Introduction
Partnerships have evolved into one of the most strategic growth channels for B2B companies. Whether it’s co-selling, co-marketing, or tech alliances, partnerships now contribute significantly to pipeline and revenue. Yet, despite this rising importance, most partner programs still operate without a dedicated Partner Revenue Operations (RevOps) function.
Why is that?
If partnerships drive 20-30% or more of total revenue, why hasn’t the operational rigor of sales and marketing extended into the partner motion? In this article, we’ll explore five core reasons Partner RevOps hasn’t yet gone mainstream, and what needs to happen to change that.
Lack of Executive Understanding
C-level executives often support the idea of partnerships. They like the sound of “ecosystem growth” and the long-term potential that partnerships represent. But they rarely understand the mechanics of how partner-led revenue is generated.
This lack of understanding leads to vague strategic expectations and underinvestment. Partner leaders are left without the support or funding to operationalize effectively, limiting their ability to scale or prove impact.
Inability to Quantify Partnership Impact
Most partner programs still struggle to clearly connect partner activity to revenue outcomes. They can’t reliably show how many deals partners influenced, their average conversion rates, or how fast partner-led deals move through the pipeline.
Without clear KPIs or attribution models, partnerships remain intangible in the eyes of leadership. And when something feels intangible, it becomes one of the first places the budget is cut or deprioritized.
Absence of Operational Infrastructure
Sales has CRM systems, and marketing has automation platforms. But many partner teams still run on spreadsheets, emails, and Slack messages. The operational infrastructure just isn’t there.
There’s often no automation for lead sharing, no consistent partner lifecycle process, and no centralized data visibility. Without these systems, tracking performance, iterating on strategy, or forecasting accurately is nearly impossible.
Partner Teams Are Underequipped and Understaffed
Most partner teams are tiny, often just one or two people. They are constantly in execution mode, juggling onboarding, enablement, account mapping, and relationship management.
With limited resources, there’s no time to step back and build a scalable system. It's like trying to build a plane while flying it. Operational excellence is always deprioritized in favor of immediate partner support.
Traditional RevOps Teams Aren’t Set Up for Partnerships
Even when companies have a RevOps function, it’s typically focused on sales and marketing. RevOps teams don’t usually understand partner data, don’t work with partner tools, and aren’t incentivized to include partnerships in their processes.
This creates a disconnect. Partner managers need RevOps to support attribution, workflow automation, and forecasting, but RevOps isn’t equipped or motivated to help. The burden falls on the partner team to act as translators, advocating for support and defining exactly what’s needed.
Conclusion
Partner Revenue Operations isn’t the norm yet, but it should be.
Without it, partner teams will continue to be misunderstood, underfunded, and unable to scale.
The good news?
The path forward is clear. Partner leaders must take the initiative to speak in data, align with RevOps, and advocate for the systems that will make partnerships a scalable, predictable growth channel.
