- Referral program
- A standing offer from a business that rewards people for sending it new customers.
- Referrer
- The person who recommends a business to someone else, usually a past customer, friend or partner.
- Referral reward
- What the business gives the referrer when a referral meets the offer's condition, such as cash, a credit or a gift.
- Fixed reward
- A reward set as one dollar amount per qualifying referral, rather than a percentage of the job.
- Two-sided reward
- An offer that rewards both the referrer and the new customer, for example cash for the referrer and a discount for the friend.
- Referral link
- A web address that sends someone to a business's referral page or offer.
- Personal referral link
- A referral link unique to one referrer, so each referral it brings in is credited to that person.
- Referral page
- A web page that explains a business's referral offer and lets someone submit a referral or contact the business.
- Closed job
- A referral that has turned into paid work. Many programs owe the reward only at this point.
- Reward owed
- A reward the business has agreed to pay because the referral met the offer's condition, but has not paid yet.
- Reward paid
- A reward the business has paid to the referrer and recorded as paid.
- Attribution
- Working out which referrer, link or ask a new lead came from, so the right person gets credit.
- Last-click attribution
- An attribution rule that credits the last link a person used before contacting the business.
- Ask
- A message or conversation in which a business asks a customer to refer someone.
- Job done ask
- A referral ask sent when a job is marked finished, often paired with a request for a review.
- Reactivation campaign
- An email or message sent to past customers who have not booked in a while, inviting them back.
- Review request
- A message asking a customer to leave a public review, such as on Google.
- Print pack
- Printable materials that carry a referral link or QR code, such as yard signs, door hangers and invoice inserts.
- Referral network
- A group of businesses and people who send each other referrals, sometimes through a shared directory.
- Partner program
- An arrangement that rewards other businesses or professionals for referring customers or signups, often with its own terms.
Referral marketing glossary
By Karm Sandhu, Founder of Revvin
Last updated October 30, 2026
This glossary defines the twenty terms that come up most when a service business runs a referral program, from the basics, such as referrer and referral reward, to tracking terms such as attribution. Each definition is one or two sentences, with a link you can share to that term.
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