18.3 Managing Your Referral Partners (Affiliates)

This section covers adding, organizing, and managing the individual people or businesses participating in your referral programs.

Accessing:

Go to Affiliate Manager → Affiliates tab. This displays a list of all your added referral partners. You can typically see their name, email, status (Active/Inactive/Pending), potentially some performance stats (Clicks, Leads, Customers attributed via tracking), and which Campaigns they are assigned to.

Adding Referral Partners:

There are several ways to add partners to your program:

  • Manual Add:
    1. Click the + Add Affiliate button.
    2. Enter the partner's Name and Email Address.
    3. Assign them to one or more specific Campaigns using the dropdown/checkboxes.
    4. Set their Status to Active.
    5. Optionally add Company name or Phone number.
    6. Click Add.
    7. Result: The partner is added to the system and assigned to the selected campaign(s). They will typically receive the Affiliate Welcome Email (configured in Settings) containing instructions and potentially their login details for the Partner Portal. This method is good for adding specific known partners like referring agents, key vendors, or select past clients individually.
  • CSV Upload:
    1. Look for an Import Affiliates button or option.
    2. Download the sample CSV file format provided.
    3. Prepare your spreadsheet with columns like Name, Email, and potentially the Campaign ID or Campaign Name they should be assigned to.
    4. Upload the formatted CSV file.
    5. Map the fields.
    6. Confirm the import.
    7. Result: Adds multiple affiliates at once. They typically receive the welcome email. Useful for inviting a list of past clients or contacts to join a specific referral campaign.
  • Import from Contacts:
    • Some versions might offer an option to directly convert existing Contacts (e.g., filter your main Contacts list by the Past Client tag) into affiliates. Look for an "Add as Affiliate" bulk action or similar functionality. You would then assign them to the appropriate campaign(s).
  • Via Workflow Action:
    • Use the Add to Affiliate Manager action within a Workflow.
    • Example Trigger: Opportunity Status Changed to Won.
    • Example Action: Add to Affiliate Manager → Assign the Contact associated with the trigger to the "Past Client Referral Program" Campaign. This automatically enrolls clients into your referral program after they close.
  • Public Signup Form:
    • If you enabled Enable Affiliate Signup in the Affiliate Manager Settings (See 18.1), share the provided Affiliate Signup Link (e.g., on your website).
    • Potential partners fill out the form and agree to your terms.
    • Their applications appear in the Affiliates tab with a status of Pending.
    • You need to manually review these pending applications (check their details, ensure they are a good fit).
    • Click Approve or Decline for each pending application. Approved partners become Active and receive the welcome email.

Managing Individual Partners:

  • Click on a partner's name in the Affiliates list to view their individual details page or profile.
  • From here, you can typically:
    • Edit Details: Update their Name, Email, or change their Status (Active / Inactive). Inactivating prevents them from earning new commissions but retains their history.
    • Manage Campaigns: See which campaigns they are currently assigned to. Add them to additional campaigns or remove them from existing ones.
    • View Performance Stats: See their individual stats for tracked Clicks, Leads, Customers, and generated Commissions.
    • Record Payout Method: Add notes about their preferred payout method (e.g., PayPal email, mailing address for check) for your reference when processing manual payments.
    • View Sub-Affiliates: If you are using the 2nd Tier commission structure, view any other affiliates they have successfully recruited.
    • Delete: Permanently remove the affiliate partner from the system. Use cautiously, as this may erase historical data. Inactivating is often safer.