Andreas Geamanu

‍

When working with B2B partners, it's important to have a clear way of tracking who’s involved in your opportunities and how they contribute to revenue. In Salesforce, there’s no one-size-fits-all method — and that’s the beauty of it. Depending on your organization’s needs, technical maturity, and the complexity of your partner ecosystem, you can choose from several flexible approaches.

Below, we break down 4 common ways to manage partners in Salesforce and attribute revenue to them effectively.

1.  Picklist field on an Opportunity

Best for: Simpler programs with one partner per Opportunity

The most straightforward method is to add a picklist field to the Opportunity object — for example, a field called Partner Name or Partner Source. You pre-define a list of your partners and let your sales team select the right one during opportunity creation.

How does it work?

‍What are the pros?

✅ Easy to implement

✅ No complex relationships needed

✅ Good for easy single-partner attribution

‍What are the cons?

❌ Not ideal for scaling or multi-touch attribution

2.  Lookup field to an Account object Recommended

Best for: One-to-one attribution with better data control

A step up from a picklist is using a lookup relationship field that connects an Opportunity to an Account object. This allows you to reference a full account record (your partner) and pull in relevant details automatically.

How does it work?

‍What are the pros?

✅  Clean reference to partner data being stored in your accounts

✅  Can support reporting and automation more effectively

✅  Easy to update if the Account record changes

‍What are the cons?

❌  Limited to one partner account per opportunity

3. Via a Relation table

Best for: Multi-partner attribution or shared deals

If you need to support multiple partners per opportunity, you’ll want to use a relation table that sits between Opportunities and Partner Accounts. This creates a many-to-many relationship, enabling flexible collaboration and advanced revenue sharing logic.

How does it work?

‍What are the pros?

✅  Ideal for ecosystems with resellers, distributors, and co-marketing partners

✅  Enables advanced logic for revenue splits or co-selling

✅  Ideal for ecosystems with resellers, distributors, and co-marketing partners

‍What are the cons?

❌ Requires a more technical setup and configuration

❌  More complex for reporting unless standardized

4. Custom Object for Partners

Best for: Large-scale partner programs with tiering, statuses, and multiple partner touchpoints

For organizations that want to treat their partners as a core part of the Salesforce data model, creating a dedicated Partner object is the most robust option. You can relate this object to Opportunities, Contacts, Accounts, and more — and track custom partner attributes like tier, region, industry focus, etc.

How does it work?

‍What are the pros?

✅  Fully flexible and scalable

✅  Allows for richer partner data and automation

✅  Better suited for partner performance analytics and program insights

‍What are the cons?

❌  Requires upfront planning and schema design

❌  Needs buy-in from operations and potentially dev teams

Conclusion

Choosing the right method to manage and attribute your B2B partners in Salesforce depends on the complexity of your partnerships and the level of reporting or automation you need. While simple picklists work for early-stage programs, relation tables or custom objects are better suited for mature ecosystems.

At Introw, we help customers integrate their partner workflows directly into Salesforce — making it easy to attribute, collaborate, and scale with partners, no matter which method you use.

👉 Curious how this would work in your setup? Request a demo now.

‍

​​Partnership marketing is a mutually beneficial strategic collaboration between businesses to promote each other's products or services.

When entering into a marketing partnership, instead of competing, companies work together, combining their strengths, audiences, and resources for mutual growth. 

Examples of popular partnership marketing strategies include co-branded marketing campaigns, ABM partnerships, social media collaborations, marketplace partnerships and product integrations.

And in 2025, partnership marketing is more critical than ever. 

With rising customer acquisition costs, fierce competition, and increasing demand for authentic, value-driven interactions, businesses are shifting from transactional marketing to relationship-led growth. 

Trust is key, and partnerships offer a credible way to build it — especially when a trusted partner introduces your brand.

For B2B SaaS companies, this shift is even more pronounced. 

In a saturated, rapidly evolving market, partner-led growth enables SaaS firms to scale faster, tap into new verticals, and extend customer lifetime value through integrated solutions. 

It can also help them to keep up with competition without busting the marketing budget.

Furthermore, by embedding products into broader partner ecosystems, SaaS companies reduce churn and drive stickiness.

As buyer journeys become more complex, collaborative go-to-market strategies are no longer optional—they're essential.

⬇️ In this guide, we'll take you through everything you need to know about partnership marketing, so you can decide whether it's the right tactic for your business.

What is Partnership Marketing?

Partnership marketing is a strategy where two or more companies collaborate to promote each other's brand, products, or services — with the goal of driving mutual growth. Rather than operating through traditional paid channels or simple referral schemes, partnership marketing focuses on strategic alignment: both partners contribute resources, co-create campaigns, and share audiences to generate value on both sides.

Unlike affiliate marketing, which is purely performance-based with direct financial incentives for each conversion, partnership marketing often emphasizes broader strategic goals — like brand visibility, market expansion, and pipeline generation. However, performance still matters: successful partnerships typically track results like leads, engagement, and influenced revenue, even if there isn’t always a strict "commission per sale" model.

Channel sales, on the other hand, do overlap with partnership marketing — especially when partners engage in co-marketing activities such as joint webinars, content syndication, or event sponsorships. In many cases, channel partners do both promote and sell products, depending on the nature of the partnership.

In short, partnership marketing is about creating strategic go-to-market alliances — blending promotional activities with co-selling or co-branding initiatives to drive shared success.

Benefits of Partnership Marketing 

There are many direct and indirect advantages to implementing partnership marketing strategies.

Here are ten of the top benefits you can expect to see: 

1. Expanded reach: Access new audiences through your partner's customer base and marketing channels.
2. Increased credibility: Build trust faster when introduced by a known and respected partner.
3. Lower customer acquisition cost (CAC): Reduce marketing spend by sharing efforts and leveraging established relationships.
4. Scalable revenue growth: Partnerships create repeatable, cost-effective growth channels that scale alongside your business.
5. Improved lead quality: Benefit from warm, qualified referrals that convert faster and more reliably.
6. Stronger value proposition: Offer customers a more complete solution by pairing complementary products or services.
7. Faster market entry: Leverage partners' presence and expertise to break into new verticals or regions.
8. Shared resources and expertise: Collaborate on content, tools, and campaigns—saving time and expanding capabilities.
9. Greater customer retention: Integrated, value-rich solutions increase stickiness and reduce churn.
10. Innovation and strategic insight: Learn from partners' market experience and co-create innovative solutions.

Types of Partnership Marketing in 2025

There are many different varieties of effective partnership marketing to consider in 2025.

So which type is going to make the biggest positive impact in your business?

This will depend on your business' specific needs, challenges, goals, and overall circumstances — as well as those of your partner. 

Here are eight of the most popular types of partnership marketing to consider: 

1. Co-marketing Campaigns

Co-marketing campaigns involve two or more companies collaborating to create and promote content or events that deliver mutual value. 

So what does this look like, exactly?

Common formats include co-branded eBooks, joint webinars, and shared industry events. 

These campaigns combine expertise, expand reach, and engage both audiences through shared promotion. 

Each partner contributes resources — like content, speakers, or distribution channels, for example — while benefiting from increased visibility and lead generation. 

The key benefits of co-marketing include reduced costs, higher-quality leads, and enhanced credibility through association. 

Remember — it's vital to ensure both organizations are aligned on messaging and goals before kicking off your partnership. 

This alignment empowers partners to create more impactful, resource-efficient campaigns that resonate with their shared target audience.

2. Marketplace Partnerships

A marketplace partnership is a collaboration where a company integrates or lists its product or service within another company's platform or digital marketplace. 

For example, an app store or software ecosystem like HubSpot Marketplace, Salesforce AppExchange, or AWS Marketplace.

These partnerships typically involve:

• Product integrations that enhance functionality for shared users
• Co-marketing opportunities within the marketplace
• Shared customer acquisition channels

By being listed in a trusted marketplace, your solution gains visibility among highly targeted, ready-to-buy users. 

