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TermMean­ing
Val­ue-added dis­trib­u­tor (VAD)A val­ue-added dis­trib­u­tor is a dis­trib­u­tor that pro­vides addi­tion­al ser­vices beyond sim­ply dis­trib­ut­ing the prod­ucts to reseller and oth­er chan­nel part­ners. This might include pro­vid­ing mar­ket­ing sup­port, offer­ing tech­ni­cal sup­port or train­ing, or cus­tomiz­ing the prod­ucts to meet the needs of spe­cif­ic customers.
Affil­i­ateAffil­i­ates pro­mote a com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices and receive a com­mis­sion for any sales they gen­er­ate. They often use their own web­sites, social media accounts, or email lists to reach poten­tial customers
AgentAgents rep­re­sent a com­pa­ny and its prod­ucts or ser­vices to poten­tial cus­tomers. They may work on a com­mis­sion basis or for a fixed fee
Chan­nel partnerChan­nel part­ners are com­pa­nies that resell or dis­trib­ute the prod­ucts or ser­vices of anoth­er com­pa­ny. These part­ners often have a close rela­tion­ship with the com­pa­ny whose prod­ucts or ser­vices they sell and may receive sup­port, train­ing, or oth­er resources from the com­pa­ny to help them sell more effectively
Co-brand­ingCo-brand­ing is a part­ner­ship between two or more com­pa­nies in which they col­lab­o­rate on brand­ing efforts in order to pro­mote their prod­ucts or ser­vices. This can involve using each oth­er’s logos, slo­gans, or oth­er brand­ing ele­ments in mar­ket­ing mate­ri­als, as well as col­lab­o­rat­ing on co-brand­ed prod­ucts or services.
Co-cre­ationCo-cre­ation is a col­lab­o­ra­tive process in which two or more com­pa­nies or indi­vid­u­als work togeth­er to cre­ate some­thing new, such as a prod­uct, ser­vice, or process. This can involve shar­ing ideas, resources, and exper­tise in order to cre­ate inno­v­a­tive solu­tions that are mutu­al­ly ben­e­fi­cial to all partners.
Co-devel­op­mentCo-devel­op­ment refers to the prac­tice of two or more com­pa­nies work­ing togeth­er to devel­op new prod­ucts or ser­vices. This can involve shar­ing resources, exper­tise, and ideas in order to cre­ate inno­v­a­tive solu­tions that are mutu­al­ly ben­e­fi­cial to all partners.
Co-inno­vat­ingCo-inno­vat­ing refers to the prac­tice of two or more com­pa­nies work­ing togeth­er to devel­op new prod­ucts, ser­vices, or process­es. This can involve shar­ing resources, exper­tise, and ideas in order to cre­ate inno­v­a­tive solu­tions that are mutu­al­ly ben­e­fi­cial to all partners.
Co-invest­mentCo-invest­ment refers to the prac­tice of two or more com­pa­nies or indi­vid­u­als invest­ing togeth­er in a project or ven­ture. This can involve shar­ing the finan­cial risks and rewards of the investment.
Co-licens­ingCo-licens­ing refers to the prac­tice of two or more com­pa­nies or indi­vid­u­als shar­ing the rights to use a patent­ed tech­nol­o­gy or oth­er intel­lec­tu­al prop­er­ty. This can involve shar­ing the finan­cial risks and rewards of the license.
Co-mar­ket­ingCo-mar­ket­ing is a part­ner­ship between two or more com­pa­nies in which they col­lab­o­rate on mar­ket­ing activ­i­ties in order to pro­mote their prod­ucts or ser­vices. This can include activ­i­ties such as co-brand­ed mar­ket­ing cam­paigns, joint pro­mo­tions, and shared social media or email mar­ket­ing efforts.
Co-sell­ingCo-sell­ing refers to the prac­tice of two or more com­pa­nies work­ing togeth­er to sell their prod­ucts or ser­vices to a com­mon cus­tomer base. This can involve a range of activ­i­ties, such as joint sales pre­sen­ta­tions, shared mar­ket­ing efforts, and cross-sell­ing to each oth­er’s customers.
Col­lab­o­ra­tive (busi­ness) relationshipsCol­lab­o­ra­tive busi­ness rela­tion­ship is a type of part­ner­ship in which two or more busi­ness­es work togeth­er in a coop­er­a­tive man­ner to achieve a com­mon goal or mutu­al ben­e­fit. This type of rela­tion­ship is char­ac­ter­ized by open com­mu­ni­ca­tion, mutu­al trust, and a will­ing­ness to share resources and exper­tise. Col­lab­o­ra­tive busi­ness rela­tion­ships can be long-term and ongo­ing, or they may be more short-term, focused on a spe­cif­ic project or goal.
Com­mis­sion-based pricingCom­mis­sion based-pric­ing means, part­ners receive a per­cent­age of the rev­enue gen­er­at­ed from sales of the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices. This mod­el is often used for affil­i­ates or resellers.
