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Effective partner engagement is the backbone of every successful SaaS partner program. 

In 2026, winning teams are moving far beyond checklists.

Instead, they're harnessing the power of automation, smart communication, and data-driven strategies to boost partner activity, pipeline, and loyalty. 

In this guide, you'll discover practical frameworks, best practices, and modern tools to transform your partner engagement into collaborative relationships and a real revenue driver.

Why Partner Engagement Still Matters in 2026‍

Let’s be honest: in SaaS these days, just signing a new partner isn’t enough for mutual success. The competition’s intense, partners have more choices, and with everyone working remotely or in hybrid teams, it’s all too easy for those relationships to fizzle out.

That’s why real partner engagement matters now more than ever in building a strong partner community . If you’re not keeping partners in the loop, helping them stay active, and making sure you’re all pulling in the same direction, it doesn’t take long for deals to go missing or for enthusiasm to drop off.

The best SaaS companies get this. They don’t just tick the box on onboarding and move on. Instead, they make it simple for partners to stay connected - automating key updates, sharing useful content, and actually listening to feedback. And they track what really counts: things like registered deals, joint selling, and genuine collaboration - not just who logged in last week.

The upside? You get better teamwork, a stronger pipeline, and partnerships that actually last. At the end of the day, partner engagement isn’t just some metric to report on—it’s what sets you apart.

What Is Partner Engagement?

Before diving into how to maximize partner engagement, let's establish a working definition for B2B SaaS. 

In B2B SaaS, partner engagement refers to the ongoing, two-way interaction between a company and its partners that drives real business outcomes like pipeline growth and revenue. 

Unlike enablement (which focuses on training) or activity (which tracks basic actions), engagement is about meaningful participation. 

Engaged partners don't just watch webinars — they join calls, submit qualified deals, and actively support marketing campaigns. 

Simply put, engaged partners are those who consistently show up, contribute, and help move the business forward.

7 Proven Strategies for Maximizing Partner Engagement in 2026

Looking to boost partner performance and drive more value from your ecosystem in 2026? 

These seven proven strategies will help you cut through the noise, deepen relationships, and keep your partners truly engaged. 

1. Meet Partners Where They Work

Meeting partners where they work means engaging them through the tools and platforms they use daily — whether that's Slack, email, or CRM systems.

This approach reduces friction, boosts consistency, and makes interactions seamless, increasing the chances that partners will respond and participate — your desired outcome. 

Think about it.

Would you be more likely to engage with a company if:

1. You needed to find, log into, and navigate an unfamiliar portal

2. They simply showed up on an app you were already using.

When companies integrate partner communications and resources into familiar environments, partners stay informed without disrupting their workflow. 

What's more, real-time collaboration and faster decision-making become a reality. 

At Introw, we understand that meeting partners where they work fosters stronger connections, boosts engagement, and drives better results.

That's why our sophisticated partner relationship management (PRM) platform, Introw, enables off-portal collaboration.

Indeed, by integrating with tools like Slack and email, Introw automates deal updates, announcements, and notifications, ensuring partners stay informed and engaged in real-time. 

This approach reduces friction, enhances responsiveness, and maintains alignment between teams and partners, all while keeping your CRM as the single source of truth.

2. Automate Your Updates & Deal Notifications

Automating updates and deal notifications keeps partners up to speed without the need for manual follow-ups. 

By automatically sharing deal status changes, wins, losses, and campaign news, you eliminate delays and reduce the risk of miscommunication. 

It's an effective way to maintain productive relationships.

For example, Introw sends real-time notifications to partners at every stage of the sales cycle, so they always know where deals stand without you having to chase. 

As well as saving time on your end, this boosts partner confidence and responsiveness, helping to keep the sales pipeline moving smoothly and ensuring everyone stays aligned on priorities. 

3. Personalize Communications and Resources

Personalization is crucial when it comes to keeping partners engaged and motivated. 

Start by segmenting your partners based on:

• Type
• Tier
• Region

This partner engagement model empowers you to deliver targeted content, offers, and training that will resonate much more than if you applied the same initiatives to every partner. 

Indeed, while one-size-fits-all approaches often fall short, tailored messaging demonstrates that you understand their business and challenges. 

The results?

Increased partner satisfaction, a rise in meaningful interactions, and more active participation.

4. Enable Frictionless Deal Registration and Tracking

Traditionally, deal registration and tracking slowed down partner engagement due to time-consuming tasks and administrative barriers.

However, with Introw, it's easy to eliminate friction from these processes. 

For instance, it empowers you to simplify forms and allow submissions without logins, making it much faster and easier for partners to register deals. 

Furthermore, there's no need for laborious data collection or manual analysis anymore. 

Introw enables you to auto-sync data with CRMs like Salesforce or HubSpot, giving you instant visibility into partner activity and pipeline health. 

This seamless process reduces admin headaches, speeds up deal management, and keeps everyone aligned — empowering partners to focus on selling and helping your team monitor progress effortlessly.

5. Run Targeted Campaigns and Announcements

Well-timed, personalized campaigns and announcements not only drive action but also show partners you're invested in their success. 

This proactive communication fosters productive relationships and boosts overall partner performance — critical for SaaS growth.

Successful targeted campaigns start with segmentation (as outlined in strategy 3). 

In terms of the content itself, schedule and send updates about new features, incentives (like SPIFFs), or upcoming deadlines, using branded templates for consistency. 

And this content must, of course, be tailored towards the group of partners you're targeting with your campaign. 

For example, if you're launching exciting new incentive programs exclusively for your premium-tier partners, you'll only want to run that campaign for the premium segment of your audience. 

Then, leverage campaign analytics to track opens and clicks, helping you to understand what resonates and who needs follow-up. 

Finally, automate follow-ups based on engagement in order to encourage partners to take the desired action.

6. Track Engagement — Don't Rely on Gut Feel

Stop the guesswork — use data to understand channel partner engagement. 

So how to measure partner engagement?

Start by tracking key actions like:

• Portal visits
• Content downloads
• Email replies
• Deal submissions. 

You can use Introw's dashboards to quickly identify which partners are active, dormant, or high-performing. 

This knowledge empowers you to tailor support, optimize outreach, and prioritize efforts where they'll drive the most impact.

7. Review, Optimize, and Celebrate Success

In 2026, this partner engagement process is absolutely vital if you are to maintain a competitive edge. 

Hold regular partner reviews using real performance data to identify what's working and where to improve. 

Use these sessions to share success stories, spotlight top performers, and highlight best practices. 

Recognizing achievements fosters loyalty and motivates others, creating a culture of continuous improvement and stronger engagement across your partner ecosystem.

6 Pitfalls to Avoid in 2026

We've covered which partner engagement activities you should be doing — but what tactics should you avoid in 2026?

Read on for six pitfalls to swerve when it comes to partner engagement. 