Indeed, benefits include increased discoverability, faster customer acquisition, and added credibility through platform association. 

As a bonus, seamless integrations boost customer satisfaction and retention by creating a more complete, user-friendly solution. 

For SaaS companies especially, marketplace partnerships can be a scalable, low-friction channel for growth and long-term partner-led revenue.

3. Content Swaps And Backlink Partnerships

These tactics are designed to boost your online visibility, build authority in your industry and reach new audiences. 

Content swaps and backlink partnerships are search engine optimization (SEO) tactics that involve two companies exchanging content — such as blog posts, guides, or ebooks — with links back to each other's websites. 

For example, your company's CEO could write a thought leadership guest blog with links back to your own website. 

This would then be published on your partner's website.

Driving referral traffic and enhancing brand credibility are two of the major benefits.

Still, the number one reason businesses deploy this tactic is to strengthen domain authority, helping both companies perform better in search engines. 

This low-cost, high-impact strategy is especially effective for B2B companies looking to grow their online presence, generate organic leads, and establish thought leadership through mutually beneficial content collaboration.

4. Social Media Collaborations

Social media collaborations are not only for B2C brands. 

While the tone and style of your content might be different to a B2C social collaboration campaign, these campaigns can be an extremely useful tool for brands in the SaaS space. 

B2B social media collaborations involve two or more companies teaming up to share content, campaigns, or promotions across their social channels. 

These can include co-branded posts, joint LinkedIn Lives, shared video series, or collaborative giveaways. 

By leveraging each other's audiences, businesses expand their reach, boost engagement, and build trust through association, all while driving qualified traffic to each partner's site. 

This type of partnership marketing is cost-effective, easy to execute, and ideal for increasing visibility, sparking conversation, and generating leads in a more authentic, relationship-driven way.

5. ABM partnerships

Account-based marketing (ABM) is where a brand focuses on a high-value prospect that fits its ICP. 

In ABM, the stakes are high: the wins are significant, but losses are expensive. 

This is why ABM partnerships appeal. 

In an ABM partnership, two companies collaborate to target shared ideal customer profiles (ICPs) with personalized, coordinated outreach. 

Partners align on high-value accounts, then co-create tailored campaigns — such as custom content, joint emails, or personalized events — designed to engage key decision-makers. 

This approach combines data, insights, and resources from both sides to increase relevance and impact. 

By working together, companies can boost campaign effectiveness, shorten sales cycles, and increase deal size. 

ABM partnerships are especially powerful in B2B SaaS, where long sales cycles and complex buying committees require strategic, high-touch marketing that resonates with specific prospects across channels.

6. Influencer Partnerships 

In B2B SaaS, influencer partnerships involve collaborating with trusted voices in a specific niche to build credibility, reach decision-makers, and drive awareness or adoption.

These influencers might be:

• Industry consultants
• Niche content creators (e.g. YouTubers, podcasters, LinkedIn voices)
• Community leaders or analysts

They promote your SaaS solution through reviews, tutorials, webinars, or co-branded content tailored to their audience. 

What's more, since vertical SaaS targets specialized markets (like healthcare, legal, or construction), these influencers often have deep domain credibility, which means backlinks can boost your website's SEO. 

Other benefits include targeted reach, faster trust-building, and improved lead quality — making it a powerful channel for awareness and education-driven growth.

In exchange, some influencers may require payment or commission, while others will accept free access to tools and services along with promotion of their page on your channels. 

So, are influencer partnerships the right strategy for your brand?

This is an especially useful tactic in vertical SaaS, which is designed for a specific industry or niche.

However, if your SaaS targets a more general market, you might struggle to find influencers that unite your audience. 

7. Reseller/Referral Hybrid Motions

Reseller/Referral hybrid motions combine elements of both reseller and referral partnerships into a single go-to-market strategy.

• In a referral model, the partner introduces or refers potential customers to your business and earns a commission or incentive when deals close.
• In a reseller model, the partner actually sells your product — often bundling it with their own services — and may handle billing and customer support.

The hybrid motion allows partners to start by referring leads and transition into full resellers as they gain confidence or technical expertise. 

It's flexible, lowers onboarding friction, and supports deeper collaboration over time, making it ideal for scaling partner-led growth.

How to Build a Partnership Marketing Strategy

Sold on partnership marketing and ready to get started?

Admittedly, this can be a little daunting: after all, when there are two plus parties involved, it's never as simple as creating an in-house strategy. 

However, get partnership marketing right and the results should be worth the extra effort. 

We've simplified the partnership marketing strategy into five steps:

1. Define Objectives 

Kick off your B2B partner marketing strategy by defining your objectives.

This is crucial for measuring the success of your partnership and continuously optimizing your strategy down the line. 

To define objectives, start by aligning with business goals — whether these are generating leads, influencing pipeline, or increasing brand awareness. 

Now, define your objectives for partnership marketing. 

For example, if generating more leads is a general business goal, you might set a SMART goal such as:

"Generate [NUMBER] of leads from [PARTNERSHIP MARKETING PROJECT by [DATE]."

Then, set clear KPIs for each goal, such as number of qualified leads, sourced revenue, or reach and engagement metrics. 

It's vital to ensure both partners agree on success measures, timelines, and tracking methods to keep efforts focused, measurable, and mutually beneficial. 

2. Align With RevOps And Sales To Define Attribution Model

Aligning with RevOps and Sales is crucial when setting up a partnership marketing program because it ensures clear, consistent attribution of leads and revenue. 

Without alignment, partner-sourced or influenced deals can be misattributed, leading to inaccurate reporting and under-valuing partner efforts. 

RevOps should help to define the attribution model — deciding how credit is assigned across touchpoints — while Sales will ensure partner leads are properly followed up. 

Together, they create transparency, trust, and accountability, enabling smarter investment and stronger partner relationships.

3. Identify High-Fit Partners

This is the exciting bit: it's time to identify your potential partners! 

Remember — you're looking for high-fit partners. 

Start by searching for companies that share your ideal customer profile (ICP) — targeting similar industries, roles, or challenges. 

Look for mutual value, where both parties benefit from shared leads, increased reach, or enhanced offerings. 

Strong cultural alignment, complementary products or services, and overlapping sales motions also matter. 

You should be able to gain some important answers simply by evaluating a company's audience size, reputation, and willingness to collaborate. 

Ideal partners should:

• Fill a gap in your customer journey
• Strengthen your value proposition
• Be equally invested in long-term success

And if the prospect of collaborating with another company makes you nervous, take it slowly. 

Start with low-lift collaborations, then scale deeper based on results and strategic fit.

4. Set Up Co-Marketing Playbooks And Tools

Congratulations — you've secured your first partnership!

Now you've cracked the who, it's time to get into the how. 

Co-marketing playbooks help partners launch campaigns faster, stay aligned, and deliver consistent, high-quality content — making collaboration smoother and results more scalable across multiple partnerships.

Here are some key tips for setting up your co-marketing playbooks and tools:

• Create standardized templates for joint campaigns — covering emails, social posts, landing pages, and event promotion. 
• Define roles, timelines, approval processes, and branding guidelines to streamline execution. 
• Use a PRM like Introw for collaboration, automating workflows, lead registration and attribution, and monitoring partnership performance. 
• Include clear KPIs (e.g. leads, registrations, content downloads) and a feedback loop to refine future efforts. 

5. Track And Optimize Performance Via CRM/PRM Integration

Tracking and optimizing performance via a CRM-first PRM like Introw is crucial for measuring the true impact of your partnership marketing efforts. 

With integrated systems, you gain real-time visibility into lead flow, deal progress, and revenue attribution from each partner campaign. 

This transparency allows you to assess what's working, identify gaps, and make data-driven decisions. 

It also ensures partners receive proper credit and fosters trust. 

‍

By syncing marketing activities, lead registrations, and closed-won data, you can continuously refine co-marketing strategies, improve ROI, and confidently scale successful partnerships. 

Ultimately, integration turns partnership marketing from guesswork into a performance-driven growth engine.

