A customer is not a referral partner. A donor is not a volunteer. A buyer is not a seller. When every contact is treated the same way, the context that makes each one useful gets flattened out.
The structure is yours to define, which is why the record looks nothing alike from one industry to the next.
One system, one contact record. Open anything below and keep going from there.
When you understand the role and context of each relationship, you can write more relevant communication, organize work more effectively, and guide people through the right next steps.