Con­sul­tantCon­sul­tants pro­vide expert advice and guid­ance to busi­ness­es to help them solve spe­cif­ic prob­lems or achieve cer­tain goals. They may be hired on a short-term or long-term basis
Cus­tomer relationshipCus­tomer rela­tion­ship is a busi­ness rela­tion­ship in which one busi­ness (the sell­er) pro­vides goods or ser­vices to anoth­er busi­ness (the buy­er). Cus­tomer rela­tion­ships may be trans­ac­tion­al (mean­ing they are based on the com­ple­tion of spe­cif­ic trans­ac­tions) or ongo­ing (mean­ing the buy­er con­tin­ues to pur­chase goods or ser­vices from the sell­er on a reg­u­lar basis).
Dis­trib­u­torDis­trib­u­tors pur­chase prod­ucts or ser­vices from a com­pa­ny and then sell them to resellers or oth­er chan­nel part­ners and customer.
Ecosys­tem Qual­i­fied Lead (EQL)Ecosys­tem Qual­i­fied Leads (EQLs) are leads or poten­tial cus­tomers that have been iden­ti­fied as a good fit for a com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices, based on the com­pa­ny’s Ide­al Cus­tomer Pro­file (ICP). These leads may come from a vari­ety of sources, such as mar­ket­ing cam­paigns, sales out­reach, or refer­rals from part­ners or affiliates.
Flat fee pricingFlat fee pric­ing means, part­ners pay a fixed fee to access the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices. This fee may be based on the type of part­ner­ship, the lev­el of access grant­ed, or oth­er factors.
Fran­chiseFran­chis­es are busi­ness­es that are grant­ed the right to use a com­pa­ny’s brand and busi­ness mod­el in exchange for a fee. They are typ­i­cal­ly required to fol­low spe­cif­ic guide­lines and stan­dards set by the com­pa­ny. While a fran­chisee could be con­sid­ered a type of chan­nel part­ner, as they are typ­i­cal­ly involved in sell­ing the prod­ucts or ser­vices of the fran­chisor, the terms “fran­chisee” and “chan­nel part­ner” are not nec­es­sar­i­ly inter­change­able. A fran­chisee has a more for­mal and struc­tured rela­tion­ship with the fran­chisor, and is typ­i­cal­ly required to fol­low spe­cif­ic rules and guide­lines in order to oper­ate under the fran­chisor’s brand and busi­ness model.
Hybrid pric­ingHybrid pric­ing means, part­ners pay for the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices using a com­bi­na­tion of two or more pric­ing mod­els. This may involve ele­ments of com­mis­sion-based, sub­scrip­tion, usage-based, or oth­er pric­ing models.
Ide­al Cus­tomer Pro­file (ICP)Ide­al Cus­tomer Pro­file (ICP) is a detailed descrip­tion of a com­pa­ny’s ide­al cus­tomer, based on fac­tors such as indus­try, size, loca­tion, and oth­er char­ac­ter­is­tics. The ICP is used as a guide for iden­ti­fy­ing and tar­get­ing poten­tial cus­tomers and can help a com­pa­ny tai­lor its mar­ket­ing and sales efforts to bet­ter meet the needs of its tar­get audience
Ide­al Part­ner Pro­file (IPP)Ide­al Part­ner Pro­file (IPP) is sim­i­lar to an ICP, but describes the char­ac­ter­is­tics of a com­pa­ny’s ide­al part­ner or affil­i­ate. The IPP may include fac­tors such as the type of busi­ness, loca­tion, size, and oth­er rel­e­vant char­ac­ter­is­tics, and is used to guide the recruit­ment and selec­tion of partners.
Fran­chis­ingIn a fran­chis­ing rela­tion­ship, one busi­ness (the fran­chisor) allows anoth­er busi­ness (the fran­chisee) to use its busi­ness mod­el, brand­ing, and intel­lec­tu­al prop­er­ty in exchange for a fran­chise fee and ongo­ing roy­al­ties. Fran­chis­ing rela­tion­ships are typ­i­cal­ly struc­tured in a very spe­cif­ic way, and fran­chisees are typ­i­cal­ly required to adhere to cer­tain stan­dards and guide­lines set by the franchisor.
Licens­ingIn a licens­ing rela­tion­ship, one busi­ness (the licen­sor) allows anoth­er busi­ness (the licensee) to use its intel­lec­tu­al prop­er­ty (such as a patent­ed tech­nol­o­gy or trade­mark) in exchange for roy­al­ties or oth­er forms of com­pen­sa­tion. Licens­ing rela­tion­ships may be exclu­sive or non-exclusive.
Inde­pen­dent soft­ware ven­dors (ISVs)ISVs devel­op soft­ware prod­ucts that are com­pat­i­ble with a com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices. They often work with busi­ness­es to help them opti­mize their IT infra­struc­ture and reduce costs
Joint ven­turesJoint ven­tures are busi­ness rela­tion­ships in which two or more busi­ness­es come togeth­er to cre­ate a new busi­ness or pur­sue a spe­cif­ic project or oppor­tu­ni­ty. Joint ven­tures may involve the shar­ing of resources, exper­tise, and risk, and they may be struc­tured in a vari­ety of ways.