Real-World Partnership Marketing Example: Hubspot + Typeform

HubSpot and Typeform have developed a robust partnership marketing strategy centred on seamless integration to enhance lead generation and customer engagement. 

By combining Typeform's interactive forms with HubSpot's CRM capabilities, businesses can capture and manage leads more effectively. 

For instance, the education platform 100mentors utilized this integration to automate data entry, resulting in a 50% reduction in manual tasks and a 20% increase in conversions.

Additionally, HubSpot's "Make My Persona" tool, built using Typeform, exemplifies successful co-marketing. 

This tool allows users to create detailed buyer personas, providing value to users while generating approximately 1,000 leads per month for HubSpot. ​

The partnership's strength lies in its ability to deliver personalized, scalable marketing solutions, making it a model for effective B2B collaboration.

Best Practices for B2B Partner Marketing in 2025

For best results, ensure you follow these four partner marketing best practices: 

1. Co-Create With Partners, Don't Just Syndicate

Truly effective partner marketing stems from collaboration, not just content redistribution. 

So instead of simply handing partners premade assets, co-develop campaigns like joint webinars, co-branded eBooks, or social content. 

This ensures alignment with both brands' voices and audience needs, leading to better engagement and shared ownership of outcomes.

2. Avoid Friction: Make Collaboration Off-Portal

Friction in your joint workflows can see your collaborative projects end before you've had a chance to see the benefits. 

This is why it's so important to streamline how you work together. 

While portals are useful for asset storage and reporting, real-time collaboration thrives in low-friction channels like Slack or shared email threads. 

For a truly frictionless project, why not harness the power of Introw's PRM, which offers off-portal collaboration and integrates with Slack? 

This encourages faster communication, easier brainstorming, and a more agile response to opportunities or blockers.

3. Align On Goals Early

Before launching any activity, you need to get on the same page about what success looks like. 

Are you focused on brand awareness, marketing qualified leads (MQLs), or influencing pipeline? 

Setting shared KPIs avoids misalignment and enables meaningful measurement and reporting.

4. Use Clean CRM Data And PRM Reporting To Measure Impact

Poor data hygiene kills performance tracking. 

Ensure your CRM is clean and synced with a PRM tool like Introw so you can accurately attribute results — confidently track sourced leads, influenced pipeline, and partner-driven revenue.

➡️On the hunt for a highly effective partner relationship management system? Here's everything you need to know about choosing your next PRM. 

How Introw Powers Scalable Partnership Marketing

• One-click co-branding at scale: Introw lets you instantly add partner logos, names, and details to your sales and marketing assets — all in one click. No more manual edits for every campaign or piece of content. Scale co-branded marketing efforts effortlessly and maintain brand consistency across partner initiatives.
• Introw syncs co-marketing activities with your CRM: Introw integrates natively with HubSpot and Salesforce, ensuring all co-marketing activities, lead registrations, and partner deals are tracked directly in your CRM — no need for duplicate data entry or disconnected tools.
• Introw tracks partner engagement and shares updates via Slack: Partners receive real-time updates via its Slack integration, including notifications when leads engage or deals move forward. This off-portal engagement keeps communication flowing and visibility high without needing extra tools.
• Flexible access: Introw eliminates the friction of portal fatigue by enabling partners to engage via Slack or email — no mandatory logins needed for day-to-day updates. However, for deeper collaboration on content, strategy, and co-selling, partners can also access a fully customizable portal when needed, keeping everything aligned and easily accessible. 
• Forecast and report on a partner-attributed marketing pipeline: Easily report on partner-sourced and influenced pipeline with attribution tied directly to CRM data. Introw enables forecasting by tracking partner performance and marketing contributions in real-time.
• Built for HubSpot + Salesforce users: Designed specifically for go-to-market teams using HubSpot or Salesforce, Introw fits neatly into your existing tech stack and enhances partner marketing without adding complexity.

🚀 Power up your partner marketing with Introw — book a demo here today.

Conclusion

Ultimately, partnership marketing is a powerful, scalable growth lever for B2B SaaS, delivering lower customer acquisition costs and high-impact results. 

But remember — success depends on strong alignment across marketing, sales, and ops to ensure smooth execution and measurable outcomes. 

With the right strategy, partnerships can drive pipeline, brand visibility, and long-term revenue. 

However, partnership marketing — like any form of collaboration — is not without its challenges, from misaligned goals and communication barriers to inaccurate tracking and failure to commit. 

Fortunately, Introw makes partnership marketing much easier — after all, managing partners is what this cutting-edge platform was designed for. 

Introw keeps partner marketing CRM-native — fully integrated with HubSpot and Salesforce — so all activities are trackable, collaborative, and scalable from day one. 

By streamlining workflows and partner engagement, this software helps you unlock the full potential of partner-led growth without adding complexity or disconnected tools.

💡 Ready to streamline your partner marketing strategy? Get a personalized Introw demo.

‍

Partner-led growth depends on empowering partners to work alongside direct sales to drive customer acquisition and revenue — and tight integration between your CRM and partner workflows is essential to get this right. 

This seamless integration creates a unified view of leads and opportunities, allowing both internal teams and partners to collaborate seamlessly and avoid duplicating their efforts. 

Furthermore, integrated systems enable accurate deal registration, attribution, and tracking, which is critical for partner incentives and performance insights.

With synced workflows, partners can register deals directly, co-sell with your team, and stay aligned through shared timelines and updates. 

Additionally, CRM integration enables automated notifications, streamlined onboarding, and enhanced forecasting (by including partner pipeline in revenue projections). 

The key benefits of tightly integrating your CRM and partner workflows?

Less friction, shorter sales cycles, and better partner trust. 

Ultimately, it allows you to scale your partner ecosystem efficiently while maintaining transparency, accountability, and data-driven decision-making — all of which are vital to a successful partner-led growth strategy.

This is why companies are increasingly shifting from standalone PRM portals to CRM-first experiences like Introw — which integrates with popular CRMs, including HubSpot —  to streamline their partner collaboration. 

This approach meets partners where they work and aligns them more closely with internal sales processes.

Ready to scale your partner management this year? 

⬇️ In this guide, we'll cover why HubSpot is a highly effective platform for partner management and take you through seven must-have best practices for scaling in 2025. 

Can You Manage Partners in HubSpot? (Spoiler: Yes — with the Right Setup)

HubSpot doesn't have native PRM, but it offers several features that can be useful for SaaS partner management projects. 

For example, the platform supports custom objects, labels, and workflows. 

All of these elements are super useful for companies running small partner management projects. 

The problem arises when you want to scale. 

Indeed, most partner programs will quickly outgrow manual tagging and disconnected forms. 

Once you get serious about your partner program, you need a PRM that is tailor-made for managing and scaling these schemes. 

At the same time, you don't want to silo your partner management efforts from your CRM — this would create data disconnects, limiting visibility into partner-driven deals and slowing collaboration. 

The solution?

Invest in tightly CRM-integrated PRM tools like Introw. 

This way, you fill the PRM gap natively inside HubSpot and give your partnerships the best possible chance of flourishing. 

Why HubSpot Is a Strong Foundation for Partner Management

Many SaaS teams already rely on HubSpot as their central source of truth for customers, deals, and marketing. 

But increasingly, partner managers are realizing HubSpot can also be a superb command center for their partner programs — as long as they configure the platform in the right way. 

Here's why HubSpot makes sense as a foundation for partner management in 2025:

• Unified CRM: HubSpot consolidates marketing, sales, and service data — giving RevOps and partner teams shared visibility
• Custom Properties & Objects: You can track partner types, partner-sourced deals, referrals, and more — without duct-taping separate systems
• Automation: Workflows make it easy to route leads, assign reps, or trigger partner engagement emails
• Integrations: Certified apps like Introw turn HubSpot into a fully featured PRM, removing the need for standalone portals or duplicate tracking
• No-Code Setup: You can scale your partner ops without custom dev work or heavy training

In short, if HubSpot is already your CRM, there's no reason to manage your partner program outside of it. 

