What you need before setting up your first affiliate partner
Before adding your first affiliate partner in TowMarX, two decisions need to be made: who your first partners will be and what commission rate you will offer.\n\nFor first partners, start with the referral relationships you already have informally — the body shop that occasionally sends you customers, the mechanic shop whose owner you know, the property manager who calls you for parking enforcement. Formalizing existing relationships is easier than building new ones and produces immediate results.\n\nFor commission rate, TowMarX defaults to $25.00 per referred booking, which is a competitive starting point for most local markets. You can adjust this up or down based on the volume you expect from a partner and the margin in your jobs. Per-service overrides let you set different rates for different service types — a fuel delivery referral might pay $15 while a heavy tow referral might pay $40.
Adding a partner in TowMarX step by step
Log into your TowMarX dashboard and navigate to the Partners section in the left sidebar. Click Add Partner to open the partner creation form.\n\nEnter the business name — this is the name that appears in your dashboard and on commission records. Enter the contact name, phone, and email for the person at the business who manages the referral relationship.\n\nSet the default payout amount. This is the commission per referred booking. If you want to set different rates for specific service types, click Show per-service payout overrides and configure rates for each service individually.\n\nClick Add Partner. TowMarX automatically generates a unique affiliate code for this partner. The partner URL — which includes the affiliate code — is immediately available to share. Copy it and send it to your partner contact via email or text. See how to set the right commission rates for your partners.
Sharing the affiliate link with partners
The affiliate link is the partner most important tool — it needs to be easy to find and share in their daily workflow.\n\nSend the link via email with clear instructions: this is the link to use when you send a customer to us for towing. Every booking through this link is tracked and earns you a commission. Save it somewhere you can access quickly.\n\nFor partners who will share the link frequently — a busy body shop service desk, a dealership with multiple advisors — consider creating a shortened URL or QR code that is easier to share than the full affiliate URL.\n\nFor property management partners who will use the link to authorize tows, walk through the booking flow with them once so they understand how a tow request is submitted through their link. See how property manager affiliate partnerships work.
Managing payouts and growing the partner network
The TowMarX affiliate partner dashboard shows three key metrics in real time: active partners, total referrals, and pending payouts. Use these metrics to manage the program actively.\n\nPending payouts accumulate as referrals come in. Disburse payouts on a schedule that works for your operation — monthly is most common for partner commissions. Consistent, on-time payouts are the most important factor in keeping partners actively promoting your services.\n\nReview the referral count by partner monthly. Partners with high referral counts deserve recognition and potentially a rate increase. Partners with zero referrals in a month need a check-in — either they have not been using the link, they have a competing relationship, or there is a problem with how the link is being shared.\n\nAdd a new partner every month. The compounding effect of a growing affiliate partner network — each new body shop, mechanic shop, and dealership adding its own referral volume — is the fastest way to build a sustainable call flow that does not depend on advertising. See the complete affiliate network building guide. Start at towmarx.com/starter-kit.