introduce it as well, creates duplicate records and blurs the timeline.

A recap for an introduction made in person can be this short:

Keep a one-line referral log

A log turns scattered emails into a timeline you can hand over in minutes. One row per company is enough.

Date	Company legal name	Contact and title	Route	Evidence files	Status
{permission date}	{legal entity}	{name, title}	Referral link	{permission.pdf, intro-email.pdf}	{applied, in review, closed}
{permission date}	{legal entity}	{name, title}	Referral form	{permission.pdf, recap.pdf}	{status}

If the company later changes its name or is bought, keep the row under the original legal name and read whether referral credit survives an acquisition.

What never belongs in your evidence file

Your evidence is about the introduction, never about the company's data. Do not save or forward financial statements, customer lists, system exports, screenshots of the company's tools or samples of its records to strengthen a claim. Partners never export, upload or describe confidential records, and a credit claim does not need them. If an owner sends you material like that, delete it or send it back, and point them to SourceX's own data inventory process.

How to resolve a credit dispute calmly

If SourceX tells you another partner holds the credit, or you believe a company you introduced was attributed elsewhere, work through it in this order:

Re-read the rule. Credit goes to the first valid referrer whose introduction leads to a verified company application within the attribution window. Test each word against your records: first, valid, verified, within the window.
Build a one-page timeline. List dates only: permission, introduction, application and any follow-up, with the supporting files attached.
Raise it with SourceX, not the company. Send the timeline through the contact page and ask how attribution was decided.
Leave the company out of it. Asking an owner to name you as their introducer puts them in the middle of a dispute they did not create, and it cannot change what was recorded and when.
Accept the outcome under the terms. The signed partner agreement and the published program terms decide. If they favor the other referrer, a clean exit protects your next introduction.
Fix the cause. Look for the usual suspects: a late registration, a spoken introduction never confirmed in writing, or two people at the same firm introducing the same company.

When both claimants work at the same firm, the question is internal. Settle who submits before anyone does, and if your firm has no house rule, see how to set a referral fee policy for your advisory firm.

Common mistakes that cost referral credit

Mistake	Why it hurts	Fix
Registering after the introduction	The first recorded introduction may not carry your code	Register before you raise SourceX with anyone
Relying on a conversation at an event	Nothing dated ties you to it	Send a written recap the same week
Keeping only a forwarded copy of the introduction	Forwards can obscure the original date and recipients	Save the original message as a PDF with headers
Submitting the form and also sending the link	Two records for one company confuse the timeline	Choose one route per company
Treating a newsletter click or CRM touch as proof	Marketing attribution is not contractual credit	Keep the two separate
Storing the company's files as evidence	Creates confidentiality risk and proves nothing about timing	Keep only records of the introduction
Pressing the owner to take sides	Damages the relationship you need for future work	Raise disputes only with SourceX

The difference between a tracked touchpoint and a contractual claim is covered in separating marketing attribution from contractual referral credit.

Example: two advisers, one company (Illustrative)

Illustrative and fictional. Cedar Plains Freight, a logistics company with 160 full-time employees, works with a fractional CFO, Dana, and an IT managed service provider run by Luis. Both think the company could license its records.

When	Dana (fractional CFO)	Luis (MSP owner)
Week 1	Mentions SourceX to the CEO over lunch; sends nothing in writing	No action yet
Week 2, Tuesday	No action	Registers, gets the CEO's written permission, emails the referral link
Week 2, Thursday	No action	The CEO applies through Luis's link
Week 3	Registers and submits the company through the referral form	No action

Dana spoke first, but nothing dated records it, and her form submission arrived after an application already carried Luis's code. Under the first-valid-referrer rule, the credit would most likely sit with Luis, subject to the terms. Dana's fix was simple: register before the lunch and send her link in a same-week recap.

Proof secures credit, not payment

Proving the referral settles who is credited; it does not make anything payable. Partners earn 25% of the eligible platform fees SourceX actually collects from the referred company's licensing deals, capped at $100,000 per referred company, and the reward becomes payable only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee. Rewards are not guaranteed, even when credit is undisputed. The stages between introduction and payment are laid out in how it works.

Next step

Register as a partner before your next conversation, so every introduction starts with a dated record, and open your referral log the same day.

Step 1Share your linkSend your personal link to a company you know.
Step 2Company appliesThe company applies itself at /apply.
Step 3Buyer selects and paysThe buyer selects and pays for the data and SourceX receives its fee.
Step 4You get your rewardYour share of SourceX fees becomes payable.

Common questions

Is a forwarded email enough to prove I made an introduction?

It helps, but a forward can strip or obscure the original date and recipients. Keep the original message, saved as a PDF with full headers, alongside the owner's written permission. The strongest record for SourceX remains the company's application through your referral link or your referral form submission, because those tie the introduction to you directly.

What if I introduced the company in person and wrote nothing down?

Send the owner a short written recap now, stating when you met and that you introduced SourceX, and ask them to apply through your referral link. A late note carries less weight than a same-week one, and if another partner's introduction has already led to a verified application, the attribution rule will still favor the first valid referrer.

Can the company simply tell SourceX who referred them?

The company can mention it, but credit is decided under the attribution rule and the program terms, not by asking the company to choose. The cleanest way for an owner to credit you is to apply through your referral link, which carries your referral code. Avoid asking an owner to step into a disagreement between partners.

How long should I keep referral records?

Keep them at least until any reward for that company has been paid, and longer if further deals with that company are possible. Rewards become payable only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee, which comes well after the introduction. Store only records of the introduction itself, never the company's data or documents.

Does proving the referral mean I will be paid?

No. Proof secures attribution; payment depends on the deal. The reward becomes payable only after the company licenses its data, the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee. A lead, a meeting or a signed agreement alone does not trigger payment, and rewards are not guaranteed, even for a referral whose credit nobody disputes.

What if a colleague at my firm introduced the same company?

Decide inside your firm who submits before anyone does, because SourceX credits one referrer under its terms. A written firm policy that says who owns an introduction and how any reward is treated prevents most of these clashes. If both of you have already submitted, tell SourceX promptly and settle any internal split under your firm's own policy.

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By SourceX Partnerships Team · Published 2026-10-09 · Updated 2026-10-09

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