1. One-Size-Fits-All Messaging

Treating all partners the same leads to disengagement. 

It certainly won't make partners feel valued.

Do this, and you'll likely see significantly lower open and click rates than if you were running a targeted campaign. 

Remember — in 2026, partners expect personalized, relevant messaging based on their tier, industry, or performance.

Anything less may cause them to lose interest in working with you or even dent their trust in your brand.

2. Manual Engagement Tracking

Using manual spreadsheets and email chains to track partner activity consumes a significant amount of time and invites human error. 

In 2026, sophisticated tools like Introw empower you to automate engagement tracking across your entire tech stack, providing the visibility and scalability you need to succeed. 

3. Ignoring Non-Portal Partners

Focusing solely on portal-active partners means you're overlooking a significant portion of your ecosystem. 

Instead, engage partners where they are.

This can be done via email, on Slack, at events, or through embedded touchpoints.

4. Not Tying Engagement to Revenue

Tracking partner activity is essential — but if you're not connecting that activity to real revenue results, you're missing the bigger picture. 

In 2026, successful SaaS brands align engagement key performance indicators (like portal logins, content downloads, or training completions) with tangible outcomes such as leads generated, deals influenced, or revenue closed. 

This enables you to demonstrate the ROI of your partner program, prioritize high-impact partners, and justify investments in enablement and support. 

Without this alignment, it's easy to overvalue busy work and undervalue genuine contributors — in other words, effective optimization becomes harder. 

5. Overloading Partners with Information

In the race to keep partners informed, it's easy to overwhelm them with too many updates, tools, and campaigns — especially when communications come from multiple, uncoordinated teams.

But in 2026, attention is a scarce resource, and clarity wins. 

After all, when partners receive frequent, unfocused messages, they tend to tune out, miss important details and may feel uncertain about what to prioritize. 

SaaS brands should streamline communication channels, prioritize high-impact content, and curate messaging based on what's most relevant to each partner's goals or stage in the journey. 

6. Infrequent Check-Ins and Reviews

Waiting for quarterly or annual business reviews to connect with partners and discuss your business objectives, joint business plans, and mutual interests will not cut it in 2026. 

In SaaS, things move quickly - if partners go too long without updates or support, it’s easy to lose momentum or miss out on deals.

And when it comes to partner programs, mutual support is vital.

Regular, data-backed check-ins (monthly or even biweekly for key partners) help you stay in sync on joint initiatives, reinforce goals, and identify blockers early. 

These reviews don't have to be formal — even short, structured syncs that include performance insights, pipeline updates, and support needs can go a long way to maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship.

Tech Stack & Frameworks for Modern Partner Engagement

Strong partner engagement requires more than a static portal — it demands flexible, data-driven tools that integrate seamlessly with your existing workflows and those of your partners. 

Indeed, old-school partner portals are often clunky, login-gated, and siloed — leading to low adoption and limited insight. 

In contrast, modern CRM-first tools like Introw deliver partner content and campaigns directly through email or embed them in sales workflows, making engagement effortless and trackable.

So, when evaluating your tech stack, look for solutions that offer:

• Automation
• CRM sync
• Real-time engagement tracking
• No-login access 
• Off-portal features

Then drive results with an engage>measure>optimize partner engagement framework:

• Engage partners where they already work with targeted, value-driven outreach. 
• Measure activity across all touchpoints — both on- and off-portal 
• Optimize based on performance data, refining messaging, and support.

With the right stack and channel partner engagement strategy, you can drive partner engagement and create a scalable growth engine.

How Introw Simplifies and Supercharges Partner Engagement

Introw revolutionizes partner engagement by automating and streamlining key processes, ensuring that both partners and internal teams operate efficiently and effectively.

Here's how. 

Automated, Multi-Channel Updates

Introw delivers timely updates to partners via email and Slack, eliminating the need for them to log into a portal. 

This approach ensures that partners remain informed and engaged without the friction of additional logins.

Built-In Campaign Scheduling, Partner Segmentation, and Tracking

The platform also allows for the scheduling of campaigns tailored to specific partner segments. 

With integrated tracking, teams can monitor the performance of these campaigns in real time and adjust their strategies as needed to maximize impact.

Real-Time Dashboards

Introw's dynamic dashboards offer insights into partner engagement levels, content effectiveness, and revenue contributions. 

This real-time visibility enables you to identify top-performing partners and pinpoint areas that require attention.

And being able to access this real-time information at the touch of a button empowers you to swiftly and consistently optimize your strategy, whether that's implementing more of what's working or troubleshooting problem areas. 

Role-Based Value

Different roles within an organization benefit from Introw's features:

• Channel Managers gain insights into partner journey and performance.
• RevOps receives synchronized data between Introw and CRM systems, facilitating accurate reporting.
• CROs can directly link partner engagement metrics to pipeline outcomes, aligning partner activities with revenue goals.

Experience firsthand how Introw can transform your partner engagement strategy. Request a demo today and see the difference.

Conclusion

Remember — engagement is the #1 lever for a healthy, revenue-driven, successful partner program in 2026.

To increase partner engagement, maintain your competitive advantage and drive revenue growth, regularly review your partner engagement strategies — consider what you can automate, measure, or personalize today.

Leveraging technology and data ensures your joint efforts are efficient, targeted, and impactful. 

So start optimizing your partner program today and unlock its full potential.

To supercharge your partner engagement and boost results, try Introw — a sophisticated platform designed to simplify engagement through automation, real-time insights, and seamless CRM integration. 

Request an Introw demo here today.

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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.

Managing partner relationships shouldn’t feel overwhelming, but without the right system, it often does. If your company sells through channel partners, resellers, affiliates, or integration partners, you know the challenge of keeping everyone aligned. Deals get lost in emails, marketing materials go unused, and partner engagement drops when there’s no clear structure in place. 

That’s where Partner Relationship Management (PRM) software comes in — giving businesses the tools to streamline business processes, improve partner collaboration, and drive more revenue.

But with so many options available, how do you choose the right PRM platform for your needs? This guide breaks it all down, helping you find the best PRM solution to scale your partner programs, keep partners engaged, and ultimately grow your indirect sales channels.

What is PRM (Partner Relationship Management)?

Partnerships are at the core of many successful businesses, but managing those relationships efficiently is another story. What is PRM? Simply put, Partner Relationship Management (PRM) is a software designed to help businesses streamline partner collaboration, boost partner engagement, and maximize the potential of channel partners.

If your business relies on partners — whether resellers, affiliates, integration partners, or distributors — you’ve probably hit a point where managing them with spreadsheets, email threads, or a patchwork of tools just isn’t cutting it anymore. That’s where PRM software comes in.

A PRM system helps you organize, automate, and optimize everything related to partner relationships. It’s like a customer relationship management (CRM) platform, but built for partnerships instead of direct customer sales. With a PRM, you can onboard partners, share marketing materials, track performance, manage deal registration, and keep partners engaged — all in one place.

