Partnership strategy

Partnership Strategy

Partnership Types

Type	Description	Primary goal
Technology / Integration	Product integrates with partner's platform	Distribution + product value
Reseller / VAR	Partner resells your product to their customers	Revenue + reach
Referral	Partner refers leads, earns commission	Pipeline without sales headcount
Co-sell	Joint selling motion with partner's sales team	Enterprise deals, land-and-expand
OEM / White-label	Partner embeds your product under their brand	Scale, new markets
System Integrator (SI)	Partner implements your product for shared customers	Enterprise deployment, stickiness
Strategic alliance	Deep joint go-to-market, sometimes joint product	Category creation, market share

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Partner Program Tiers

Three-Tier Model

GOLD (Top tier — 5–10% of partners, 50%+ of partner revenue)
  Requirements:
    - Annual partner-sourced or influenced revenue ≥ $X
    - Certified sales + technical staff: ≥ N each
    - Joint business plan: approved and reviewed quarterly
    - Customer satisfaction score ≥ X from partner-managed accounts
  Benefits:
    - Margin / commission: X%
    - Co-marketing budget: $X/year
    - Dedicated partner success manager
    - Early access to product roadmap and beta
    - Joint executive QBRs
    - Featured in partner directory (top placement)
    - Deal registration protection (exclusive for X days)

SILVER (Mid tier — 20–30% of partners)
  Requirements:
    - Annual revenue ≥ $X (lower threshold)
    - Certified staff: ≥ N
    - Active pipeline with ≥ N active opportunities
  Benefits:
    - Margin / commission: X%
    - Co-marketing budget: $X/year
    - Shared partner success manager (pooled)
    - Deal registration (X days exclusivity)
    - Listed in partner directory

REGISTERED (Entry tier — majority of partners)
  Requirements:
    - Signed partner agreement
    - At least 1 certified staff member
  Benefits:
    - Margin / commission: X%
    - Access to partner portal, training, collateral
    - Deal registration (X days exclusivity)
    - Listed in partner directory

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Co-Sell Motion

Co-Sell Playbook

1. Identify joint opportunities: Partner flags accounts where your product addresses a pain they're seeing
2. Mutual qualification: Both teams confirm ICP fit, budget, authority, timing
3. Co-sell kickoff: Define roles — who owns the relationship? Who closes? Who implements?
4. Joint account planning: Agreed-upon strategy, stakeholder map, success metrics
5. Unified messaging: One story, no contradictions between vendor and partner reps
6. Deal registration: Partner registers deal in your CRM — protects their margin
7. Closing and handoff: Define who documents, who invoices, who implements

Co-Sell Rules of Engagement

• Partner owns primary relationship; your reps support, don't disintermediate
• Deal registration gives exclusivity for [N] days — honor it
• Your reps CC partner on all customer communications (or CC'd at minimum on key emails)
• Escalation path if co-sell relationship breaks down: Partner Manager → VP Partnerships
• Win/loss calls shared with partner within 5 business days of decision

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Revenue Sharing Models

Commission / Referral Structure

Model	How it works	Best for
Flat referral fee	$X per qualified lead that closes	Simple, low-touch partnerships
% of first year ACV	10–20% of first-year contract value	Referral and reseller partners
% of ACV recurring	5–10% of ARR for life of account	High-involvement partners who retain customers
Reseller margin	Partner buys at wholesale price, marks up	VAR / reseller programs
Tiered %	Higher % for larger deals	Incentivize partners to find enterprise deals

Deal Registration Benefits

• Registered deals: partner earns X% higher margin
• Registration window: [N] days exclusivity after registration
• Anti-churning: if customer churns and returns within [N] months, original partner retains credit

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Partner Enablement

Certification Tracks

Sales Certification (for partner sales reps):
  - Product overview and positioning (2h e-learning)
  - Competitive landscape and battle cards (1h)
  - Discovery questions and qualification (1h)
  - Demo delivery (live with your SE, assessed)
  - Objection handling (1h)
  Assessment: pass/fail quiz + demo assessment
  Valid for: 12 months, then renewal required

Technical Certification (for partner SEs / architects):
  - Product architecture and integrations (4h)
  - Implementation methodology (4h)
  - Troubleshooting common issues (2h)
  - Hands-on lab: deploy and configure (assessed)
  Assessment: practical lab exam
  Valid for: 12 months + recertification on major releases

Partner Portal Contents

• Product documentation (current)
• Sales collateral (whitepapers, case studies, battlecards)
• Demo environment access
• Training modules and certification path
• Deal registration system
• MDF (co-marketing funds) request and tracking
• Pipeline visibility (partner's deals only)
• Support escalation path for partner-managed customers
• Partner directory listing management

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Partnership KPIs

Pipeline and Revenue

Metric	Formula	Target
Partner-sourced ARR	ARR from partner-originated deals	% of total ARR (set annually)
Partner-influenced ARR	ARR where partner touched the deal	% of total ARR
Partner pipeline coverage	Partner pipeline / partner ARR target	≥ 3×
Average deal size (partner)	Partner ARR / # partner deals	Compare to direct
Partner win rate	Partner deals won / partner deals closed	Compare to direct
Time to close (partner)	Average days from registration to close	Compare to direct

Partner Health

Metric	Formula	Target
Active partners	Partners with ≥ 1 deal in last 90 days	Growing
Partner churn	Partners who leave program / total partners	< 10% annually
Certification rate	Certified staff / total partner staff	≥ 80%
Partner NPS	Net Promoter Score from partner survey	≥ 40
Deal registration conversion	Registered deals that close / total registered	Benchmark by vertical

Partner QBR Agenda

1. Prior quarter performance: pipeline, revenue, closed deals (15 min)
2. Product updates relevant to partner's customers (10 min)
3. Joint pipeline review — next quarter opportunities (20 min)
4. Co-marketing activities planned (10 min)
5. Partner feedback: what support do they need? (10 min)
6. Action items with owners and dates (5 min)

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Partner Agreement Key Clauses

• Territory: Geographic or vertical market exclusivity (if granted)
• Deal registration: Process, exclusivity window, conflict resolution
• Pricing: Wholesale / margin rates, most-favored pricing guarantees
• Support obligations: What support is partner responsible for? What escalates to you?
• Certification: Requirement to maintain certified staff
• Branding: How partner may use your logo, name, marks
• Data sharing: What customer data each party can access
• Termination: Notice period, wind-down of pipeline, data return
• Non-compete / non-solicitation: Restrictions on competing products or hiring
• Audit rights: Right to audit partner's referral and deal claims