Instead, plug in a PRM like Introw, and you'll gain a partner-ready ecosystem inside your CRM — one that works for RevOps, Sales, and Partner Managers alike.

7 Must-Have HubSpot Partner Management Practices for 2025

Ready to scale your partner program with Hubspot? 

Here are seven vital HubSpot partner management practices you should be following for success in 2025. 

1. Automate Partner Onboarding with Forms + CRM Sync

This one will save you a lot of time! 

Did you know you can use Introw to push form data (e.g. "Become a Partner") directly into HubSpot?

First, connect Introw to HubSpot to enable seamless data synchronization. 

This integration allows form submissions, such as partner applications, to be pushed directly into HubSpot.

You can then use HubSpot's automation tools to trigger actions upon form submission. 

For instance, automatically create a contact or company record, assign tasks, or send follow-up emails.

2. Enable Easy Deal & Lead Registration (No HubSpot Login Needed)

Introw allows for off-portal collaboration, which makes life much easier for your partners. 

Indeed, your partners don't even need to log in to HubSpot in order to submit deals or register leads. 

Instead, they can submit deals via a form, Slack or email. 

The details are then auto-mapped to HubSpot, which acts as your single source of truth. 

3. Collaborate on Deals Inside HubSpot with CRM Cards

Using CRM cards from Introw, teams can collaborate on partner-sourced deals directly inside HubSpot. 

These embedded cards show deal details, partner info, and updates in real-time — without switching tools.

This means your partner's comments are automatically turned into CRM notes

Real-time sync keeps the deal's status, details, and updates aligned with your HubSpot pipeline, enabling smooth, in-CRM collaboration.

This streamlines communication, boosts visibility and keeps sales and partner teams aligned throughout the deal cycle.

4. Track Partner Performance in Real-Time

The success of your partner strategy hinges on data analysis. 

Tracking partner performance in real-time is crucial to help you identify top performers, spot bottlenecks, and optimize your partner strategy as deals progress. 

Indeed, without a sophisticated tracking and data analysis system, you're just guessing at what works and hoping you're right. 

But with the right tools in your arsenal, you unlock faster decision-making, more accurate forecasting, and effective incentives — driving accountability, growth, and stronger partner relationships across your ecosystem.

Fortunately, Introw and HubSpot work together to make real-time data analysis easy. 

Introw generates dashboards based on HubSpot data. 

Set up dashboards based on metrics that speak to your goals — for example, revenue, activity, pipeline, or deal data.

5. Engage Partners Off-Portal via Email & Slack

One of Introw's most partner-friendly features is that it allows you to engage your partners off-portal via email and Slack. 

This means partners don't need to log into their portal to communicate or collaborate with you. 

Instead, they receive real-time notifications, can comment on deals, and stay in the loop — all off-portal — making collaboration faster, easier, and more integrated into their daily workflows.

6. Customize Experiences by Partner Type

In 2025, personalization is crucial when it comes to engaging your partners. 

Deliver an irrelevant or jarring experience, and partners could lose trust in your offering and become more reluctant to recommend you. 

Introw supports dynamic views and objects in HubSpot, which allows you to customize partner experiences by type.

For example, you can tailor onboarding flows, forms, content, and deal stages for different partner types, like partner submitted referrals, a successful reseller channel, or MSPs.

Simply segment partners within HubSpot and Introw, then deliver relevant experiences and workflows that match their role, ensuring higher engagement and more effective collaboration across partner types.‍

7. Automate Commission Tracking & Payouts

Connect Introw with your HubSpot CRM to automate commission tracking and payouts. 

As deals close, Introw tracks which partner influenced each one, calculates commissions based on preset rules and logs the data. 

You can then use CRM triggers to automate payout workflows or give partners visibility over their commissions. 

This ensures accuracy, transparency, and timely rewards.

Why Introw Is the Best HubSpot PRM Integration for 2025

Introw stands out in 2025 as the ultimate PRM integration for HubSpot, delivering unmatched efficiency, partner experiences, and growth capabilities.

Here's why it's the best partner relationship management tool integration with HubSpot:

• HubSpot Certified App: Introw is trusted and verified by HubSpot, ensuring a smooth, secure integration.
• Personalized partner portals created in minutes: Launch clean, branded portals for each partner quickly — no technical setup required.
• Keeps HubSpot as the single source of truth: All partner data, leads, and deal activity sync directly into HubSpot, eliminating the need to manage a separate PRM system.
• No partner logins required: Partners can view, register, and collaborate on deals via shared links — no friction, forgotten passwords, or onboarding headaches.
• Real-time deal + engagement sync: Instantly reflects partner-submitted leads and activity in HubSpot, giving your sales team live visibility.
• GDPR-ready, ISO27001 and SOC2 certified: Designed with enterprise-level security and global compliance in mind.
• Works across all HubSpot plans (Sales, Service, CRM): Fully compatible with the entire HubSpot suite, so you can support partner workflows wherever your teams operate.

🚀 Launch Your HubSpot Partner Portal in Minutes — Book a Demo!

Conclusion

If HubSpot is already your CRM, why not make it your partner system too?

With Introw, you can scale partner programs without silos, clunky portals, or extra logins.

Save RevOps time, align with Sales, and drive more revenue from your ecosystem.

✅ Ready to simplify partner management in HubSpot? Get a personalized demo

‍

In 2025, ecosystem-led growth is a key priority for SaaS teams.

In a fiercely competitive landscape, relying solely on your direct sales team and internal resources is no longer enough. 

SaaS companies increasingly recognize the power of strategic partnerships to drive scalable, sustainable revenue. 

Indeed, by tapping into partner ecosystems, companies can expand market reach, accelerate customer acquisition, and increase trust through third-party validation. 

But in order to efficiently manage and scale partnership programs, you need the right tech stack. 

In 2025, this means a partner relationship management system that seamlessly integrates with — and is embedded within — your CRM. 

Introw is an attractive option for Salesforce users. 

This no-code PRM platform empowers teams to manage partner collaboration within a fully customizable portal — while keeping everything synced in Salesforce, eliminating the need for manual updates or disconnected tools.

Embedded partner management streamlines workflows, enhances collaboration, helps you deliver engaging partner experiences and eliminates the need for partners to switch platforms, ultimately driving higher adoption and performance.

It turns the CRM into a central hub for direct and partner-led growth, ensuring tighter integration with core sales processes, better data accuracy, and real-time visibility. 

⬇️ In this guide, we'll take you through our top recommendations for scaling your partnership program through Salesforce. 

What Makes Salesforce Powerful for Partner Management?

So, first up — why should you opt for partner management in Salesforce? 

Here are four major Salesforce partner relationship management features:

1. Unified CRM With Shared Visibility Across Sales, Marketing, And Support

Salesforce's Experience Cloud PRM is fully integrated within its CRM platform, providing a centralized system where sales, marketing, and support teams can collaborate seamlessly. 

The Salesforce partner management software allows for real-time sharing of sales leads, marketing campaigns, and support cases with partners. 

It aims to ensure consistent and efficient communication across all departments. ​

2. Custom Objects, Fields, and Relationship Tables

Salesforce offers the flexibility to create custom objects and fields.

This is super useful when it comes to partner relationship management. 

Indeed, these handy customizations enable businesses to tailor their partner management processes to their specific needs. 

Furthermore, they facilitate complex data modeling and allow for the precise tracking of partner interactions and performance metrics. ​

3. Native Automation And Workflow Support

In 2025, automation is a must if you wish to remain competitive. 

Fortunately, Salesforce delivers with a whole host of built-in automation tools via Sales Cloud. 

For instance, users can create workflows that streamline partner onboarding, deal registration, and lead distribution. 

These automated processes reduce manual tasks, enhance efficiency, and ensure that partners receive timely updates and support throughout their engagement lifecycle. 

4. Huge Ecosystem Of Partner-Focused Integrations

Partner relationship management on Salesforce is made much easier by the platform's extensive AppExchange.