How PRM Differs from CRM

Many businesses assume that a CRM software can handle their partner relationships the same way it manages customer relationships. But while a CRM platform is built for direct sales teams to track leads and customer interactions, a PRM solution is designed for indirect sales channels and partner programs. Customer relationship management focuses on enhancing customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention by managing customer interactions and data, whereas PRM is tailored for managing partner relationships and indirect sales channels.

A PRM helps you:

• Manage multiple partner programs — Whether working with reseller partners, independent software vendors, or solution providers, a PRM ensures smooth coordination.
• Automate partner onboarding — Ensuring new partners have access to the necessary resources to succeed.
• Streamline business processes — Reducing manual data entry while improving visibility into partner activities.
• Enable deal registration — Ensuring partner sales and lead management are well-documented and tracked separately from direct sales.

Why Do You Need a PRM?

The benefits of partner sales and a strong partner relationship management system go beyond just having more hands on deck. A well-managed PRM solution leads to better business processes, increased customer satisfaction, and ultimately, more revenue.

Companies working with channel partners, resellers, or affiliates know that partnerships can be a massive revenue driver — but only if they’re well-managed. Without a PRM platform, things can get messy:

• Tracking leads and deals? Scattered across emails, Slack, and random spreadsheets.
• Marketing materials? Lost in email threads or outdated PDFs.
• Onboarding new partners? Inconsistent and frustrating.
• Measuring partner performance? Nearly impossible without accurate sales analytics.

A PRM system eliminates these headaches by providing a central hub to manage partner relationships, keep partners informed, and streamline business processes — leading to higher revenue growth and less manual data entry.

💡 Did you know? Partner-led deals tend to be 32% bigger and have a 2.8X higher win rate than deals closed by a direct sales team alone.

How to Choose the Right PRM for Your Business

Choosing the right PRM software isn’t just about getting the latest technology — it’s about finding the right PRM platform that aligns with your business goals, partner recruitment strategies, and revenue growth objectives.

Not all PRMs are created equal. Some are clunky and take months to implement, while modern PRMs (like Introw) can be up and running in minutes. Here’s how to find the best PRM solution for your business.

1. Key Features to Look for in a PRM System

A great PRM platform should help you manage partner relationships without adding extra headaches. Here are the key features to look for:

• Partner Onboarding & Training – Get new partners set up quickly with structured onboarding processes and the right business tools.
• Deal Registration & Lead Management – Ensure channel partners can submit leads easily, reducing channel conflict.
• Performance Tracking & Metrics – Keep tabs on sales performance, revenue targets, and partner engagement. Monitoring partners' performance through business intelligence-based dashboards can help analyze partner activities and optimize strategies, fostering better collaboration and driving revenue growth.
• Content & Marketing Material Management – Ensure partners always have access to brand guidelines, marketing materials, and incentive programs.
• Seamless CRM Integration – A PRM platform should sync with your CRM systems like Salesforce or HubSpot.
• Communication & Collaboration Tools – Features like Slack notifications, automated emails, and portal updates ensure partners stay engaged.

💡 Bonus: Look for PRM systems that integrate with tools like Crossbeam, Slack, and Zapier for better automation.

2. Involving the Right Stakeholders in Partner Onboarding

Before investing in a PRM system, make sure you involve the right people in your organization:

• Sales & Channel Managers – They need full visibility into partner sales, lead management, and pipeline performance.
• Marketing Teams – They’re responsible for partner engagement strategies, marketing collateral, and sales enablement materials.
• RevOps & CRM Admins – They ensure seamless CRM integration with business processes.
• Your Partners – Ask your external partners what they actually need to be successful.

3. Prioritizing Time-to-Value for Partner Performance

Some PRM solutions take 4-6 months to fully implement — leading to unnecessary delays and revenue loss. Long setup times also mean higher development costs, lost sales opportunities, and increased frustration for channel managers and partners who are left waiting. Modern PRMs (like Introw) can be deployed in minutes, ensuring you see results faster and allowing partner programs to start contributing to revenue growth almost immediately.

💡 Every day without a PRM is a missed opportunity to drive more revenue.

4. Choosing a CRM-First PRM Platform

Most businesses already rely on a CRM system to track customer and partner activities. The best PRM systems don’t replace your CRM — they enhance it. Look for:

• 2-Way CRM Sync – So customer relationships and partner sales data are always accurate.
• Lead & Deal Syncing – So partners don’t have to manually enter sales opportunities.
• Support Ticket & Collaboration Features – PRMs should go beyond just deal registration.
• Built-In Analytics – Get instant insights into partner performance and sales metrics.

Why Introw is the Best PRM in 2025

If you’re looking for a PRM solution that’s fast, easy, and actually built for modern partner relationships, Introw is a top choice. Here’s why:

• Fast Deployment – No need to wait months to get started.
• CRM-First Integration – Works seamlessly with your CRM platform.
• Designed for Engagement – Helps keep partners informed and active.
• Proven Track Record – Companies using Introw see higher partner adoption and sales growth.

Final Thoughts

A strong PRM platform isn’t just about ticking feature boxes — it’s about partner success, revenue growth, and streamlining business processes.

If you’re ready to scale your partner programs, drive more revenue, and improve partner engagement, investing in the right PRM system is a no-brainer.

Want to see how Introw can transform your partner programs? Request a demo or try it for free today!

FAQs about Choosing PRM

1. What is PRM, and how is it different from a CRM?

PRM (Partner Relationship Management) is software designed to help businesses manage partner programs, track partner sales, and optimize collaboration with channel partners, resellers, and affiliates. Unlike CRM software, which focuses on direct sales teams and customer relationships, a PRM system is built to support indirect sales channels by providing features like partner onboarding, deal registration, and performance tracking.

2. How do I choose the best PRM for my business?

When selecting a PRM platform, consider factors such as ease of implementation, CRM integration, automation features, and partner engagement tools. A good PRM solution should help you streamline business processes, reduce manual data entry, and improve partner collaboration. Look for features like 2-way CRM sync, marketing collateral management, and automated partner updates via Slack or email.

3. What are the key benefits of using a PRM solution?

A PRM system helps businesses manage partner relationships efficiently, leading to higher revenue growth, better sales performance, and improved customer satisfaction. Key benefits include:

• Automated partner onboarding – Get new partners up to speed quickly.
• Deal registration & lead tracking – Reduce conflicts and improve visibility.
• Performance management – Track partner success, revenue targets, and engagement metrics.
• Marketing & content sharing – Ensure partners have the necessary resources to sell effectively.