Mar­ket­ing partnerMar­ket­ing part­ners are com­pa­nies that help anoth­er com­pa­ny mar­ket its prod­ucts or ser­vices. This might involve devel­op­ing mar­ket­ing mate­ri­als, con­duct­ing mar­ket research, or pro­vid­ing mar­ket­ing sup­port ser­vices such as email mar­ket­ing or social media management
Mar­ket­ing Qual­i­fied Lead (MQL)Mar­ket­ing Qual­i­fied Leads (MQLs) are leads that have demon­strat­ed an inter­est in a com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices and are con­sid­ered more like­ly to become cus­tomers. MQLs are typ­i­cal­ly gen­er­at­ed through mar­ket­ing efforts, such as web­site vis­its, sign-ups for newslet­ters or demos, or engage­ment with mar­ket­ing content
Man­aged ser­vice provider (MSP)MSPs pro­vide ongo­ing sup­port and man­age­ment for IT sys­tems, includ­ing soft­ware and hard­ware. They often work with busi­ness­es to help them opti­mize their IT infra­struc­ture and reduce costs.
OEM (orig­i­nal equip­ment manufacturer)OEMs pur­chase prod­ucts or com­po­nents from a com­pa­ny and incor­po­rate them into their own prod­ucts. They then sell the fin­ished prod­ucts to their own customers
Part­ner account managementPart­ner account man­age­ment refers to the process of man­ag­ing and main­tain­ing rela­tion­ships with a com­pa­ny’s part­ners or affil­i­ates. This may involve activ­i­ties such as com­mu­ni­ca­tion, col­lab­o­ra­tion, and pro­vid­ing sup­port and resources to help the part­ners achieve their goals.
Part­ner categoryPart­ner cat­e­gories are used to group part­ners with sim­i­lar char­ac­ter­is­tics togeth­er. For exam­ple, resellers, dis­trib­u­tors, and bro­kers are often grouped togeth­er as chan­nel partners.
Part­ner Ecosys­tem Plat­form (PEP)Part­ner Ecosys­tem Plat­form (PEP) is a dig­i­tal plat­form or tool that is used by a com­pa­ny to man­age and facil­i­tate its rela­tion­ships with part­ners or affil­i­ates. The PEP may include fea­tures such as a part­ner por­tal, a cus­tomer rela­tion­ship man­age­ment (CRM) sys­tem, and tools for col­lab­o­ra­tion and communication
Part­ner Man­age­ment Soft­ware (PMS)Part­ner man­age­ment soft­ware is a type of soft­ware that helps busi­ness­es man­age their rela­tion­ships with their part­ners. It is also some­times called part­ner rela­tion­ship man­age­ment (PRM) soft­ware. Part­ner man­age­ment soft­ware pro­vides a range of tools and fea­tures that enable busi­ness­es to com­mu­ni­cate with and sup­port their part­ners, as well as track their per­for­mance and met­rics. This can include fea­tures such as a pri­vate por­tal for each part­ner, where they can access doc­u­ments, cam­paign mate­ri­als, mar­ket devel­op­ment funds (MDF), oppor­tu­ni­ties, and deals. Part­ner man­age­ment soft­ware can also include tools for onboard­ing new part­ners, track­ing sales, and man­ag­ing com­mu­ni­ca­tion and collaboration.
Part­ner marketingPart­ner mar­ket­ing refers to the mar­ket­ing activ­i­ties that a com­pa­ny engages in with its part­ners or affil­i­ates. This may include co-brand­ed mar­ket­ing cam­paigns, joint mar­ket­ing efforts, and the pro­mo­tion of part­ner prod­ucts or ser­vices to the com­pa­ny’s cus­tomer base
Part­ner recruitingPart­ner recruit­ing refers to the process of iden­ti­fy­ing and recruit­ing new part­ners or affil­i­ates for a com­pa­ny. This may involve activ­i­ties such as out­reach to poten­tial part­ners, eval­u­at­ing their fit with the com­pa­ny’s Ide­al Part­ner Pro­file (IPP), and nego­ti­at­ing terms of the partnership
Part­ner relationshipPart­ner rela­tion­ship is a busi­ness rela­tion­ship in which two or more busi­ness­es work togeth­er on a long-term basis to achieve a com­mon goal or objec­tive. Part­ner rela­tion­ships may involve the shar­ing of resources, exper­tise, or oth­er assets, and they may be struc­tured in a vari­ety of ways.
Part­ner Rela­tion­ship Man­age­ment (PRM)Part­ner rela­tion­ship man­age­ment refers to the process­es and sys­tems that a com­pa­ny uses to man­age its rela­tion­ships with its part­ners. This can include activ­i­ties such as onboard­ing new part­ners, man­ag­ing com­mu­ni­ca­tion and col­lab­o­ra­tion, and track­ing per­for­mance and met­rics. Part­ner rela­tion­ship man­age­ment is an impor­tant aspect of man­ag­ing part­ner­ships, as it helps to ensure that the part­ner­ship is effec­tive and mutu­al­ly ben­e­fi­cial for both parties.