Here you'll discover a vast array of partner-focused integrations, with access to thousands of prebuilt applications and consultant offerings. 

This extensive ecosystem allows businesses to extend their capabilities, incorporating tools for PRM, marketing automation, analytics, and more, to enhance partner collaboration and drive revenue growth. 

While Salesforce is an excellent option for partner management — especially if it's already your CRM — when it comes to PRM, it's worth looking beyond Experience Cloud. 

Experience Cloud is expensive, dev-heavy, and slow to implement. 

What's more, it can be way too complex for smaller organizations or those with smaller partner programs.  

Instead, take a look at Introw.

This slick no-code PRM platform integrates seamlessly with Salesforce, enabling rapid deployment and off-portal collaboration with no extensive setup. 

Introw delivers off-portal collaboration tools such as Slack integration, so partners no longer need to log into Salesforce directly to engage through shared channels or receive updates. 

At the same time, Introw is embedded within Salesforce, so your CRM remains your single source of truth. 

7 Salesforce Partner Management Recommendations for 2025

Ready to take your partner program to the next level with Salesforce partner relationship management via Introw?

Here are seven best practices to follow. 

1. Simplify Partner Onboarding with Auto-Detected Records

Introw simplifies partner onboarding by seamlessly integrating with Salesforce to auto-detect partner records. 

Upon connecting Salesforce to Introw, the PRM platform automatically syncs partner data from the CRM and kicks off workflows automatically. 

It identifies partners by filtering accounts labeled as 'Partner' or based on your custom configurations. 

This automation eliminates manual data entry, ensuring a swift and accurate setup. 

Once detected, Introw enables you to build no-code onboarding workflows that guide partners through essential steps like profile completion, content access, and deal registration. 

These workflows are tracked and synced with Salesforce, maintaining your CRM as the single source of truth and enhancing the efficiency of your partner onboarding process. 

2. Enable Fast Deal And Lead Registration (No Partner Logins Needed)

Introw enables fast deal and lead registration without requiring partners to log in to Salesforce. 

This streamlined approach accelerates partner engagement and ensures all submissions are tracked within your CRM.

Here's how it works.

Partners submit deals via secure, custom-branded forms created within Introw.

These forms are linked directly to Salesforce and automatically map submitted data — like company, contact, and deal details — to the correct custom objects, such as Opportunities or Leads. 

Furthermore, Introw's native Salesforce integration ensures real-time syncing, eliminating manual data entry and reducing friction for partners. 

3. Collaborate Natively On Salesforce Objects (No Experience Cloud Needed)

Introw lets users collaborate directly on Salesforce objects — like Opportunities, Contacts, or Accounts — without Experience Cloud. 

Through Introw's native Salesforce integration, partners can:

• Leave comments
• Upload files
• Share updates via Introw's interface

Meanwhile, all this activity is automatically synced to the corresponding Salesforce records.

This keeps every note, document, and status update tied to the right object in your CRM, ensuring full context and traceability without requiring partner logins. 

By eliminating the need for Experience Cloud, Introw reduces complexity and cost while enabling seamless, real-time collaboration between internal teams and external partners — all within your existing Salesforce environment.

4. Launch Branded Partner Portals Without Code

With Introw, users can launch fully branded partner portals in Salesforce in minutes — no coding required. 

These portals are dynamically generated and personalized based on partner type, deal stage, or custom Salesforce fields. 

Introw pulls data directly from Salesforce to tailor each partner's experience, displaying relevant content, contacts, and opportunities. 

Businesses can also customize branding, messaging, and segmentation rules to reflect their identity and target different partner segments. 

Unlike traditional Experience Cloud setups, Introw's no-code approach simplifies deployment while offering powerful functionality, empowering teams to quickly deliver a professional, secure, and scalable partner experience directly integrated with their Salesforce data.

5. Automate Commission Tracking And Payouts

Want to save time on commission and payments while also ensuring your partners are accurately rewarded? 

Introw automates commission tracking and payouts by tapping into real-time Salesforce data.

Once connected, Introw monitors key objects like Opportunities or custom revenue fields to determine commission eligibility. 

Users can configure rules to automate when and how payouts are triggered — no manual input required. 

Moreover, partners gain visibility into their commission status through branded, no-login-required portals. 

All activity is synced back to Salesforce.

6. Track Revenue And Engagement From The CRM

Introw enables users to track deals, revenue and partner engagement directly from Salesforce by syncing real-time CRM data into intuitive dashboards. 

Leveraging connected objects like Opportunities, Accounts, and custom fields, Introw surfaces deal flow, partner performance, and key engagement signals — such as submitted deals, shared files, and comments.

These insights are then visualized in real-time dashboards that require no manual updates or separate tools. 

This gives you a vital overview of which partners are most active and where revenue is being influenced, making it easier to optimize partner programs based on accurate, live performance and engagement metrics.

7. Keep RevOps Happy With Two-Way Data Sync

Introw keeps RevOps aligned by enabling two-way data sync with Salesforce, ensuring the CRM remains the single source of truth while powering enhanced partner-facing workflows. 

When partners submit deals, leave comments, or share updates via Introw, all activity is instantly synced to the correct Salesforce objects — like Opportunities or Contacts. 

Furthermore, any updates made in Salesforce are also reflected in partner-facing views, maintaining real-time consistency. 

This eliminates manual data entry, reduces errors, and ensures that every internal or external interaction is captured and tracked centrally. 

RevOps teams gain full visibility and control, while partners enjoy a seamless, user-friendly experience without needing direct CRM access.

Why Introw Is the Ideal Salesforce PRM Integration

Introw is purpose-built to enhance Salesforce with seamless, secure, and scalable partner relationship management — without disrupting your existing CRM workflows.

If Salesforce is already your CRM, choosing Introw for your PRM needs is a no-brainer. 

Here are seven reasons why: partner relationship management on Salesforce

1. Fully certified Salesforce integration: Introw meets the highest standards for security, functionality, and compatibility, providing a seamless connection with your Salesforce CRM.
2. Works alongside your current setup — no replacement, just superpowers: Introw enhances your existing Salesforce environment by introducing sophisticated PRM capabilities without requiring a complete system overhaul or replacement.
3. No-code setup in minutes: Users can quickly implement and customize the intuitive platform in minutes, eliminating the need for technical expertise or lengthy development processes.
4. All data stays in Salesforce (deals, contacts, properties, custom objects): Introw ensures that all partner-related data remains within your Salesforce environment, preserving data integrity and centralizing all information.
5. Partners never need a Salesforce login: Introw encourages partner enablement by allowing partners to collaborate and access necessary data without requiring them to log into Salesforce, simplifying the user experience and increasing partner engagement.
6. ISO27001 and GDPR-ready: Introw complies with ISO27001 and GDPR regulations, ensuring that all partner data is securely managed and your organization meets global data privacy standards.
7. Real-time partner collaboration on every Salesforce object: Introw facilitates real-time collaboration on every Salesforce object, including Opportunities, Contacts, and custom objects, keeping all interactions up-to-date and integrated for better decision-making.

🚀 Ready to launch your Salesforce Partner Portal in minutes? → Book a Demo

Conclusion

Salesforce is already your customer engine — now it can be your partner engine too.

Don't overbuild with Experience Cloud when Introw gives you instant value: faster launches, better adoption, and cleaner CRM data.

📈 Want to scale partner revenue inside Salesforce? Get a personalized Introw demo

‍

Partnerships can be a lucrative revenue stream — when your business has the right tools for the job. 

Indeed, many SaaS companies miss out on potential partner-driven revenue because they lack precise partnership tracking. 

It's no secret that, in 2025, the traditional spreadsheet tracking is dead.

Manual updates, delayed insights, and fragmented data no longer cut it. 

Instead, today's partner programs demand real-time visibility from overlap to close, ensuring every deal is tracked, attributed, and optimized for growth.

Modern solutions replace outdated spreadsheets with automated, CRM-integrated partnership tracking software, ensuring that partner-sourced revenue is captured seamlessly.

