neon-rutger/b2b-revops-skills/partner-channel-operations

1. PROGRAM DESIGN: Who do we partner with? What's the structure?
2. PARTNER ENABLEMENT: How do we make partners successful?
3. CO-SELLING OPERATIONS: How do we work deals together?
4. PARTNER PIPELINE OPS: How do we track and manage partner pipeline?
5. PARTNER PERFORMANCE: How do we measure, review, and optimize?

TYPE                 WHEN TO USE                                    REVENUE MODEL
-----------          -----------                                    ----------------
Referral Partner     Early-stage ecosystem. Low complexity.         10-25% of Y1 ARR
                     Partners have relationships but no sales       commission
                     resources. Quick wins.
 
Technology Partner   Shared ICP. Integration creates combined       Commission on co-sold
                     value. Complementary, not competitive.         deals. Revenue share.
 
Reseller             High-volume market. Need geographic or         30-50% margin on
                     vertical distribution fast. Partner owns       resold product
                     customer relationship.
 
Implementation       Solution requires setup, configuration,       Project fees to partner.
Partner              or customization. Barrier to self-serve.       Indirect ARR uplift.
 
Co-Sell Partner      Two-way deal pipeline. Both orgs selling       Reciprocal referral
                     together. High alignment required.             fees or revenue share.
 
VAR                  Bundled solution (hw + sw + services).         35-50% discount off
                     Project-based delivery. Turnkey for customer.  list + project margin.
 
MSP                  Ongoing managed services. Customer prefers     40-50% wholesale +
                     outsourced operations. Recurring revenue.      managed services margin.
 
SI / GSI             Enterprise customers. Custom requirements.     30-40% discount +
                     Long sales cycles. Large deal sizes.           project margin.
                     GSIs: Deloitte, Accenture, IBM-class.         Requires co-investment.
 
Embedded/Integration Native integration partnership. Product-to-product  Revenue share
Partner              connectors, Slack/Figma/Shopify-style app      (typically 5-15%),
                     ecosystems. Partner tools are extension       referral fees on
                     of your product, not standalone solution.     co-sold deals.
                     Low friction for end-user adoption.

IPP CRITERIA:                              SCORING (1-5)
 
STRATEGIC FIT
  Shared ICP overlap                       ___
  Complementary (not competitive) offering ___
  Aligned go-to-market motion              ___
  Geographic/vertical alignment            ___
 
OPERATIONAL READINESS
  Dedicated partner/sales team             ___
  CRM and deal tracking in place           ___
  Existing customer base to cross-sell     ___
  Marketing capability (content, events)   ___
 
COMMITMENT SIGNALS
  Executive sponsor identified             ___
  Willing to invest in enablement          ___
  Has referred deals before (informally)   ___
  Strategic motivation beyond commission   ___
 
SCORING: 36-60 = Tier 1 (strategic). 24-35 = Tier 2 (growth). 12-23 = Tier 3 (referral). <12 = not ready.

TIER 1: STRATEGIC PARTNERS (3-5 partners max)
  Requirements:
    - IPP score 36+
    - Dedicated partner manager assigned
    - Joint GTM plan signed
    - Minimum pipeline commitment (e.g., $500K/year)
    - Co-marketing investment
  Benefits:
    - Highest commission rates (20-25%)
    - Joint marketing funds (MDF)
    - Priority deal registration
    - Exec-to-exec alignment
    - Quarterly business reviews
    - Early access to product roadmap
 
TIER 2: GROWTH PARTNERS (10-20 partners)
  Requirements:
    - IPP score 24-35
    - Completed certification program
    - Minimum 2 deals/quarter registered
    - Active in partner portal
  Benefits:
    - Standard commission rates (15-20%)
    - Access to co-marketing resources
    - Monthly partner check-ins
    - Lead sharing
 
TIER 3: REFERRAL PARTNERS (unlimited)
  Requirements:
    - IPP score 12-23
    - Signed partner agreement
    - Basic product training completed
  Benefits:
    - Referral commission (10-15%)
    - Access to partner portal and collateral
    - Quarterly webinars and updates

REGISTRATION PROCESS:
  1. Partner submits deal via portal/form (account name, contact, est. value, timeline)
  2. Auto-check: Is account already in pipeline? (CRM lookup)
     - If yes → conflict resolution (see below)
     - If no → register and assign
  3. Partner manager reviews within 24 hours
  4. Deal registered for [60/90/120] days (varies by deal size)
  5. If deal doesn't progress → registration expires, can be re-registered
 
CONFLICT RESOLUTION:
  - First to register wins (if within 7 days)
  - If account already has open opportunity → direct sales owns
    UNLESS partner can demonstrate prior relationship (evidence required)
  - If both partner and direct are engaged → co-sell (split commission)
  - Escalation: Partner manager + Sales manager resolve within 48 hours
  - Executive escalation if unresolved in 48 hours
 
CRM IMPLEMENTATION:
  Required properties on Deal/Opportunity:
    partner_sourced           (boolean)
    partner_influenced        (boolean)
    partner_name              (lookup to Partner record)
    partner_contact           (text: who at the partner is involved)
    deal_registration_id      (auto-generated)
    deal_registration_date    (date)
    deal_registration_expiry  (date: auto-calculated)
    partner_commission_%      (number: from tier)
    partner_commission_$      (formula: deal value × commission %)
    partner_tier              (dropdown: T1/T2/T3)