4. Why is Introw the best PRM solution in 2025?

Introw stands out as a modern PRM platform that prioritizes fast setup, seamless CRM integration, and partner engagement beyond the portal. Unlike traditional PRMs that require months of setup, Introw is ready to use in minutes. It also offers:

• 1-click CRM integration – Works effortlessly with HubSpot, Salesforce, and other CRM systems.
• Real-time analytics & reporting – Track partner performance and sales opportunities.
• Automated partner updates – Keep partners informed via Slack, email, or in-app notifications.

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Most B2B companies hit a ceiling because they rely solely on direct sales. But growth doesn’t have to be a solo mission. The fastest path to revenue? Co-selling.

A co-selling strategy brings together two or more companies to reach new markets, shorten the sales cycle, and close more deals — faster. It’s not just about splitting commissions; it’s about aligning with the right co-selling partners to deliver more comprehensive solutions to potential customers.

This guide breaks down what co-selling is, how to build a successful co-selling partnership, and why aligning your sales team with a partner team unlocks game-changing co-sell opportunities.

If your sales reps are tired of chasing cold leads alone, it’s time to think bigger. Build a co-selling program, empower your sales process with partner intelligence, and see what happens when your co-selling efforts are structured for scale — not luck.

What Is Co-Selling and Why It Works

Co-selling is a B2B sales approach where two or more companies work together to jointly position, promote, and sell complementary solutions to a shared target market.

Unlike traditional reseller models or B2B SaaS partnerships, co-selling partners collaborate actively throughout the entire sales process — from account mapping to opportunity engagement, to closing.

The goal? Shorten the sales cycle, expand reach, and deliver a joint solution that creates more value than either company could on its own.

A well-structured co-selling program isn't just about generating leads. It's about aligning sales teams, sharing deal intelligence, and creating a seamless experience for potential customers. When executed correctly, a co-selling partnership can unlock deeper customer relationships, improved win rates, and long-term revenue growth.

So how does it actually work in practice?

Inside the Co-Selling Process: How It Works

At its core, co-selling is all about alignment — across systems, teams, and incentives. Whether you’re running a formal co-selling program or experimenting with an ad hoc co-selling motion, success comes down to shared intent and execution.

Here’s what a typical co-selling process looks like:

• Identifying complementary solutions that solve adjacent pain points
• Mapping accounts to uncover overlap and co-sell opportunities
• Activating sales teams on both sides to co-engage prospects
• Tracking co-selling activities across CRM and partner tools
• Maintaining consistent communication to keep both teams aligned

This level of collaboration between two sales teams requires coordination, visibility, and trust. That’s why the most effective co-selling partnerships are built on clear agreements and repeatable workflows.

Co-Selling Agreements: Setting the Rules for Collaboration

To avoid confusion and misalignment, leading companies establish a co-selling agreement — a formal, legally binding contract that defines how the co-selling partnership will operate.

A co-selling agreement outlines critical components of your co-selling process, including:

• Roles and responsibilities across both sales teams
• Lead sharing and deal registration procedures
• Incentive structures and commission splits
• Rules for customer ownership and contract management
• Guidelines for co-marketing plans, communication, and escalation paths

In short, it clarifies who owns what, who does what, and how both parties benefit — paving the way for a successful co-selling relationship.

Now let’s take a look at real-world examples that show how co-selling partners put this into action.

Real-World Co-Selling Examples and Strategies

Now that we’ve covered what co-selling is and how it works, let’s look at real-world examples that show how co-selling partners create value through collaboration.

Each example highlights a key type of co-selling activity that helps expand reach, improve the sales process, and increase adoption through joint effort.

1. Identifying Complementary Co-Selling Solutions

Co-selling works best when the products or services naturally complement each other—creating a more compelling value proposition for sales teams and potential customers.

Take HubSpot and Introw, for example:

• HubSpot equips sales teams with robust tools for lead management, helping them track, organize, and nurture pipeline more effectively.
• Introw focuses on automated outreach, enabling reps to reach out to shared accounts via personalized emails, timely follow-ups, and Slack nudges — all synced with the CRM.

Since sales reps need both efficient lead tracking and high-volume outreach, these two companies form a strong co-selling partnership to jointly offer a more complete solution. It’s a classic example of combining capabilities to strengthen the entire sales process.

Another example? Dropbox and HelloSign:

These tools are bundled into a single workflow where users can store, access, and sign documents in one place. By solving multiple pain points in a single motion, co-selling partners reduce complexity, drive adoption, and improve retention.

2. Integrating the Products (Optional, But Powerful)

When co-selling partners go a step further and integrate their products, the value of the joint solution multiplies.

Consider Slack and Zoom. Their integration allows users to start video calls directly from Slack — removing friction and improving daily workflow for marketing teams, customer success, and sales teams alike.

This kind of product alignment boosts stickiness, enhances user engagement, and makes the co-selling relationship feel like a natural fit — not a bolt-on. Integrated experiences are key to delivering more comprehensive solutions and building deeper customer relationships.

3. Aligning Sales and Marketing Teams for Co-Marketing Success

A successful co-selling strategy depends not just on product synergy, but on team alignment.

For example, in the Slack + Zoom model, both companies' sales teams and marketing teams co-develop messaging, plan co-marketing campaigns, and execute coordinated outreach to potential customers. The result? Clearer communication, faster execution, and a stronger pipeline.

When both sales teams are on the same page, co-engagement feels seamless — and prospects experience a unified, high-value solution.

4. Leveraging Partner Ecosystems for Co-Sell Opportunities

Cloud marketplaces like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud offer built-in trust and exposure—making them perfect launchpads for co-selling programs.

For example, a security SaaS vendor participating in the AWS Marketplace can co-sell with AWS, positioning their product as “AWS-optimized” and immediately gaining access to larger enterprise deals.

By tapping into the marketplace’s partner ecosystem, vendors eliminate friction in the sales cycle, reduce procurement hurdles, and access co-sell opportunities that would be difficult to close via direct sales teams alone.

Each of these examples shows how a thoughtful co-selling program can deliver more than just pipeline — it creates leverage, trust, and sales enablement across every touchpoint.

Next, we’ll look at how co-selling compares to reselling, and why understanding the distinction matters for long-term partner strategy.

Co-Selling vs. Reselling: Understanding the Strategic Difference

As you build out your co-selling strategy, it’s important to understand how it differs from reselling—especially when aligning your sales team, setting expectations with co-selling partners, and structuring your co-selling program for scale.

While both approaches involve multiple companies working together to drive revenue, the key distinction lies in ownership of the deal and relationship with the customer.

• In a co-selling partnership, each company contributes to the sales process, but the original vendor retains ownership of the customer and contract. The value comes from mutual sales efforts, faster deal velocity, and the ability to reach new markets together.
• In a reseller model, one company purchases your product (often at a discount) and resells it independently. You may get the deal, but you lose visibility, control, and direct contact with the potential customers.

Understanding this distinction is critical as you build your co-selling program, prioritize co-sell opportunities, and design effective incentive models for your sales reps and partner team.