A precision-driven, real-time partnership tracker gives SaaS companies the edge by aligning sales teams, automating reporting, and enabling data-driven decisions. 

With clear visibility into partner-influenced deals, businesses can maximize partner ROI, improve collaboration, and scale revenue faster. 

In today's competitive landscape, partnership tracking isn't optional — it's essential for unlocking sustainable, repeatable growth.

What to Look for in a Partnership Tracking Platform

So, you know you need a modern partnership tracking platform.

But which features should you be looking out for? 

Here are seven features that every strong partnership tracking platform should have in 2025: 

1. A CRM-native integration: Salesforce or HubSpot
2. Lead/deal registration and auto-attribution
3. Partner engagement metrics — for example: Slack or email syncs, partner activities log
4. Forecasting partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline
5. Ecosystem data integrations (Crossbeam)
6. Real-time alerts and co-sell enablement
7. Custom workflows by partner type (referral, reseller, tech, MSP)

10 Best Partnership Trackers to Use in 2025

Ready to revolutionize your partnerships by investing in a new partnerships tracker? 

Here are ten top tools to consider. 

#1 Introw (with Crossbeam Integration)

Introw is the most powerful PRM for modern SaaS companies — and its native integration with Crossbeam supercharges the entire partner revenue workflow.

Here's Why It's #1:

• Starts where your team lives: Salesforce or HubSpot
• Tracks every partner deal, lead, and engagement touch in real time
• Uses Crossbeam's account mapping data to identify overlapping customers and prospects across your ecosystem
• Tracks every engagement your partners have with content/sales presentations
• Tracks commissions in real-time
• All activity is tracked and visible to Partner Managers, RevOps, and CROs

Quick Feature Rundown:

• CRM-native lead & deal registration
• Real-time alerts via Slack and email
• Deal attribution and forecasting built into your pipeline
• Partner segmentation, enablement, and engagement tracking
• Modular workflows (referral, reseller, MSP, tech)
• Set-up in minutes — not months

Find out more:

🔗 Introw + Crossbeam Integration Overview

🔗 HubSpot Integration

🔗 Salesforce Integration

🔗 See how Introw works

#2 PartnerStack

Referral and affiliate program software PartnerStack comes with some handy partner performance tracking features designed to help businesses recruit, track, and optimize partnerships effectively.

Quick Feature Rundown:

• Lead Monitoring
• CRM Integration
• Automated Attribution
• Performance Reporting
• Commission Automation
• UTM Tracking Support
• Fraud Protection

Pros: Commission automation, partner marketplace

Cons: Not ideal for co-sell motions or deep CRM integration

#3 Impartner

​Impartner is a leading Partner Relationship Management platform designed to optimize and automate the entire partner lifecycle, enhancing collaboration and driving revenue growth. ​

Quick Feature Rundown:

• Partner dashboards 
• Individual Partner Portals​
• Portal workflows
• Role-based permissions
• Opportunity management​
• Action tracking​
• Lead management
• Partner performance reporting​
• Partner engagement tools​
• CRM integration

Pros: Comprehensive tracking, robust backend

Cons: Heavier set-up, limited CRM-native tracking

#4 Allbound

​Impartner is a leading Partner Relationship Management platform designed to optimize and automate the entire partner lifecycle, enhancing collaboration and driving revenue growth. ​

Quick Feature Rundown:

• Lead Management
• Opportunity Management
• Action Tracking
• Partner Performance Reporting
• CRM Integration
• Program Compliance Manager
• Business Planning Tools
• Journey Builder
• Analytics Studio

Pros: Great partner management, easy to use, good customer support

Cons: Limited customization 

#5 ZINFI

​ZINFI is a comprehensive Partner Relationship Management platform that streamlines partner engagement and performance tracking.

This platform puts a heavy focus on automation, empowering you to save time and money when managing your partnerships. 

Quick Feature Rundown:

• Lead management​
• Opportunity management
• Performance analytics​
• Incentive management​
• Partner portal​
• Partner onboarding
• Partner training​
• Deal registration
• Automated partner onboarding, training, marketing, selling, and performance tracking

Pros: Easy to use, strong partner management, good customer support

Cons: Some features are limited

#6 Kiflo 

Partner Relationship Management platform Kiflo is designed to streamline partner engagement, growth, and success. 

It offers customizable and automated tools that show users a visual representation of their partnerships.

Furthermore, Kiflo caters specifically to small to medium-sized businesses, providing a personalized approach to partner management.

Quick Feature Rundown:

• Lead and Deal Registration​
• Real-Time Deal Tracking
• Dynamic Performance Dashboards
• Automated Partner Onboarding​
• Customizable Certifications​
• Content Management and Sharing​
• Automated Reward and Incentive Management​
• Comprehensive Analytics​
• CRM Integration

Pros: Good customer support, strong partner management features 

Cons: Integrations have limitations 

#7 WorkSpan 

WorkSpan is a Partner Relationship Management platform designed to enhance collaboration and drive revenue growth through strategic partnerships. 

It provides a comprehensive ecosystem for co-selling, co-innovating, co-marketing, and co-investing, enabling organizations to optimize their partnership strategies effectively.

Quick Feature Rundown:

• Co-sell opportunity management​
• Performance measurement​
• Best-practice partnership planning templates
• Comprehensive reporting and analytics​
• Real-time data sharing and collaboration​
• AI-driven insights and recommendations​
• Secure ecosystem access control​
• Automated referral creation and sharing​
• Customizable dashboards and metrics​
• Integration with existing CRM systems​

Pros: Strong partner management and collaboration tools 

Cons: Steep learning curve

#8 LeadsBridge 

​LeadsBridge is a comprehensive integration platform designed to streamline lead generation and management processes by connecting various marketing and CRM tools. 

Its unique value proposition lies in offering over 380 integrations. 

These integrations include custom solutions tailored to specific business needs, ensuring seamless data synchronization and enhanced marketing efficiency.

Quick Feature Rundown:

• Lead sync
• Audience targeting
• Online-to-offline tracking​
• Custom integration​
• Real-time data syncing​
• Lookalike audiences​
• Platform-to-platform integration​
• Lead nurturing​
• eCommerce synchronization​

Pros: Helpful customer support, thorough automation, seamless integrations

Cons: Initial set-up can be complex

#9 ZiftONE

Zift Solutions is a comprehensive Partner Relationship Management platform that streamlines channel management, enhances partner engagement, and drives revenue growth. 

This software integrates marketing, sales, and learning processes into a single platform, offering personalized experiences for businesses and their partners.

Quick Feature Rundown:

• Partner explorer​
• Tier Programs​
• User achievements​
• Partner groups​
• Customizable partner portals​
• Real-time analytics and reporting​
• Seamless CRM integration​
• Automated lead distribution​
• Partner onboarding tools

Pros: Easy to use and good customer support

Cons: Limited customization 

#10 Channeltivity

Channeltivity is a Partner Relationship Management platform designed to streamline channel management, enhance partner engagement, and drive revenue growth.

The software offers a comprehensive suite of tools — including deal registration, lead distribution, and partnership performance tracking — tailored to optimize channel operations for technology companies.

Meanwhile, its analytics and reporting suite, empowers leaders to make data-driven decisions and improve resource allocation.

Quick Feature Rundown:

• Deal registration​
• Lead distribution​
• Referrals and commissions
• Distributor management​
• Partner dashboards​
• Analytics and reporting​
• Notifications and reminders​
• Partner portal​
• Training and certification​
• Business planning​

Pros: Streamlined partner engagement and deal tracking and responsive support to ensure customer satisfaction

Cons: Customization limitations

Why Introw + Crossbeam is the Best Partnership Tracking Stack in 2025

If you're ready to integrate account mapping into your PRM, consider Introw with Crossbeam.

So, how do the two platforms work together?

Introw leverages Crossbeam's overlap data to identify opportunities and instantly share them with your partners. 

