This timeline is part of how the SourceX referral link works. Here the subject is the evidence itself: what each record proves, in date order, and how to keep a file that survives review.
What the terms count, and what a click counts
The program terms set the rule: the first valid introduction within the 90-day attribution window gets credit, credited when the company submits a verified application; one partner per company; duplicates are reviewed. The rewards page summarizes the same rule.
A referral link does two useful things. It tags the application form with a partner, and it logs that someone opened a page. Neither is the rule. The link is a tracking tool that usually agrees with the rule, which is why using it in a one-to-one introduction is recommended. Disagreement happens when the two point to different people, for example when an owner was introduced in writing by one partner and later applied through another partner's public post. For the distinction between marketing touches and contractual credit, see separating marketing attribution from contractual referral credit.
A dated evidence timeline for one introduction (Illustrative)
Fictional, invented for this page: one partner, a 240-person regional freight broker, and a second partner whose public post the owner later clicks. Days count from the agreement signature.
| Day | Event | Record it leaves | What it proves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Partner signs the Channel Partner Agreement | Signed agreement with date | The partner was eligible to submit from this day |
| 6 | Call with the freight broker's CEO, who agrees to be introduced | Partner's call note | Opt-in, but only the partner's own account |
| 6 | Email to the CEO and SourceX, introducing them, with the partner's link | Sent email with Date header, recipients and text | A written introduction to an authorized contact, and when |
| 7 | Partner submits the introduction in the portal | Portal timestamp | That the partner claimed the company on that date |
| 19 | CEO clicks a second partner's link in a newsletter and leaves | Click log on the second link | That someone opened that page |
| 38 | Company applies through the second partner's link | Application tagged to the second link | Which form the application came through |
| 41 | SourceX verifies the application | Verified application record | The event at which credit is recorded |
| 41 onward | Two claims for one company identified | Duplicate review | A decision under the terms, not before |
Read the right-hand column. The application is tagged to the second partner, but the earliest dated, written introduction to an authorized contact came on day 6 from the first. That is the evidence duplicate review will weigh. This page does not predict the outcome, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can set different terms. The attribution window answer explains the 90 days.
Why the email carries weight: under the Internet Message Format standard, every email must carry an origination date, the Date header, which records when the sender marked the message complete and ready to send. Together with the recipients and the text, it fixes who introduced whom and when, without anyone's memory.
Three disagreement patterns and the stronger evidence
| Pattern | Evidence on one side | Evidence on the other | Usually the stronger evidence of a valid introduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written intro first, link click later | Dated email to the CEO with opt-in | Later click and tagged application | The dated written introduction |
| Link click first, written intro later | Earlier click on a public post, no contact | Later dated email to the CEO with opt-in | The written introduction, since a click introduces no one |
| Two written intros | Email to a junior manager on day 3 | Email to the CEO with opt-in on day 10 | Weighed in review; authority and opt-in matter as well as date |
"Usually" is deliberate. Duplicate review applies the terms to the facts of each case. What the table shows is which records describe an introduction at all, and which only describe a visit. First valid referrer vs last touch compares the two rule types, and how attribution works across the website and partner portal shows where each record is created.
Keeping an evidence file that survives duplicate review
Keep five items per company, and nothing more:
- The signed partner agreement, with its date. It must come before any submission.
- The sent introduction email, unedited, with headers. Address the authorized contact, record their opt-in in the text ("as we discussed, introducing you"), and include your own link so the tracking and the written record point the same way.
- The portal submission, made the same day or the next.
- A one-line note of the opt-in conversation: date, who, what they agreed to.
- Nothing from the client. No client records, attachments or exports. If SourceX asks for evidence during review, send the introduction itself: date, sender, recipients and text.
The pattern is described step by step in using a referral link in a one-to-one business conversation.
What still has to happen before any reward
Credit attaches one partner to one company. It does not make a reward payable; creating a link does not make an introduction eligible on its own either. The company must qualify: 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), documented operating history, rights to license and an authorized contact. Companies in the U.S., Canada and the EU qualify, as do companies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, Latin America, the UAE and Saudi Arabia when at least 90% of the data is in English. A reward becomes payable after SourceX has paid the referred company under its signed agreement and the payout conditions in the program terms are met, including finance approval and your tax and payment details.
Next step
Refer a company. Earn up to $100,000. Default reward: 25% of Actual Supplier Payout, capped at $100,000 cumulatively per referred company. Eligibility and payment conditions apply, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can differ. A lead, meeting or signature alone does not trigger payment.
Sign the partner agreement before you introduce anyone, so the dated written introduction can be submitted the same day: register as a partner, confirm the company against who qualifies and read the attribution section of the program terms.