Here’s a side-by-side breakdown to make the difference crystal clear:

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Whether you choose co-selling, reselling, or a hybrid of both, understanding the mechanics of each model is key to avoiding misalignment—and unlocking the true benefits of co-selling.

Why Co-Selling Matters More Than Ever

As B2B sales cycles grow longer and buyers get harder to reach, co-selling has become more than a strategy — it’s a competitive advantage.

According to ZDNet, 84% of sales professionals say partner selling impacts revenue more today than it did just a year ago. And nearly 9 out of 10 sales teams are already engaging in some form of co-selling.

For SaaS companies looking to scale faster, break into new markets, and build deeper customer relationships, a structured co-selling program isn’t optional — it’s essential.

That’s why leading B2B teams are investing in the right systems — to make co-selling repeatable, visible, and scalable.

How to Run a Scalable Co-Selling Program with PRM Software

Running a co-selling program at scale isn’t about working harder — it’s about working smarter. That’s where PRM (Partner Relationship Management) software comes in.

A modern PRM platform helps co-selling partners align across teams, systems, and workflows — enabling faster execution, stronger sales enablement, and greater co-sell opportunities.

But not all PRMs are built for how today’s SaaS companies sell.

Enter Introw: CRM-First, Partner-Ready

Introw is purpose-built to streamline the entire co-selling process — from deal registration and account mapping to partner engagement and performance tracking — all inside the tools your sales team already uses (like Salesforce or HubSpot).

Here’s how you can run a successful co-selling program with Introw:

1. Define Clear Co-Selling Objectives

Before launching into activity, define what success looks like.

• Are you entering new markets?
• Targeting a shared target market?
• Trying to shorten the sales cycle?
• Aligning around partner sourced deals?

With Introw, you can build structured co-sell motions from the start — tracking success by CRM stage, partner type, and target account segment.

Pro tip: Start with account mapping using Crossbeam and Introw to surface mutual customers or warm intro paths.

2. Identify & Onboard the Right Partners

Not every company is a fit for co-selling — focus on those with a natural joint solution, adjacent ICP, and a motivated partner team.

Once identified, Introw makes onboarding painless:

• No logins required
• Partner-friendly deal forms
• Slack + email notifications
• Full sync with your CRM

This allows your co-selling partners to contribute without friction — and your sales reps stay focused on deals, not admin.

3. Streamline Deal Registration & Account Mapping

This is where most co-selling efforts fall apart: misalignment around who’s working what, and no central system to track it.

With Introw:

• Partners register deals via simple forms linked directly to your CRM
• All mapped accounts are visible and actionable by your sales team
• Auto-tagged, auto-synced — no more chasing down updates

Bonus: Get Slack nudges when a new deal is registered or a mapped account is touched, so your sales process stays proactive.

4. Track Performance & Automate Feedback Loops

A successful co-selling relationship thrives on visibility and iteration.

Introw gives you shared dashboards across both teams — tracking:

• Partner activity across deals, accounts, and emails
• Win rates and sales velocity
• Top-performing co-selling partners
• Campaign performance from co-marketing plans

This isn’t just helpful for RevOps — it empowers sales teams, partner managers, and leadership to see where the revenue is really coming from.

5. Enable Real-Time Communication & Collaboration

Speed matters. With Introw, your co-selling activities move fast and stay aligned:

• Chat with partners in Slack or via email (no login required)
• Share pitch decks, proposals, or videos via integrated doc-sharing
• Trigger Slack or email notifications when key actions are taken (e.g. deal registered, task assigned, doc opened)

Think of it as the connective tissue that keeps your two sales teams on the same page — even across orgs.

6. Incentivize and Optimize

Co-selling isn’t a one-and-done motion — it’s a growth engine.

Use Introw to:

• Set up custom incentives tied to partner performance
• Monitor partner-driven revenue by segment or region
• Run A/B tests on co-selling offers, outreach styles, or co-marketing campaigns

By turning every co-sell opportunity into structured data, Introw lets you double down on what works — and sunset what doesn’t.

Why Introw Makes Co-Selling Scalable

Co-selling requires precision, process, and trust. Introw delivers:

• CRM-first workflows (Salesforce & HubSpot)
• Slack and email-native partner comms
• Real-time dashboards and deal insights
• No login friction for partners
• Built-in co-sell motion templates
• Custom workflows by partner type (reseller, referral, MSP, etc.)

Whether you're working with 5 partners or 500, Introw helps you launch, run, and scale a co-selling program that drives real revenue — without burning out your sales team or partner ops.

Ready to Turn Co-Selling Into a Scalable Revenue Engine?

You’ve built a great product. Your sales team is putting in the work. But growth still feels slower than it should — because you’re doing it alone.

The companies scaling fastest right now aren’t just selling — they’re co-selling. They’re tapping into partner ecosystems, collaborating across two sales teams, and unlocking warm intros that never would’ve come from cold outreach.

The difference? They’re not running their co-selling efforts on spreadsheets and hope. They’re using Introw.

Introw gives you everything you need to turn your co-selling program into a repeatable revenue machine:

• Seamless Salesforce and HubSpot integration
• Slack and email-native workflows — no logins needed
• Real-time dashboards across partners, deals, and accounts
• Built-in guardrails for RevOps, CROs, and partner managers alike

No friction. No guesswork. Just faster, smarter revenue — driven by aligned teams and trusted partners.

Stop relying on luck. Start co-selling with intention.

Book your Introw demo and see how today’s top SaaS companies are building scalable, partner-powered pipelines.

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B2B SaaS, partnerships aren’t just a strategy — they’re a growth engine. Whether you’re launching a new go-to-market initiative, expanding into new customer segments, or co-developing innovative solutions, forming strategic SaaS partnerships with the right partner is essential.

But let’s be clear: successful partnerships don’t just happen. They require structure, consistency, and purpose-built tools. That’s where Partner Relationship Management (PRM) software like Introw becomes a game-changer.

In this guide, we’ll walk through:

• Why B2B SaaS partnerships are critical for modern SaaS companies
• The most common partner types — and how to work with them
• How to build and scale a partner program with the right infrastructure

Let’s dive in.

Why B2B SaaS Partnerships Matter

SaaS companies need more than just a strong product — they need a powerful partner ecosystem. Strategic partnerships enable two or more companies to align around a shared go-to-market strategy, extending reach and reducing customer acquisition costs.

Well-executed SaaS partner programs can:

• Help tap into new markets
• Create new revenue streams through revenue sharing
• Accelerate product development partnerships
• Improve customer satisfaction and customer retention

Whether you're managing channel partnerships, integration partnerships, or joint marketing efforts, strategic SaaS partnerships are a cornerstone of long-term, scalable growth.

What Are the Types of B2B Partnerships?

