Managing several arrangements.
WHEN IT BECOMES NECESSARY
When partnerships are a significant route to market rather than occasional arrangements.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
What kinds of partner you want What each type receives Standard terms How partners are recruited and assessed How they are supported How performance is measured
WHY STANDARD TERMS
Negotiating each arrangement individually does not scale and it produces inconsistency.
WHAT TO DEFINE
Tiers, where different levels of commitment justify different terms.
WHAT DIFFERENTIATES TIERS
Volume or revenue Certification or capability Exclusivity Investment made
WHAT TO PROVIDE PARTNERS
Training and certification Materials and tools Support Leads, where appropriate Clear commercial terms
WHY SUPPORT DETERMINES PERFORMANCE
Partners sell what they understand and can deliver confidently.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
Onboarding: what a new partner receives and when.
WHY
Partners recruited and left alone produce nothing.
WHAT TO MEASURE
Revenue by partner Active partners against total recruited Time from recruitment to first sale Support cost per partner
WHY ACTIVE AGAINST TOTAL
Most partner programmes have many inactive partners and a few productive ones.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT INACTIVE PARTNERS
Establish why, and either activate or remove them.
WHY REMOVE
They occupy territory and they represent you without producing.
WHAT TO AVOID
Recruiting partners faster than you can support Signing anyone who asks Exclusive arrangements early
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
Selectivity.
WHY
A few committed partners outperform many uncommitted ones.