Part­ner Rela­tion­ship Man­age­ment (PRM) SoftwarePart­ner rela­tion­ship man­age­ment soft­ware, also known as PRM, offers busi­ness­es tools for track­ing their sales part­ners and affil­i­ates and for enabling com­mu­ni­ca­tion and sup­port from the busi­ness to these part­ners. Each part­ner has access to a pri­vate por­tal through the PRM soft­ware, where they can find doc­u­ments, mar­ket­ing mate­ri­als, MDFs, oppor­tu­ni­ties, and deals. The soft­ware helps busi­ness­es man­age their part­ner­ships and build strong rela­tion­ships with their partners.
Part­ner salesPart­ner sales refers to the process of sell­ing a com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices through its part­ners or affil­i­ates. This may involve train­ing and sup­port for the part­ners’ sales teams, as well as mar­ket­ing and sales efforts tar­get­ed at the part­ners’ cus­tomer base
Part­ner successPart­ner suc­cess refers to the extent to which a com­pa­ny’s part­ners or affil­i­ates are suc­cess­ful in achiev­ing their goals and objec­tives. This may include met­rics such as sales or rev­enue gen­er­at­ed, cus­tomer sat­is­fac­tion, and oth­er mea­sures of success.
Part­ner typePart­ner type refers to the type of busi­ness that the part­ner com­pa­ny is involved in and deter­mines their role in the part­ner­ship. There are var­i­ous types of part­ners, includ­ing dis­trib­u­tors, resellers, ser­vice providers, and solu­tion providers.
Part­ner­ship Rela­tion­ship Man­ag­er (PRM)Part­ner­ship Rela­tion­ship Man­ag­er (PRM) is a role with­in a com­pa­ny that is respon­si­ble for man­ag­ing and devel­op­ing rela­tion­ships with part­ners or affil­i­ates. This may include activ­i­ties such as recruit­ing new part­ners, main­tain­ing com­mu­ni­ca­tion and col­lab­o­ra­tion with exist­ing part­ners, and iden­ti­fy­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties for part­ner­ship growth and development.
Part­ner­shipsPart­ner­ships refer to any for­mal or infor­mal rela­tion­ship between two or more com­pa­nies that involves coop­er­a­tion and col­lab­o­ra­tion. These rela­tion­ships can be strate­gic or more casu­al, and may involve a vari­ety of activ­i­ties such as mar­ket­ing, sales, research and devel­op­ment, and oth­er forms of col­lab­o­ra­tion. Part­ner­ships are col­lab­o­ra­tive busi­ness rela­tion­ships, not trans­ac­tion­al relationships. 
Refer­ral partnerRefer­ral part­ners refer poten­tial cus­tomers to a com­pa­ny in exchange for a com­mis­sion or oth­er form of com­pen­sa­tion. Refer­ral part­ners may include oth­er busi­ness­es, indi­vid­u­als, or organizations. 
Reseller pric­ingReseller pric­ing means, part­ners pur­chase the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices at a dis­count­ed price and resell them to end cus­tomers at a markup. The part­ner’s rev­enue is the dif­fer­ence between the dis­count­ed price they pay and the price they charge to end customers.
ResellerResellers pur­chase prod­ucts or ser­vices from a com­pa­ny and then sell them to their own cus­tomers. They may offer addi­tion­al val­ue-added ser­vices such as instal­la­tion, sup­port or training
Ser­vice partnerSer­vice part­ners or oper­a­tions part­ners are com­pa­nies that pro­vide sup­port or main­te­nance ser­vices for the prod­ucts or ser­vices of anoth­er com­pa­ny. These part­ners might be respon­si­ble for help­ing cus­tomers trou­bleshoot prob­lems, pro­vid­ing main­te­nance and repair ser­vices, or offer­ing train­ing and edu­ca­tion on how to use the prod­ucts effectively
Ser­vice providerSer­vice providers offer ser­vices such as instal­la­tion, main­te­nance, or sup­port to cus­tomers of a com­pa­ny. They may work with busi­ness­es to help them opti­mize their IT infra­struc­ture and reduce costs
Deal reg­is­tra­tionDeal reg­is­tra­tion is a process to track and man­age sales and part­ner leads and oppor­tu­ni­ties. It involves a sales rep­re­sen­ta­tive or chan­nel part­ner reg­is­ter­ing a poten­tial sale with the com­pa­ny, pro­vid­ing details about the cus­tomer and the pro­posed deal. Deal reg­is­tra­tion helps the com­pa­ny to pri­or­i­tize deals, allo­cate resources appro­pri­ate­ly, and ensure that the cus­tomer is being prop­er­ly ser­viced and sup­port­ed. It can also help to reduce com­pe­ti­tion among sales reps and improve com­mu­ni­ca­tion and col­lab­o­ra­tion with­in the sales and part­ner­ship team. Incen­tives or rewards may be offered to chan­nel part­ners for reg­is­ter­ing deals and help­ing to close sales.
Strate­gic allianceStrate­gic alliances are part­ner­ships between two or more busi­ness­es that is formed to achieve a spe­cif­ic goal or objec­tive. Strate­gic alliances can be long-term or short-term, and they may involve the shar­ing of resources, exper­tise, or oth­er assets.
