Partnership Glossary

Comparing and aligning customer or prospect data between your company and a partner to uncover shared opportunities and prevent duplicated efforts.

A step-by-step roadmap for enabling a new partner to start contributing to your pipeline. It includes training, milestone tracking, and resource access.

The percentage of newly onboarded partners who begin contributing value (e.g., leads, revenue) within a set time period.

The percentage of newly onboarded partners who begin contributing value (e.g., leads, revenue) within a set time period.

The process of identifying and crediting affiliates for conversions using tools like tracking cookies or unique URLs.

A unique URL assigned to an affiliate partner that tracks clicks and conversions for accurate commission tracking.

A performance-based marketing strategy where external partners promote a product in exchange for commissions.

Structured initiatives that manage affiliate relationships, track performance, and handle payouts and communications.

A platform or group that connects businesses with affiliate marketers and helps manage tracking, links, and payments.

An individual or organization that promotes your offering via affiliate links to earn commission on leads or sales.

A formal structure where affiliates are recruited, enabled, and rewarded for referring customers or traffic.

The technology used to attribute traffic and sales to specific affiliate partners, typically using links, cookies, or promo codes.

A strategic, mutually beneficial partnership often focused on joint solutions, co-selling, or shared marketing.

A cooperative initiative between two business entities to share resources, audiences, or expertise.

The activities and interactions that drive business interest and partnership performance between two B2B entities.

Strategic collaborations between two businesses to co-sell, cross-promote, or integrate solutions for mutual growth.

The process of identifying, attracting, and growing business opportunities, often through partnerships, alliances, or new market exploration.

A semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer, used to align marketing and partnership strategies.

The process of getting newly recruited partners ready and engaged in sales activities, often involving onboarding, training, and incentives.

A method for crediting revenue or leads to a specific partner or channel touchpoint in multi-channel environments.

Occurs when multiple sales routes, such as internal teams and partners, compete for the same customer, leading to tension or lost trust.

A role focused on identifying, recruiting, and supporting channel partners to expand a company’s indirect sales reach.

Promotional and awareness activities executed through or with partners, including co-branded campaigns, training, and content syndication.

A marketing approach that combines two brands on materials or offerings to boost credibility and joint appeal.

Collaborative marketing between two or more companies to promote each other’s services or a combined offering.

Tactics used by two companies to jointly promote offerings, webinars, social campaigns, or content, toward a shared target audience.

Contracts outlining how two or more companies will collaborate on shared goals, often including marketing, technology integration, or resource pooling.

A strategy where a message or campaign is shared across multiple marketing channels, like email, social media, and events, to create consistent messaging.

A mutual agreement where partners promote each other's products or content to their respective audiences to boost exposure and lead generation.

Selling an additional product or service to an existing customer, often by bundling offerings from partners.

The process of gaining new customers, often driven or supported by partners through co-selling, referrals, or campaigns.

A structured reward system designed to retain customers and encourage repeat purchases can be delivered directly or via partners.

Technology platforms or strategies used to manage a company’s interactions with current and prospective customers. Often integrated into PRMs.

Indicators like retention rate, Net Promoter Score (NPS), or time-to-value used to evaluate post-sale partner performance.

An internal support function for partners that reviews and approves special pricing, legal terms, and deal structuring.

A formal notification by a partner to claim a sales opportunity, often granting protection or exclusive incentives.

The pathway where sales are made directly by the company without any partner or intermediary involvement.

Agreements with distributors who manage logistics, procurement, and local partner engagement at scale.

A financial safety net that gives partners upfront funds or guarantees while they ramp up sales efforts.

A network of interconnected companies, such as resellers, ISVs, distributors, service providers, and technology partners, that collaborate to deliver greater value to shared customers through integrated offerings, co-selling, and co-marketing.

A partner that complements or integrates with your product within a broader tech or services environment.

Sales and training tools, like pitch decks, demo videos, or FAQs, provided to help partners understand and sell your product.

A structured sequence of training and resource access designed to make partners productive and self-sufficient.

An agreement granting a partner sole access to sell your product in a certain market or segment, often in exchange for commitment or volume.

Revenue from existing customers through renewals, upsells, or cross-sellsl, sometimes generated through service or consulting partners.

A standard, non-tiered payment given to partners per transaction or referred customer.

A partner who delivers or implements your product post-sale, ensuring the customer achieves value quickly.

A coordinated plan for launching or expanding a product through sales, marketing, and partner channels.

A detailed description of the type of company that would benefit most from your solution. ICPs guide partner targeting, sales messaging, and marketing efforts.

A set of characteristics defining the best-fit partner for your program, including size, industry, business model, and go-to-market alignment.

A partner who is enrolled in your program but not currently engaging, submitting leads, or contributing revenue.

The process of attracting new partners through content, referrals, or organic interest rather than outbound sales or outreach.

A company that develops and sells software independently of hardware vendors, often forming partnerships through app marketplaces or integrations.

A go-to-market model that relies on external partners (resellers, distributors, affiliates) to reach end customers instead of selling directly.

A person or brand with a loyal audience who can drive awareness and demand for your product through content, testimonials, or social presence. Often used in affiliate or brand ambassador partnerships.