Before building or optimizing your partner program, it's critical to understand the types of B2B SaaS partnerships available. While affiliate marketing gets plenty of attention, the most valuable SaaS partnerships often involve deeper integration, stronger alignment, and shared success metrics.

Let’s explore the landscape:

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These partner types represent the most common paths SaaS companies take when scaling through partnerships. While each type comes with its own strengths and challenges, they all share one thing in common: they work best when supported by clear processes, aligned goals, and modern tooling.

Now that you’ve seen what types of B2B SaaS partnerships exist, how do you know which ones to pursue?

Choosing the Right Partner Program

Every SaaS business is unique — and so is its path to growth. That’s why choosing the right partner program isn’t about copying what others are doing — it’s about aligning your strategy with your goals, resources, and customers.

The ideal partner strategy will vary depending on your product maturity, market penetration, and internal capacity to support partners. For example:

• If your goal is demand generation, you may benefit most from referral partners, affiliate relationships, or integration partnerships that can drive top-of-funnel awareness.
• If you’re focused on market expansion, resellers, MSPs, or distributors with strong local presence can help you enter new geographies or verticals.
• If you need deeper product alignment, ISVs or system integrators may be the right fit for long-term co-selling and co-building.

To guide your decision, start by answering these questions:

• What new customer segments do we want to reach?
• Which potential partners already serve or influence those segments?
• What kind of co-marketing, sales support, or onboarding experience can we realistically provide?
• Are there opportunities for joint marketing efforts, or even a product development partnership?

You’re looking for alignment on not just reach, but capability and collaboration potential.

This is where a Partner Relationship Management (PRM) platform like Introw becomes essential. It surfaces real-time insights into:

• Which partners are submitting deals
• How fast those deals move through the sales pipeline
• Who’s engaging (and who’s not)

With those insights, your partner strategy becomes proactive, not reactive — based on data, not guesswork.

Let’s now dig into how to evaluate your current ecosystem and decide where to focus next.

How to Decide on Expanding Your B2B Partnerships

Expanding your partner program isn’t about volume — it’s about strategic alignment. Start by analyzing your current ecosystem: who’s performing, who’s not, and where the untapped opportunities lie.

• Referral partnerships can drive top-funnel growth with minimal overhead.
• Joint venture SaaS partnerships with ISVs or tech partners can open up new product capabilities.
• Channel partnerships and distributors can accelerate go-to-market in new geos or verticals.

With the PRM market projected to grow from $1.3B in 2023 to $4.6B by 2033, now’s the time to invest in systems that scale. Manual tracking simply won’t cut it — especially when the right partner could be your next major revenue stream.

Essential Functions of Partner Relationship Management Software

To succeed at scale, you need structure. PRM software is built to manage the entire partner lifecycle — from onboarding to revenue attribution.

Why SaaS Companies Need PRM

Choosing the right PRM helps:

• Scale channel partners with consistent experiences
• Eliminate chaos from your sales process
• Automate lead registration and partner onboarding
• Enable seamless co-selling and co-marketing
• Optimize for revenue attribution and partner performance

PRM = Structure + Speed + Scale

Spreadsheets and email threads might work for 5 partners — not 50. Introw gives you the automation, real-time insights, and CRM-native experience needed to grow your program without adding headcount.

So how do you ensure that growth doesn’t come at the cost of quality? It starts with a repeatable, scalable process for managing partner relationships at every stage of the journey.

6 Stages of a Partner Relationship Journey

A successful SaaS partner program follows a repeatable, structured journey. Here's how you scale from one partner to hundreds, without losing quality, engagement, or results:

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1. Find the Right Partners

Identifying the right partner is foundational. Evaluate potential partners based on their customer base, market alignment, technical compatibility, and cultural fit. Use tools like account mapping to uncover overlap between your customers and theirs — and prioritize partners with proven influence in your target segments.

2. Onboard with Ease

Once a partner is selected, the onboarding process should feel smooth, professional, and repeatable. Share training modules, certifications, documentation, and sales playbooks. With Introw, onboarding is automated with workflows, due dates, and reminders — so partners hit the ground running without bottlenecks.

3. Enable for Growth

Partner enablement is more than a checklist — it’s an ongoing relationship. Provide co-branded marketing materials, demo scripts, objection handling guides, and access to shared assets. Support them with regular updates and resource drops that align with product launches and campaigns.

4. Co-Sell with Precision

In the execution stage, seamless collaboration is key. Enable real-time deal registration, pipeline visibility, and clear ownership. Introw connects partners directly to your CRM workflows — allowing for faster response times, cleaner data, and collaborative pipeline management without the need for additional tools.

5. Measure and Motivate

Track KPIs like sourced revenue, win rates, sales cycle length, and content engagement. Use this data to recognize high performers and identify who needs extra support. Publicly celebrate success — and gamify performance through tiers, contests, and quarterly business reviews.

6. Refine and Scale

As your partner program matures, revisit your strategy. Which partners deliver the most value? Where are the drop-offs in the journey? What tools are underutilized? Use this insight to refine onboarding, update your enablement materials, and launch advanced tiers, integrations, or co-marketing campaigns.

Most importantly, keep feedback loops open — your best partners will show you what success looks like if you ask, listen, and iterate.

What should you look out for when building B2B Partnerships?

As your partner program grows, it becomes more complex — and more impactful. To keep things running smoothly, your PRM must do more than check boxes. It should actively empower your team to scale without sacrificing clarity or control.

Here are the most important capabilities to look for when scaling a SaaS partner program:

 Partner Tiering & Certification

• Segment partners by performance, partner type (e.g., reseller, referral, MSP), or vertical.
• Automate training and certification workflows.
• Incentivize growth with exclusive rewards and visibility for top-tier partners.

2. Commission Automation

• Tailor commission rules by partner type or deal stage.
• Auto-calculate and distribute rewards to reduce admin overhead.
• Ensure transparency and accuracy to build partner trust.

3. Partner Portal

• Offer a white-labeled, easy-to-navigate portal with sales enablement, product content, and real-time updates.
• Give partners a self-service hub for everything from training to reporting.

4. Lead & Deal Registration

• Prevent channel conflict with transparent, time-stamped registration.
• Support off-portal registration to boost partner participation by up to 30%.
• Auto-map to the correct Salesforce or HubSpot fields.

5. Account Mapping & Co-Sell Planning

• Identify overlap with tech partners, resellers, or integration partners.
• Use Introw’s built-in mapping to discover shared customers and coordinate co-selling.

6. CRM-Embedded Insights

• All partner data stays native to Salesforce or HubSpot.
• Enable RevOps teams to monitor performance, improve data hygiene, and support accurate forecasting.

These features help RevOps, Partner Managers, and revenue leaders align around shared KPIs — without adding complexity or extra tools.

Why Introw Works for Modern SaaS Partner Teams

SaaS companies operating in competitive markets — especially in the US and UK — are turning to PRM tools that integrate directly into their CRM, reduce manual work, and support partner collaboration at scale.