Essentially, Crossbeam finds the opportunity, and Introw then turns it into revenue. 

This process is super simple too — one-click integration connects the partner overlap data to the actual pipeline. 

What's more, Introw (with Crossbeam) syncs seamlessly into Salesforce or HubSpot, empowering you to manage your partner tracking process from inside your CRM. 

The Introw-Crossbeam integration also enables co-sell motions with visibility, engagement, and forecasting. 

And Introw is built for scale! 

There are no portals, no spreadsheets, and no data silos here. 

Conclusion

Today's partner programs live and die by what they can track.

Introw + Crossbeam is the only solution that handles account mapping, lead registration, engagement tracking, and forecasting — all in one flow

So, say goodbye to portal logins and spreadsheet chaos. 

✅ Ready to track every opportunity and turn partnerships into pipeline? Book your personalized Introw demo

‍

A strong CRM system should be the backbone of your partner programs. 

Embrace your CRM when it comes to partner management, and you can expect centralized relationships, seamless collaboration, full alignment with business operations, fewer channel conflicts, and improved revenue projections. 

What's more, by embedding partner management within a CRM, businesses gain a unified source of truth, improving efficiency, accountability, and long-term success in partner ecosystems.

Traditional, siloed partner tools simply can't keep up with the power of modern CRMs. 

It makes sense, then, that businesses are increasingly shifting to CRM-first workflows, integrating partner management into broader customer and revenue strategies. 

This transition eliminates inefficiencies caused by disconnected systems, enabling real-time visibility into partner performance.

When moving to a CRM-first workflow, businesses must understand the importance of native integrations, deal tracking, and forecasting. 

Look for CRM tools that offer native integrations with marketing automation, sales pipelines, and support tools to ensure that partner activities are fully aligned with business operations. 

Meanwhile, deal tracking within a CRM allows businesses to monitor partner-driven opportunities, assign leads effectively, and prevent channel conflicts. 

And forecasting capabilities provide data-driven insights into revenue projections, helping companies optimize their partner strategies.

To sum up, a CRM-first approach fosters stronger, data-backed partnerships that drive sustainable growth.

⬇️In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know to make the best CRM decision for your business and your partners. 

What to Look for in a CRM for Partner Management

When considering which CRM to go for, you'll undoubtedly already have several 'must have' features in mind. 

But here are the most important features to look out for when it comes to partner management: 

• Partner lead/deal registration
• Custom fields and workflows for channel/reseller/referral types
• Engagement tracking and collaboration tools
• Reporting and forecasting across partner-attributed pipeline
• Integration with PRM tools like Introw
• Scalability and API access for custom automation

15 Best CRM Platforms for Partner Management in 2025

So, we know that a CRM-first approach has a wide variety of benefits for partner management. 

But choosing the right CRM can be daunting; after all, it's a pretty big decision. 

And not every CRM is fit for partner management. 

To help you out, we've compiled a list of the best 15 CRM for partner management, along with their pros and cons. 

#1 HubSpot

A giant of the CRM world, HubSpot's CRM is super popular among growing SaaS teams. 

​This comprehensive, AI-powered platform is designed to unify customer data, streamline business operations, and enhance customer experiences. 

It offers a suite of tools across marketing, sales, customer service, content management, and operations, all integrated into a single system to facilitate seamless collaboration and efficiency. ​

And when it comes to partner management, Hubspot's CRM boasts several key features, including:

For partner management, HubSpot CRM provides several key features:​

✅ CRM partner relationship management (PRM) integrations: Access PRM software Introw through HubSpot's App Marketplace for partner engagement tracking, lead registration, and Slack-based collaboration.

✅ Association labels: Define and manage relationships with partners by labelling companies as "Partner" or "Distributor," clarifying roles and facilitating targeted communication. ​

✅ Partner services: Utilize Partner Services to track and manage services provided by partners, ensuring organized and efficient collaboration. ​

✅ Automation: Save time by automating workflows and repetitive processes 

These features enable businesses to effectively manage and nurture their partner relationships within HubSpot CRM.

🔗 Find out more about how Introw and Hubspot work together

#2 Salesforce

Salesforce remains the gold standard for enterprise partner programs. 

This comprehensive, cloud-based platform streamlines customer relationship management and partner relationship management by integrating sales, marketing, customer service, and more into a unified system. 

It empowers businesses to enhance customer interactions, improve satisfaction, and drive growth through data-driven insights and automation.

For partner management in CRM, Salesforce CRM offers several key features:​

✅ Partner relationship management software integration: Seamlessly integrates with Introw to place PRM functionalities firmly within the CRM, enabling tracking of partner pipeline, engagement, and performance — all natively.

✅ Powerful reporting and forecasting: Delivers key data insights to enable data-driven decisions, as well as accurate forecasting.

✅ Personalized partner engagement: Provides personalized templates and data-driven enablement tools to engage partners effectively, enhancing communication and collaboration. ​

✅ Automated processes: Automates marketing fund requests, discounting, and service case management, reducing manual tasks and increasing efficiency in partner interactions. ​

✅ Real-time updates with partner connect: Facilitates secure deal tracking and real-time, automated updates on co-selling deals across different CRMs, ensuring transparency and reducing data duplication.

✅ Scalability: Built on the Salesforce platform, it scales easily to accommodate growing partner ecosystems, adapting to evolving business needs. ​

🔗 Learn more here:  Introw + Salesforce Integration

#3 Zoho CRM

Zoho offers a flexible, cloud-based CRM that helps businesses manage sales, marketing, and customer relationships efficiently. 

It's also a good option for those looking for a CRM that will support partner relationship management for sustainable business growth. 

✅ Territory management: Organize and manage partner territories effectively, aligning sales strategies with specific regions or market segments.

✅ Workflow automation: Automate routine tasks and processes, enabling partners to focus on strategic activities and improving overall efficiency.

✅ Advanced analytics: Gain insights into partner performance through detailed reports and dashboards, facilitating data-driven decision-making. ​

✅ Customizable modules: Tailor CRM modules to fit specific partner management needs, ensuring a personalized and relevant experience. ​

✅ Multi-channel communication: Engage with partners across various channels, including email, phone, and social media, ensuring seamless communication.

Pros: Affordable, customizable, partner portal add-on

Cons: Weaker reporting, fewer native integrations

Best For: SMEs or mid-market teams just starting their partner motion.

#4 Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is an AI-powered suite of business applications that combines CRM and ERP capabilities to enhance customer experiences and business operations. 

It integrates sales, marketing, service, and financial data to help organizations innovate, automate processes, and drive growth.

It encompasses several key features for partner management:

✅ Manage partner relationships with shared data insights

✅ Automate lead and opportunity tracking

✅ Integrate partner sales data for streamlined collaboration

✅ Enable partner performance monitoring through analytics

✅ Use AI to provide personalized partner support

Pros: Deep integrations, enterprise-friendly

Cons: Steep learning curve, dev-heavy

Best For: Enterprises already deep in Microsoft's stack or those with in-house CRM admins

#5 Pipedrive

Pipedrive offers a clean, simple CRM that's easy to use. 

It automates repetitive tasks, tracks communications, and provides actionable insights to help sales teams optimize performance.

Admittedly, this one isn't purpose-built for partners, but it can support small partner programs with the right tagging and workflows.

When it comes to partner management, Pipedrive allows you to:

✅ Organize and track partner interactions in one space

✅ Automate partner follow-ups and communications

✅ Visualize partner pipeline for better decision-making

✅ Use AI for personalized partner management insights

✅ Centralize partner data for easy collaboration and reporting

Pros: Visual pipeline, easy setup

Cons: Limited partner automation, no partner-specific fields

Best For: Early-stage teams experimenting with partnerships

#6 Close.com

Close CRM is a platform designed to streamline sales processes for small businesses, focusing on automation, communication, and deal management. 

It offers an intuitive, fast interface for managing leads and communications — and can also prove useful for partner relationship management. 