A shared document outlining the goals, strategies, and key activities agreed upon between a company and its partner to drive joint revenue. Often reviewed quarterly.

A collaborative launch strategy where two companies align their sales, marketing, and product efforts to target shared audiences with a combined offering.

A combined statement of benefits that two partners deliver together to a customer, highlighting the synergy and added value of the partnership.

A formal agreement between two or more companies to create a new business entity or collaborate on a specific project, typically sharing ownership, resources, and risk.

A visual tool showing real-time metrics that track partner program success, including pipeline contribution, activation, and engagement.

The process of aligning your most strategic customer accounts with those of a partner to identify shared targets and cross-sell opportunities.

High-value customers or prospects that receive focused attention due to their revenue potential, size, or strategic importance.

Measurable values that indicate how effectively a partner or program is achieving specific business objectives, such as revenue, activation rate, or lead conversion.

The initial meeting between a partner and your internal team to align on objectives, set expectations, and review onboarding steps.

Kiflo is a partner relationship management (PRM) platform designed to help B2B companies grow and scale their partner programs. It enables users to track partner-sourced revenue, manage leads, onboard and enable partners, and foster long-term, profitable partner relationships.

A centralized library of documentation, FAQs, best practices, and training resources that partners can access to support sales, onboarding, and implementation.

The process of assigning leads to specific partners based on criteria such as territory, vertical, partner tier, or expertise. It ensures leads are acted on quickly and by the right partners.

The process of attracting and capturing interest from potential customers, often via content marketing, events, or campaigns. Can be led by your team or your partners.

A partner that consistently delivers a high volume of qualified leads. These partners are typically prioritized for enablement, incentives, and co-marketing.

A system that aAssigns a numeric value to leads based on likelihood to convert, factoring in engagement, demographics, and firmographics. Often used by partners to prioritize follow-up.

Prospects or businesses that have shown interest in your offering. Leads typically enter the pipeline through a form fill, referral, demo request, or campaign.

The process of guiding a partner or customer through stages from onboarding to activation, engagement, expansion, and potential renewal or exit.

The total amount of revenue generated by a customer or partner throughout the entirety of the relationship. Used to measure long-term program success.

A partner that offers IT services and support on behalf of clients, often bundling your product into their solutions. Frequently used in infrastructure, security, and SaaS environments.

A plan to expand a company’s reach into new segments, regions, or verticals, often through strategic partnerships and localized campaigns.

The use of software to automate and scale marketing activities such as email nurturing, lead scoring, and performance tracking. It can also be extended to partners.

Financial resources provided to partners by vendors to support local marketing efforts such as events, advertising, or content creation. Typically tied to specific initiatives or performance goals.

A partner focused on promoting your product or services through brand awareness, content syndication, demand generation, or lead nurturing, necessarily direct sales.

A company that lists and promotes your product through a digital marketplace, such as an app store or cloud partner portal, often bundling or integrating it with their own solutions.

The predictable revenue earned from active subscriptions or ongoing partner contracts, measured monthly.

A partner program structured with different levels (e.g., Bronze, Silver, Gold) based on performance, commitment, or specialization. Each tier unlocks distinct benefits and responsibilities.

A collaborative roadmap created between a partner and your sales or success team that outlines shared milestones and responsibilities for closing deals or achieving onboarding success.

A partner-driven growth strategy that focuses on leveraging relationships that are already close to your ideal customers, such as technology partners, consultants, and agencies, for warm introductions and referrals.

Revenue generated from customers who have never purchased from your company before, often used to evaluate partner program impact or performance bonuses.

A metric that measures customer satisfaction and loyalty, often used in evaluating partner-led customer experience.

A partner who refers leads or facilitates introductions within their professional or industry network, typically earning a referral commission.

A partner that focuses on a very specific vertical, geography, or use case, often providing specialized value and insights.

A sequence of communications designed to educate and engage a lead or partner over time, often automated via email or CRM tools.

The process of guiding a new partner through initial setup, product training, access to tools, and resources to begin contributing value.

The full experience a partner goes through from the time they join the program to the moment they are fully enabled and activated.

The proactive effort to identify and reach out to potential partners to join your program, often using sales techniques, prospecting, and targeted messaging.

Any external organization or individual that collaborates with your company to drive sales, growth, adoption, or product value. This includes resellers, affiliates, referrals, and more.

The process of attracting, engaging, and enrolling new partners into your program.

The point when a partner starts to contribute value including submitting leads, attending training, or closing their first deal.

A formal process where partners complete training and meet specific criteria to be recognized as competent and ready to sell or implement your product.

The shared activities and communications between partners and internal teams, including co-selling, joint planning, or product integration.

A collective group of partners that surround your business, including resellers, tech partners, agencies, and service providers, who add value through collaboration and integration.

A platform that helps companies manage, scale, and analyze the performance of their entire partner ecosystem, often including integration capabilities, partner data insights, and automation.

The strategies and resources used to prepare partners to succeed, including training, content, playbooks, and support.

Specific tools that help partners learn, sell, and implement a product. These include demo environments, deal calculators, pitch decks, and knowledge bases.