Introw supports:

• Partner & Channel Managers who want better visibility and fewer bottlenecks
• RevOps teams who care about data cleanliness, automation, and attribution
• CROs who need forecasting clarity and aligned revenue motions

With support for Salesforce and HubSpot, and no-login-required experiences for partners, Introw is built for fast-growing SaaS teams with real partnership goals.

Conclusion: From Strategy to Execution

Strategic partnerships are no longer a “nice to have” — they are a growth mandate for any B2B SaaS company looking to meet market demands, accelerate revenue streams, and serve new customer segments. But executing on that strategy requires more than good intent — it demands systems that scale, clear partner relationships, and the ability to act on data.

Whether you’re managing channel partners, building integration partnerships with tech partners, or exploring product development SaaS partnerships, your ability to structure and scale the program determines success. That's where modern partner infrastructure plays a transformative role.

PRM software like Introw empowers SaaS teams to:

• Build high-performing, data-driven partner ecosystems
• Align sales teams, marketing efforts, and RevOps around a shared pipeline
• Reduce development costs by turning co-selling and co-marketing into repeatable motions
• Increase deal velocity and improve customer satisfaction by enabling the right partner experience

The result? Successful partnerships that feel effortless — for both you and your partners.

Ready to unlock the next phase of your SaaS partnership strategy? 👉 Book a demo with Introw and build the partner ecosystem that drives your next stage of growth.

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Channel management isn’t about working harder — it’s about managing smarter. Whether you're scaling across indirect sales channels, empowering your channel partners, or optimizing your partner network, the right strategy makes all the difference.

A strong channel management strategy helps you align your business objectives with the partners that can move your product, expand your reach, and grow your bottom line. But without clarity and consistency, you’ll run into channel conflict, poor visibility, and disengaged partners — all of which stall growth.

This guide outlines 10 proven best practices to help you elevate your channel management efforts, improve partner performance, and build a more efficient, scalable revenue engine.

From setting clear goals and automating workflows to improving communication and analyzing channel performance, these strategies are designed for channel managers ready to win in today’s complex, multi-partner landscape.

What is Channel Management?

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Before you can optimize your partner strategy, you need a clear understanding of what channel management really means — and why it’s essential for sustainable business growth.

Most companies rely on a mix of direct sales and indirect sales channels to reach their target customers. But as your business scales, juggling multiple sales channels without a clear system creates confusion, misalignment, and missed revenue.

That’s where effective channel management comes in — the foundation for building, maintaining, and scaling strong partner relationships.

Let’s break it down.

A channel is more than just a system — it’s your gateway to delivering products and services to the end customer.

Going through direct channels means your sales team handles every touchpoint: prospecting, selling, servicing, and supporting. It’s personal — but hard to scale.

By contrast, channel partners — like resellers, distributors, affiliates, and even e-commerce platforms — extend your reach through distribution channels you couldn’t access alone.

Think of it like this: Instead of selling toothpaste tube by tube, you sell an entire pallet to a retailer who handles the rest. In the SaaS world, channel partners introduce your product into networks and customer segments you haven’t penetrated yet.

Channel management refers to the systems and processes you use for managing relationships with the partners who sell, support, or promote your offering to the market.

A solid channel management strategy ensures these relationships are aligned with your business goals, supported with the right tools and training, and optimized for long-term performance. In short: it’s the blueprint for scalable, profitable growth through partners.

Common Challenges in Channel Management

Even the most promising channel strategy can fall short without a solid foundation. Many companies enter partnerships with the best intentions, only to find themselves facing roadblocks that stall channel performance and hurt business growth.

Whether you're just starting out or managing a mature partner network, it’s critical to understand the most common friction points and how they impact your results.

Here are four challenges that often derail effective channel management:

1. Lack of Alignment

A SaaS company partners with resellers but doesn’t align on sales targets or target customer profiles. The result? Conflicting priorities, overlapping efforts, and missed revenue opportunities.

2. Inconsistent Communication

A SaaS provider launches a major product update but only notifies a few partners. Others remain in the dark, unable to update marketing materials or support end customers, causing confusion and delays.

3. Poor Feedback Loop

New features are rolled out, but partner feedback is never collected. Valuable frontline insights are lost, resulting in lower adoption and features that don’t resonate with users.

4. Inadequate Training

Partners are onboarded quickly but without proper enablement. Without a clear understanding of the product, value props, and sales tools, they struggle to convert leads and support customers.

Each of these issues stems from one core problem: poor relationship management. And the impact is real — misalignment, inefficiencies, and channel conflict that erodes trust and slows momentum.

The good news? Every one of these challenges is fixable.

The right channel management tools can eliminate inefficiencies, increase partner performance, and ensure your channel management efforts are aligned with your most important business objectives.

Tools like Introw give you full visibility into your partner ecosystem — from onboarding to enablement to deal tracking. By reducing knowledge gaps and increasing accountability, you empower partners to succeed and scale faster.

So how do you move from reactive to strategic?

You start by optimizing every stage of the channel management process — from recruitment to retention.

In the next section, we’ll break down the 10 best practices that define a high-performance channel management strategy.

Optimize Every Stage of Channel Management with Modern PRM Tools

Mastering channel management means taking a lifecycle approach to your partner program — from recruitment and onboarding to co-selling and expansion. Each phase plays a critical role in achieving alignment, improving partner performance, and scaling revenue.

Modern channel management software like Introw enables this end-to-end orchestration. With seamless CRM integration, real-time deal tracking, and partner-friendly collaboration tools, you can support your entire partner network without friction.

Unlike outdated tools or spreadsheets, Introw aligns your channel managers, direct sales team, and indirect sales channels under one unified platform — so you can analyze channel performance, manage distribution partners, and grow revenue faster.

Let’s walk through the 10 key practices that define a high-performing channel management strategy, and how tools like Introw help you implement them across multiple sales channels:

1. Define Clear Channel Goals

If you want your channel programs to thrive, clarity is non-negotiable. Your channel partners need to understand exactly what you aim to achieve from the collaboration — and you should be clear on the value you’re delivering in return.

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To execute a successful channel, start with measurable objectives tied to your business goals — such as growing a specific customer segment, launching in a new market, or improving customer satisfaction.

That’s where PRM platforms like Introw come in.

Introw transforms SMART goals into trackable metrics — like referral rates, sales process efficiency, and campaign impact — and visualizes them in real-time dashboards. This makes it easy for channel managers to track progress and optimize faster.

With automated KPIs and clear visibility, your channel strategy stays aligned across teams and partners.

2. Choose the Right Partners

When it comes to building a high-performance partner network, quality always beats quantity.

Too many companies take a "more is better" approach, signing dozens of channel partners without clear alignment. The result? Mixed priorities, missed revenue, and constant channel conflict.