Strate­gic partnerStrate­gic part­ners work close­ly with a com­pa­ny to devel­op and imple­ment joint ini­tia­tives, such as mar­ket­ing cam­paigns or new prod­ucts or ser­vices. These part­ner­ships are often based on mutu­al ben­e­fit and a long-term relationship
Sub­scrip­tion pricingSub­scrip­tion pric­ing means, part­ners pay a recur­ring fee to access the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices. The fee may be based on the num­ber of users, the amount of data processed, or oth­er factors.
Sup­pli­er relationshipSup­pli­er rela­tion­ship is a busi­ness rela­tion­ship in which one busi­ness (the sup­pli­er) pro­vides goods or ser­vices to anoth­er busi­ness (the cus­tomer). Sup­pli­er rela­tion­ships can be long-term or short-term, and they may involve the deliv­ery of raw mate­ri­als, fin­ished prod­ucts, or services.
Sys­tem inte­gra­tor (SI)Sys­tem Inte­gra­tors (SIs) are com­pa­nies that pro­vide con­sult­ing and inte­gra­tion ser­vices to help busi­ness­es imple­ment and use new tech­nol­o­gy sys­tems. They might work with hard­ware, soft­ware, or both, and may be respon­si­ble for inte­grat­ing the tech­nol­o­gy with exist­ing sys­tems and process­es with­in a business
Tech­nol­o­gy partnerTech­nol­o­gy part­ners are com­pa­nies that pro­vide prod­ucts or ser­vices that com­ple­ment or enhance the tech­nol­o­gy offer­ings of anoth­er com­pa­ny. This type of part­ner might pro­vide hard­ware or soft­ware that inte­grates with the oth­er com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts, or might offer com­ple­men­tary ser­vices such as con­sult­ing or training
Trans­ac­tion­al (busi­ness) relationshipsTrans­ac­tion­al busi­ness rela­tion­ship is a tra­di­tion­al type of busi­ness rela­tion­ship that is based on the exchange of goods or ser­vices for mon­ey. In a trans­ac­tion­al rela­tion­ship, the pri­ma­ry focus is on com­plet­ing a spe­cif­ic trans­ac­tion or series of trans­ac­tions, rather than on build­ing a long-term part­ner­ship or work­ing togeth­er on a ongo­ing basis.
Usage-based pric­ingUsage-based pric­ing means, part­ners pay for the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices based on the amount of usage or con­sump­tion. This may be based on the num­ber of trans­ac­tions processed, the amount of data stored, or oth­er factors. 
Val­ue-based pricingVal­ue-based pric­ing means, part­ners pay for the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices based on the val­ue they receive. This may be based on the val­ue of the out­comes achieved, the val­ue of the time saved, or oth­er factors.
Val­ue-added reseller (VAR) VARs pur­chase prod­ucts or ser­vices from a com­pa­ny and then cus­tomize them for spe­cif­ic cus­tomer needs. This might include installing or con­fig­ur­ing the prod­ucts, pro­vid­ing train­ing or con­sult­ing ser­vices, or devel­op­ing cus­tom solu­tions that inte­grate with the products.
White label pricingWhite label pric­ing means, part­ners pur­chase the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices at a dis­count­ed price and rebrand them as their own. The part­ner’s rev­enue is the dif­fer­ence between the dis­count­ed price they pay and the price they charge to end customers.
White labelWhite label prod­ucts are prod­ucts that are pro­duced by one com­pa­ny and then sold under the brand of anoth­er com­pa­ny. White label prod­ucts are often sold to resellers or dis­trib­u­tors who want to offer a prod­uct to their cus­tomers with­out hav­ing to devel­op it themselves
Prod­uct partnerProd­uct part­ners are com­pa­nies that inte­grate its prod­ucts or ser­vices with those of a SaaS com­pa­ny in order to offer a more com­pre­hen­sive solu­tion to cus­tomers. Prod­uct part­ner­ships can take var­i­ous forms and can be ben­e­fi­cial for both the SaaS com­pa­ny and its prod­uct part­ners by allow­ing them to lever­age each oth­er’s strengths and resources in order to offer a more com­pre­hen­sive solu­tion to cus­tomers. Prod­uct part­ner­ships can also help SaaS com­pa­nies to dif­fer­en­ti­ate them­selves in the mar­ket and to expand their reach by part­ner­ing with com­pa­nies that have estab­lished cus­tomer bases.
Part­ner managerA part­ner man­ag­er is a pro­fes­sion­al who is respon­si­ble for man­ag­ing rela­tion­ships with a com­pa­ny’s part­ners, such as resellers, dis­trib­u­tors, or sys­tem inte­gra­tors. The part­ner man­ag­er is respon­si­ble for devel­op­ing and imple­ment­ing strate­gies to max­i­mize the val­ue of the part­ner­ship, includ­ing iden­ti­fy­ing new oppor­tu­ni­ties for col­lab­o­ra­tion, sup­port­ing the part­ner in sell­ing the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices, and ensur­ing that the part­ner is meet­ing the com­pa­ny’s per­for­mance expectations.
