How partner attribution works
Every partner claim starts with a record: a referral form, a deal registration, a tracked link click or a promo code. The record names the partner and has a timestamp. When the opportunity closes, the company checks the record against its CRM and assigns credit.
Credit usually comes in two kinds. Partner-sourced revenue comes from deals a partner created. Partner-influenced revenue comes from deals someone else created where a partner helped close. Sourced credit usually earns the full fee. Influenced credit earns less or nothing, depending on the program.
Tracking methods by partner type
- Affiliates: tracked links with a cookie window, often last click within 30 to 90 days
- Referral partners: a referral form or tracked link, checked against the CRM
- Resellers and solution partners: deal registration and orders
Why it matters
Attribution decides two things: who gets paid, and what the program can claim it produced. Loose rules lead to paying twice for one customer, partners fighting over credit, and revenue numbers leadership does not trust. Clear rules, written into your rules of engagement, settle most channel conflict from the record.
Example
Fjord Analytics receives a referral from Brightline Agency on February 4 for Atlas Logistics. No opportunity exists for Atlas in the CRM, so the referral is approved and marked sourced.
On March 1, Atlas's IT lead clicks an affiliate's link and starts a trial. Fjord's precedence rule says an approved referral beats an affiliate cookie, so the affiliate earns nothing on this account.
In April, Cobalt Consulting joins a technical call and helps scope the rollout. Atlas signs a $30,000 annual contract on May 15. Brightline earns its 15% sourced fee of $4,500. Cobalt is recorded as the influencing partner and receives the program's fixed $500 influence payment. The deal counts once, as partner-sourced, in Fjord's revenue report.