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Run referrals

How to set up your referral program

Give partners shareable referral links and promo codes, invite them to a self-service portal, and let a commission ledger record automatically the moment a referred deal is won — commission tracking, not auto-payout.

Updated July 2026

A referral (or affiliate) program turns happy customers and partners into a channel. In KudosCRM, partners get a shareable /r/ link that drops a first-touch cookie, optional promo codes, and a portal to track their results — and when a referred deal is won, a commission is recorded automatically on a ledger.

This guide covers setting up the program, inviting partners, how attribution and promo codes work, and exactly what the commission ledger does. It's explicit on the boundary that matters most: KudosCRM tracks commission, it does not pay it — automated payouts are on the roadmap.

Who this is for

Partnerships and growth owners standing up a referral or affiliate channel, and finance who'll act on the tracked commissions.

Before you start

  • Your program settings decided — the commission rate per partner and any promo codes you want to offer.
  • Partners to invite (or who'll self-register), with the per-tenant currency set so commissions record correctly.
  • Your deal flow in place, since commission is recorded off a won deal.

Tracked, not auto-paid — and how the rate works

When a referred deal is won, a commission is recorded automatically on a ledger in your per-tenant currency. It's idempotent (a win won't double-record) and anti-self-referral (a partner can't refer their own deal). But the ledger is commission TRACKING only — KudosCRM does not run automated payouts. There's no Stripe, PayPal, or ACH disbursement; you pay partners through your own process and the ledger is your record. One more honest note: partner tiers do NOT drive the commission rate — the rate is set per partner, so a higher tier does not automatically mean a higher rate. Automated payouts are on the roadmap (shown as 'Soon').

Stand up the program

  1. Configure your program settings

    Set up the program — the commission rate (set per partner) and any promo codes. Promo codes can be percent or fixed amount, with usage limits and an expiry date, so you can run time-boxed or capped offers.

  2. Invite partners (or let them self-register)

    Invite partners by email, or let them self-register and verify themselves. Each partner gets access to the partner portal — a separate login from your team's CRM accounts — where they log in, see their links, and track results.

  3. Share referral links

    Each partner gets a shareable /r/ referral link. When someone clicks it, a first-touch cookie attributes that visitor to the partner — so the credit sticks to whoever brought the lead in, even if the deal closes weeks later.

  4. Hand out promo codes (optional)

    Give partners promo codes to share. A code can be a percentage or a fixed amount, capped by a usage limit and an expiry — useful when you want the incentive on the customer's side as well as the partner's.

  5. Let commissions record on a win

    When a referred deal is won, the commission is recorded automatically on the ledger in your per-tenant currency. It's idempotent so a win records once, and anti-self-referral so a partner can't claim their own deal.

  6. Track partners and the ledger

    Watch the program through the portal — partners see their own results and a leaderboard, and you see the commission ledger. Remember this is tracking: you settle payments through your own process, using the ledger as the source of truth.

What you get

  • Shareable /r/ links with first-touch attribution, so credit sticks to the right partner.
  • Promo codes (percent or fixed) with usage limits and expiry.
  • A commission ledger that records automatically on a referred-deal win — idempotent and anti-self-referral.
  • A self-service partner portal with invite, self-register, verify, login, training, and a leaderboard.

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Referrals (feature)

Everything the referral and affiliate program does, on the feature page.

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