Part­ner suc­cess managerA part­ner suc­cess man­ag­er is a pro­fes­sion­al who is respon­si­ble for help­ing a com­pa­ny’s part­ners to achieve suc­cess by pro­vid­ing sup­port and guid­ance. The part­ner suc­cess man­ag­er may work with part­ners to devel­op sales and mar­ket­ing strate­gies, pro­vide train­ing and resources, and help to resolve any issues that may arise. The goal of the part­ner suc­cess man­ag­er is to ensure that the com­pa­ny’s part­ners are able to effec­tive­ly sell the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices and achieve their busi­ness objectives.
Part­ner ecosystemThe part­ner ecosys­tem is a net­work of com­pa­nies that have a col­lab­o­ra­tive busi­ness rela­tion­ships in order to offer a com­pre­hen­sive solu­tion to cus­tomers. The part­ner ecosys­tem includes prod­uct part­ners, chan­nel part­ners, mar­ket­ing part­ners, solu­tion part­ners and oth­er cat­e­gories of part­ners that work togeth­er to pro­vide a joint val­ue for the cus­tomer. The part­ner ecosys­tem lives with­in the busi­ness ecosystem.
Busi­ness ecosystemThe busi­ness ecosys­tem is a net­work of com­pa­nies and orga­ni­za­tions that are con­nect­ed and inter­act with one anoth­er in order to sup­port the growth and suc­cess of a par­tic­u­lar busi­ness. The busi­ness ecosys­tem may include sup­pli­ers, cus­tomers, com­peti­tors, reg­u­la­tors, and oth­er stake­hold­ers that have an impact on the busi­ness. The part­ner ecosys­tem live with­in the busi­ness ecosystem.
Part­ner recruit­ment managerA part­ner recruit­ment man­ag­er is a pro­fes­sion­al who is respon­si­ble for iden­ti­fy­ing and recruit­ing new part­ners for a busi­ness. The part­ner recruit­ment man­ag­er may work with oth­er mem­bers of the part­ner­ships team and rest of the orga­ni­za­tion to iden­ti­fy poten­tial part­ners, reach out to them, and nego­ti­ate part­ner­ship agree­ments. The goal of the part­ner recruit­ment man­ag­er is to expand the busi­ness’s net­work of part­ners in order to grow the busi­ness and increase its reach.
Prod­uct vs. Tech­nol­o­gy partnerA prod­uct part­ner is a com­pa­ny or cat­e­go­ry of part­ner that inte­grate prod­ucts or ser­vices with those of anoth­er com­pa­ny to offer a com­pre­hen­sive solu­tion to cus­tomers, while a tech­nol­o­gy part­ner is a com­pa­ny of type of part­ner that pro­vides tech­nol­o­gy solu­tions or ser­vices to anoth­er com­pa­ny. Prod­uct part­ners offer com­ple­men­tary prod­ucts or ser­vices, while tech­nol­o­gy part­ners offer tech­nol­o­gy-relat­ed solu­tions or services.
Part­ner tiersPart­ner pro­grams often include dif­fer­ent tiers or lev­els of part­ner­ship, each with its own set of ben­e­fits and require­ments. These tiers may be based on fac­tors such as the part­ner’s lev­el of engage­ment, rev­enue gen­er­at­ed, or exper­tise with the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or services.
Part­ner resourcesCom­pa­nies often pro­vide part­ners with access to a range of resources, such as mar­ket­ing mate­ri­als, train­ing pro­grams, tech­ni­cal sup­port, and sales sup­port. These resources can help part­ners sell and sup­port the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices more effectively.
Part­ner enablementPart­ner pro­grams may include enable­ment resources and sup­port to help part­ners get up to speed with the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices and build their skills and exper­tise. This may include train­ing pro­grams, tech­ni­cal sup­port, and sales support.
Part­ner programA part­ner pro­gram facil­i­tates the col­lab­o­ra­tion between two or more com­pa­nies that may include ele­ments such as part­ner tiers, mar­ket­ing and sales sup­port (like access to a part­ner por­tal), tech­ni­cal sup­port, com­mis­sions, incen­tives and rewards, and col­lab­o­ra­tion and net­work­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties. It is typ­i­cal­ly estab­lished to achieve com­mon goals and can involve shar­ing resources, exper­tise, and infor­ma­tion, as well as coor­di­nat­ing activ­i­ties to improve effi­cien­cy and com­pet­i­tive­ness. There are dif­fer­ent type of part­ner pro­gram for dif­fer­ent part­ner type, such as reseller pro­gram, refer­ral pro­gram, etc.
Part­ner portalPart­ner por­tal are web-based por­tals that pro­vides part­ners with resources and tools relat­ed to their part­ner­ship with the com­pa­ny. This may include mar­ket­ing mate­ri­als, train­ing pro­grams, tech­ni­cal sup­port, and sales support.
Part­ner loy­al­ty programLoy­al­ty pro­grams reward part­ners for their lev­el of engage­ment and com­mit­ment to the com­pa­ny. This may include rewards such as dis­counts, access to exclu­sive resources or events, or recognition.
Part­ner sales supportCom­pa­nies may pro­vide part­ners with sup­port to help them close deals and dri­ve rev­enue. This may include access to sales tools, train­ing pro­grams, and sup­port from the com­pa­ny’s sales team.