Here's how:

✅ Track partner interactions and pipeline progress

✅ Automate partner outreach and follow-ups

✅ Centralize partner data and activity

✅ Monitor partner performance with analytics

✅ Seamlessly integrate with other tools for collaboration

Pros: Simple, easy-to-use

Cons: Limited customization

Best For: Small businesses with big growth ambitions 

#7 Freshsales

Freshsales by Freshworks is an AI-powered sales CRM that enhances revenue growth with automation, lead scoring, and predictive analytics. 

It streamlines workflows and provides insights to improve sales efficiency.

Here's how it can boost partner management:

✅ Track and manage partner relationships efficiently

✅ Automate follow-ups and communication with partners

✅ Centralized data for seamless collaboration

✅ AI-powered insights to optimize partner engagement

✅ Customizable pipelines to monitor partner deals

Pros: Easy to use and excellent customer support

Cons: Limited features and a steep learning curve

Best For: Start-ups and SMEs that need a friendly, affordable CRM solution. 

#8 Copper

A relationship-focused CRM designed for Google Workspace users, Copper is all about streamlining contact management, deal tracking, and workflow automation. 

It also minimizes data entry and integrates seamlessly with Gmail.

Key features for partner management:

✅ Centralized partner contact and activity tracking

✅ Automated workflows for partner communications

✅ Custom pipelines to monitor partner deals

✅ Seamless integration with Google Workspace

✅ Real-time reporting and analytics for partner performance

Pros: Easy integration with Google properties, user-friendly 

Cons: Limited scalability

Best For: Businesses that depend on Google Workspace 

#9 Insightly

Insightly is a scalable CRM designed for businesses to manage customer relationships, sales, and marketing in one platform.

It offers automation, project tracking, and analytics to drive growth and efficiency.

Looking for a CRM to boost partner management?

Here's how Insightly can support PRM:

✅ Centralized partner relationship tracking

✅ Automated workflows for partner interactions

✅ Customizable pipelines for deal management

✅ Advanced analytics for partner performance monitoring

✅ Integration with third-party apps for collaboration 

Pros: Great customer support and deep customization  

Cons: Steep learning curve

Best For: SMEs and start-ups looking for a customizable and scalable CRM. 

#10 SugarCRM

A flexible, AI-driven CRM platform, SugarCRM is designed for B2B sales, marketing, and customer service. 

It automates data collection, provides predictive insights, and streamlines workflows for enhanced efficiency.

Key features for partner management include:

✅ Centralized partner relationship tracking

✅ AI-powered insights for partner engagement

✅ Automated workflows for seamless collaboration

✅ Custom dashboards for partner performance monitoring

✅ Integration with third-party tools for extended functionality

Pros: Lots of features, good customer support

Cons: Long implementation, steep learning curve

Best For: Large businesses and enterprises looking to commit to a CRM long-term

#11 Nutshell CRM

Nutshell is a user-friendly CRM that combines sales, marketing, and pipeline management into one intuitive platform. 

It simplifies lead tracking, automates workflows, and integrates with essential tools to enhance team collaboration and efficiency.

Here are Nutshell's most useful partner management features:

✅ Centralized partner contact and deal tracking

✅ Automated follow-ups and task reminders

✅ Customizable pipelines for partner relationship management

✅ Integration with marketing automation tools for outreach

✅ Real-time reporting and analytics for partner performance

Pros: Simple, easy to use, great customer support

Cons: Steep learning curve, limited integrations 

Best For: Smaller businesses looking for a simple, affordable CRM 

#12 Creatio

Creatio is an AI-powered, no-code CRM platform.

It automates workflows and customer relationship management for sales, marketing, and service teams, empowering businesses to streamline operations, optimize engagement, and enhance productivity.

It's pretty helpful when it comes to partner management, too. 

Here's how:

✅ Centralized partner relationship tracking

✅ AI-driven insights for partner engagement

✅ No-code automation for partner collaboration

✅ Custom dashboards for performance monitoring

✅ Seamless integrations for extended functionality

Pros: Great automation, customization, and usability 

Cons: Steep learning curve

Best For: Large businesses with multiple departments that require smooth company-wide adoption

#13 NetSuite CRM

NetSuite is a cloud-based business management suite that includes CRM, ERP, and financial tools to streamline operations, automate workflows, and improve decision-making. 

It provides robust partner management capabilities, such as:

✅ Partner relationship management with centralized data

✅ Automated workflows for seamless collaboration

✅ Real-time analytics for partner performance tracking

✅ Custom dashboards to monitor deal progress

✅ Integration with third-party applications

Pros: Great functionality and ease of use. 

Cons: Steep learning curve, expensive, complex implementation

Best For: Enterprises that need to streamline their processes. 

#14 Monday CRM

Monday CRM is a flexible, no-code customer relationship management platform that helps businesses manage sales, projects, and workflows.

It centralizes data, automates tasks, and enhances collaboration to improve efficiency.

Monday's key features for partner management include:

✅ Centralized partner tracking and collaboration

✅ Automated workflows for partner onboarding and engagement

✅ Customizable pipelines to manage partner deals

✅ Integration with third-party tools for seamless operations

✅ Real-time analytics for partner performance insights

Pros: Great range of features, scalable, easy to customize

Cons: Steep learning curve

Best For: SMEs and service businesses 

#15 Zendesk Sell

A modern sales CRM, Zendesk Sell enhances productivity, provides full pipeline visibility, and integrates automation to streamline deal management. 

It helps sales teams manage leads, track interactions, and optimize workflows.

However, its features can also be used for PRM, including:

✅ Centralized partner tracking and collaboration

✅ Automated workflows for partner engagement

✅ Customizable sales pipelines for partner deals

✅ Real-time analytics for partner performance insights

✅ Seamless integrations with external tools

Pros: Simple user interface, intuitive to use, good automation features

Cons: Complex setup

Best For: Businesses of any size that want to streamline their processes

How to Choose the Right CRM for Partner Management

Ready to decide on your new CRM?

Here are some handy guidelines.

Make sure your new CRM has:

• Native or customizable deal reg
• CRM alignment with partner program complexity
• Integration with a PRM like Introw
• Automation and reporting

And watch out for these common pitfalls:

• No partner-specific fields or segmentation
• Manual tracking outside the CRM
• No integration between CRM and partner activities

Three final tips for choosing a CRM for partner channel management:

1. Align with RevOps early
2. Evaluate scalability and workflow compatibility
3. Test integrations with tools like Introw

How Introw Supercharges CRM for Partner Management

Of course, when it comes to partner relationship management, a CRM alone won't do. 

Sure, investing in the right CRM can significantly boost your partner relationships, but if you aim to establish a profitable ecosystem, PRM software is crucial. 

And your PRM must integrate seamlessly with your CRM. 

This is where state-of-the-art PRM Introw comes in. 

Here's why Introw stands out among other PRMs:

• CRM-first: your team works entirely within Salesforce or HubSpot — no extra logins, no tool-switching. Partners still collaborate via a dedicated portal, fully synced with your CRM.
• Deal and lead registration are mapped directly to the CRM
• Partner engagement tracking is synced with both the CRM and Slack
• Forecasting and visibility operates across all partner-attributed revenue
• No-code workflows for referrals, resellers, and MSPs

But don't just take our word for it — book your personalized demo today and see Introw in action.

Conclusion

The message is clear — choosing the right CRM is foundational to scaling partner revenue. 

The best CRMs support visibility, collaboration, and clean partner data.

They also integrate seamlessly with your PRM, empowering you to effectively manage your partners without leaving your CRM. 

To recap, here are the 15 best CRMs for partner management in 2025:

1. HubSpot
2. Salesforce
3. Zoho CRM
4. Microsoft Dynamics 365
5. Pipedrive
6. Close.com
7. Freshsales
8. Copper
9. Insightly
10. SugarCRM
11. Nutshell CRM
12. Creatio
13. NetSuite CRM 
14. Monday CRM
15. Zendesk Sell

Want to manage your entire partner program from your CRM? Try Introw — the CRM-first PRM.