Build a Referral Tree

Overview

The Referral Tree gives you a visual way to see who referred whom in your database. It’s especially helpful for businesses that grow through word-of-mouth or rely on referral marketing. With just a few clicks, you can trace referrals across multiple levels, identify your top referral sources, and reward the contacts helping your business grow.

How It Works

Each time you assign a contact as the Referrer of another contact, the system builds a branching, tree-style view of referral relationships. Over time, this forms a clear picture of how your client base is connected through referrals.

You can use this information to:

• Identify and thank your best referrers
• Understand referral patterns

Incentivize and grow your referral program

Referral Tree: Video

How to Add a Referrer

1. Go to the Contact Record

• Open the contact who was referred.

2. Click Edit Contact

• In the contact record, click Edit to modify their details

3. Assign the Referrer

• In the Referred By field, choose the referring contact from your database

4. Save the Contact

• The referral link is saved and automatically added to the Referral Tree.

Note: The referrer must already be in your database. If they’re not, add them first.

How to View the Referral Tree

1. Go to Reports > Referral Tree

You’ll see a visual map of referrals with branches showing how contacts are connected.

2. Click to Explore

Click any contact in the tree to view their full record or expand deeper referral branches.

3. Track Referral Activity

Use this view to track referral chains, spot top referrers, or investigate inactive branches.

Tips for Using the Referral Tree Effectively

• Use Tags or Custom Fields to track rewards or referral statuses (e.g., "Gift Sent", "Pending Reward").
• Use Advanced Search to find everyone referred by a specific person.
• Combine the Referral Tree with Workflows to automate thank-you emails or rewards when a contact hits a referral milestone.

Questions and Answers

Q: What if I forget to add a referrer? Can I do it later?

A: Yes. You can update the Referred By field at any time in the contact record.

Q: Can I see how many referrals someone has made?

A: Yes. The Referral Tree shows each contact's referral branches. You can also run a referral report to view totals in list form.

Q: Can I assign more than one referrer to a contact?

A: No. Each contact can have only one referrer assigned.

Q: Will the Referral Tree show people who referred themselves?

A: If the Referred By field is blank or points to the same person, that contact will not create a valid referral chain.

_{Video Transcript}

_{With the Referral Tree, you’ll be able to see all of your referrals in an easy to understand format. You’ll find the Referral Tree here in Reports. Here’s how the Referral Tree works. Everyone who has referred clients to you will be listed here on the left. Here’s a simple example where Joseph has referred Katie to you. In this example, we see that Brenda referred Michael to you, then Michael referred Matt and Matt referred Rebecca. Building your database by referral is a powerful concept. Here’s an example where Connie just referred one person to you… But look what Christina has done for your business.  The Referral Tree is built automatically, when you’re contacts in the system, select the person in your database who referred this contact to you. By the way, by typing the first letter of the referring contact’s name, you can then jump right to that section. That’s all you have to do. The system will do the rest and keep your Referral Tree up to date.}