Part­ner mar­ket­ing supportCom­pa­nies may offer part­ners sup­port to help them mar­ket and pro­mote the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices. This may include access to mar­ket­ing mate­ri­als, co-mar­ket­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties, and sup­port from the com­pa­ny’s mar­ket­ing team.
Part­ner con­tracts and agreementsCon­tracts or agree­ments in place with part­ners define the terms and con­di­tions of the part­ner­ship, includ­ing the rights and respon­si­bil­i­ties of both par­ties. These con­tracts may be cus­tomized based on the type of part­ner­ship and the needs of the partner.
Reseller Pro­gramPart­ner reseller pro­grams are pro­grams offered by a com­pa­ny that allows part­ners, such as resellers, dis­trib­u­tors, or sys­tem inte­gra­tors, to resell the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices to cus­tomers on behalf of the com­pa­ny. The part­ner reseller pro­gram may include resources and sup­port to help part­ners sell and sup­port the com­pa­ny’s prod­ucts or ser­vices, such as mar­ket­ing mate­ri­als, train­ing pro­grams, tech­ni­cal sup­port, and sales support.
Refer­ral ProgramPart­ner refer­ral pro­grams are pro­grams offered by a com­pa­ny that rewards part­ners for refer­ring poten­tial cus­tomers to the com­pa­ny. The part­ner refer­ral pro­gram may offer incen­tives, such as dis­counts, access to exclu­sive resources or events, or recog­ni­tion, to part­ners who suc­cess­ful­ly refer cus­tomers to the com­pa­ny. The goal of a part­ner refer­ral pro­gram is to dri­ve cus­tomer acqui­si­tion and rev­enue for the company.
Exclu­siv­i­ty (de facto)De Fac­to Exclu­siv­i­ty refers to an exclu­sive sit­u­a­tion that exists in prac­tice, even though it may not be for­mal­ly or legal­ly rec­og­nized. It aris­es from cir­cum­stances or prac­ti­cal fac­tors rather than an offi­cial rule or law. De fac­to exclu­siv­i­ty can occur, for exam­ple, when a com­pa­ny dom­i­nates a mar­ket due to its over­whelm­ing mar­ket share, effec­tive­ly exclud­ing com­peti­tors even if there is no legal or con­trac­tu­al bar­ri­er to entry.
Exclu­siv­i­ty (de jure)De jure exclu­siv­i­ty refers to an exclu­sive sit­u­a­tion that exists as a result of a for­mal, legal, or con­trac­tu­al agree­ment. De jure exclu­siv­i­ty is grant­ed by law or through a legal­ly bind­ing con­tract that explic­it­ly out­lines the exclu­sive rights or priv­i­leges grant­ed to an indi­vid­ual, orga­ni­za­tion, or enti­ty. For instance, a com­pa­ny may hold a patent on a prod­uct, grant­i­ng it the exclu­sive right to man­u­fac­ture and sell that prod­uct, thus cre­at­ing de jure exclusivity.
Lead­ing indicatorA lead­ing indi­ca­tor is a mea­sur­able fac­tor that tends to change before the broad­er econ­o­my or project per­for­mance shifts, mak­ing it a use­ful tool for pre­dict­ing future trends. These indi­ca­tors can help orga­ni­za­tions and deci­sion-mak­ers iden­ti­fy poten­tial oppor­tu­ni­ties or chal­lenges ahead of time, allow­ing for proac­tive plan­ning and strat­e­gy adjust­ments. Exam­ples of lead­ing indi­ca­tors include new orders, inven­to­ry lev­els, and con­sumer con­fi­dence indices.
Lag­ging indicatorA lag­ging indi­ca­tor is a mea­sur­able fac­tor that reflects the his­tor­i­cal per­for­mance or out­comes of an orga­ni­za­tion or project. It is use­ful for assess­ing past per­for­mance but less effec­tive in pre­dict­ing future trends. Com­mon lag­ging indi­ca­tors include unem­ploy­ment rates, prof­it mar­gins, and cus­tomer sat­is­fac­tion met­rics. In case of part­ner­ships rev­enue is often under­stood as a lag­ging indicator. 
Exec­u­tive sponsorshipExec­u­tive spon­sor­ship refers to the active involve­ment and sup­port of high-lev­el exec­u­tives or senior man­age­ment in a project, ini­tia­tive, or part­ner­ship. Exec­u­tive spon­sors play a cru­cial role in cham­pi­oning the project with­in the orga­ni­za­tion, pro­vid­ing strate­gic direc­tion, ensur­ing resources are allo­cat­ed, and help­ing to over­come obsta­cles. Their back­ing can sig­nif­i­cant­ly impact the suc­cess and vis­i­bil­i­ty of a project or partnership.
Coope­ti­tionCoope­ti­tion, a blend of “coop­er­a­tion” and “com­pe­ti­tion,” is a strate­gic busi­ness approach where com­pa­nies, usu­al­ly direct com­peti­tors in one area, decide to form col­lab­o­ra­tive part­ner­ships in anoth­er, cre­at­ing inher­ent ten­sion with­in the part­ner­ship. This sit­u­a­tion is fre­quent­ly found in the part­ner­ship field and requires a care­ful­ly formed alliance that acknowl­edges the bound­aries between col­lab­o­ra­tive and com­pet­i­tive areas. For coope­ti­tion to be sus­tain­able, it demands high­ly hon­or­able part­ners. Coopet­i­tive part­ner­ships are com­plex and chal­leng­ing to man­age but are becom­ing increas­ing­ly com­mon among major strate­gic part­ner­ships. These col­lab­o­ra­tions can lead to increased inno­va­tion, cost reduc­tion, and access to new mar­kets, ulti­mate­ly ben­e­fit­ing both par­ties involved.
Stake­hold­er alignmentStake­hold­er align­ment is the the con­di­tion or process of achiev­ing a shared vision, goals, and oper­a­tional con­sen­sus among stake­hold­ers to effec­tive­ly car­ry out the part­ner­ship’s mis­sion and val­ue proposition.
Orga­ni­za­tion­al alignmentOrga­ni­za­tion­al align­ment is a com­pa­ny-wide acknowl­edge­ment of the part­ner­ship’s vision and val­ue that tran­scends the spe­cif­ic indi­vid­u­als engaged in part­ner­ship operations.
Oper­a­tional fitThe extent to which the dai­ly busi­ness prac­tices and poli­cies of part­ner­ship part­ners align, the effi­cien­cy of the met­rics and rewards sys­tem, and the degree of orga­ni­za­tion­al sup­port ded­i­cat­ed to the part­ner­ship’s success.
Strate­gic fitThe extent to which part­ner­ship part­ners are in sync to achieve the long-term objec­tives of the part­ner­ship or cre­ate a com­pet­i­tive advan­tage for each orga­ni­za­tion. The goals of each part­ner may vary sig­nif­i­cant­ly, but the degree to which the part­ner­ship allows each part­ner to attain its goals is a strong indi­ca­tor of strate­gic fit and a sus­tain­able, suc­cess­ful partnership.
Strate­gic alignmentThe har­mo­niza­tion of cor­po­rate strat­e­gy and part­ner­ship strat­e­gy, both inter­nal­ly and poten­tial­ly with joint cus­tomers or, in some cas­es, suppliers.
Stake­hold­er (exter­nal)An exter­nal stake­hold­er is an indi­vid­ual or group out­side an orga­ni­za­tion that has an inter­est in or can be affect­ed by the orga­ni­za­tion’s activ­i­ties, deci­sions, or projects. Exter­nal stake­hold­ers can include cus­tomers, sup­pli­ers, part­ners, com­peti­tors, reg­u­la­tors, and the com­mu­ni­ty in which the orga­ni­za­tion oper­ates. While they may not be direct­ly involved in the orga­ni­za­tion’s dai­ly oper­a­tions, they can still be influ­enced by its actions and deci­sions, and their feed­back and inter­ests can impact the orga­ni­za­tion’s strate­gies and success.
Stake­hold­er (inter­al)An inter­nal stake­hold­er is an indi­vid­ual or group with­in an orga­ni­za­tion that has a direct inter­est or involve­ment in the orga­ni­za­tion’s activ­i­ties, deci­sions, or projects. Inter­nal stake­hold­ers typ­i­cal­ly include employ­ees, man­agers, exec­u­tives, and share­hold­ers (in the case of a com­pa­ny). They are direct­ly affect­ed by the orga­ni­za­tion’s per­for­mance, poli­cies, and over­all suc­cess, and often con­tribute to its oper­a­tions and deci­sion-mak­ing processes.
ScopeThe range of activ­i­ties and advan­tages a part­ner­ship aims to pro­vide. The scope can be deter­mined by the prod­ucts and ser­vices gen­er­at­ed, the geo­graph­ic cov­er­age of the part­ner­ship, its dura­tion, and/or the lev­el of orga­ni­za­tion­al involvement.
Ecosys­temAn ecosys­tems is a com­plex net­work of inter­con­nect­ed indi­vid­u­als, orga­ni­za­tions, and resources that inter­act and depend on one anoth­er to cre­ate a sus­tain­able and thriv­ing envi­ron­ment, often for the pur­pose of pro­mot­ing inno­va­tion and growth.
Col­lab­o­ra­tive workingCol­lab­o­ra­tive work­ing is a process in which indi­vid­u­als, teams, or orga­ni­za­tions work togeth­er to achieve com­mon goals, shar­ing resources, exper­tise, and responsibilities.
Part­ner experiencePart­ner Expe­ri­ence (PX) describes the gen­er­al impres­sion, lev­el of sat­is­fac­tion, and engage­ment that part­ners have of a com­pa­ny through­out their inter­ac­tions with the com­pa­ny. The Part­ner Expe­ri­ence, which can include a vari­ety of fac­tors like com­mu­ni­ca­tion, sup­port, train­ing, access to resources, mar­ket­ing and sales enable­ment, and the gen­er­al ease of doing busi­ness togeth­er, is essen­tial for devel­op­ing strong, long-last­ing relationships.

A updat­ed full ver­sion of the glos­sary is acces­si­ble through Part­ner­Stan­dard Pro.