Instead, focus your channel management efforts on a select group of high-impact partners:

• Partners who align with your business objectives and target customers
• Organizations that bring complementary reach, technology, or expertise
• Teams that can scale alongside your growth in multiple channels

Introw helps channel managers identify these high-potential fits through partner profiling, CRM overlap analysis, and visibility into historical engagement.

Pro tip: Use Introw’s native Crossbeam integration to discover partner overlaps, shared accounts, and warm intro paths — so you invest in partners that can actually move the needle.

And don’t forget to evaluate:

• Willingness to Invest: Are they engaged in joint planning, marketing strategy, or co-selling?
• Ability to Scale: Can they grow with you across new markets and distribution channels?
• Complementary Strengths: Do they unlock access to underserved customer segments or fill a technical gap?

A partner with a proven track record, strong internal enablement, and enthusiasm for collaboration is more valuable than ten who just want portal access.

3. Invest in Partner Onboarding

Initial onboarding isn’t just a checklist — it’s the foundation for long-term partner relationships and sales growth.

When channel management involves proper onboarding, partners:

• Understand your product positioning
• Get trained on your sales tools and ICP
• Learn how to represent your brand effectively in-market

Introw’s partner onboarding tools eliminate manual overhead with:

• Streamlined approval flows and digital agreements
• Auto-triggered welcome sequences and training checklists
• CRM-integrated training progress tracking

Your channel management software should reduce time-to-productivity and drive early wins.

With Introw, you can:

• Deliver custom content per partner tier or type

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• Issue certifications for completed courses

• Track onboarding completion right from your CRM system

Because effective channel management ensures every partner gets the support they need — without overloading your internal teams.

4. Master Channel Management with a PRM Tool

Once your onboarding foundation is in place, the next step is to unify your ecosystem. That’s where a purpose-built PRM tool becomes essential to every aspect of your channel management strategy.

While traditional systems struggle to connect your sales channels, partner relationships, and real-time metrics, a modern solution like Introw brings them all together in one interface.

With Introw, you:

• Eliminate data silos across CRM systems, spreadsheets, and email threads
• Track deals, accounts, and partner activity in one place
• Enable cross-functional visibility between your direct sales channels and indirect sales teams

Introw’s CRM-native approach means you don’t have to switch tabs or train partners on new software. Instead, you get a lightweight experience that works through tools your teams already use — like Slack, Gmail, Salesforce, and HubSpot.

This integration enables:

• Real-time alerts when a deal is touched
• Shared dashboards to monitor channel performance
• Actionable insights for analyzing channel performance and resolving gaps

By giving both internal teams and channel partners access to centralized, real-time data, you reduce friction, improve accountability, and enable a more consistent customer experience.

Introw isn’t just the right tool — it’s the right channel management software for modern B2B teams who want faster execution, smarter collaboration, and measurable sales growth.

Let’s now explore how automation helps scale those results even further — while eliminating one of the biggest pain points: channel conflict.

5. Automate Manual Processes to Prevent Channel Conflict

Even the most aligned partner ecosystems face operational friction. Manual processes — like deal registration, email follow-ups, or lead assignment — often lead to miscommunication, duplication, and channel conflict.

Without automation, channel managers waste hours chasing updates or resolving disputes between distribution partners. And worse — deals fall through the cracks.

Introw automates the complexity so your team can stay focused on driving results. Here’s how:

• Deal Registration Automation: Prevent duplicate entries by flagging overlaps in real time across your CRM systems.
• Auto-Synced Workflows: Trigger follow-ups, assign tasks, or escalate conflicts automatically — no manual coordination required.
• Real-Time Notifications: Notify sales reps or channel partners immediately when a deal progresses or a task is completed.

By streamlining these core workflows, you reduce errors, improve sales performance, and maintain trust across your partner network.

6. Enhance Partner Communication

Strong partner relationships are built on clear, consistent communication. But too often, partner comms are scattered across emails, Slack messages, and outdated dashboards.

A unified system — like Introw — brings it all together.

With Introw, you can:

• Sync messaging across your CRM system, Slack, and email
• Share updates on campaigns, product changes, or marketing materials in real time
• Create account-specific channels for seamless collaboration between internal and external teams

This centralized visibility keeps your sales channels aligned and your channel strategy moving forward.

Plus, with integrated customer data and deal timelines, your channel partners never miss a beat — and your end customers get a smoother, more informed buying experience.

7. Create Regular Training Programs

Great partners aren’t found — they’re developed. Ongoing enablement is a critical pillar of effective channel management.

Whether you’re onboarding new MSPs, resellers, or VARs, your training should cover:

• Product updates and positioning
• Competitive landscape and market trends
• Use cases by customer segment and industry
• Sales tactics, pricing strategies, and objection handling

With Introw:

• Launch and manage certification programs by partner tier
• Track completion through embedded quizzes and progress dashboards
• Deliver content in multiple formats — PDFs, videos, Google Docs — all within one branded partner portal

This keeps your channel programs scalable and your partner performance consistent across various sales channels.

8. Incentivize and Reward High Performance

Nothing accelerates channel sales like the right incentives. And nothing derails it faster than unclear or delayed payouts.

High-performing channel partners want transparency and trust — and channel managers need a scalable system to track it all.

With Introw:

• Set up tiered commission structures or SPIFs
• Track revenue attribution by partner, territory, or campaign
• Automate payout reporting and eligibility reminders

You can even integrate partner performance data with your CRM system or finance tool to eliminate manual calculations and ensure every reward is backed by real-time numbers.

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This keeps motivation high, reduces disputes, and turns your partner program into a powerful sales engine.

9. Monitor Performance and Deliver Feedback

To continuously improve your channel management strategy, you need visibility. Not just into revenue — but into deal velocity, campaign engagement, and partner health.

Introw’s reporting engine makes it easy to:

• Set key performance indicators (KPIs) by partner type
• Analyze contribution to pipeline and close rate
• Identify underperforming regions or partners at risk

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More importantly, it enables ongoing support — through automated feedback loops, QBRs, and personalized coaching plans.

Because channel management involves more than just metrics — it’s about managing relationships that fuel long-term business growth.

10. Amplify Success Through Channel Marketing and Co-Marketing

Finally, even the best partnerships can stall without marketing support. Your partners need assets, guidance, and budget to drive demand — and you need visibility into what’s working.

A modern channel campaign management approach includes:

• Co-branded email and ad templates
• Social content tailored to customer preferences
• Campaign tracking tied to lead generation or revenue

With Introw:

• Share approved messaging and assets in your partner portal
• Track campaign adoption and outcomes by region or partner
• Collect insights that help you optimize your marketing strategy across the ecosystem

Co-marketing isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s a growth multiplier. With Introw, you can turn co-marketing from ad hoc to always-on.

Conclusion

Without effective channel management, even the best partner programs stall. If your strategy isn’t aligned, automated, and data-driven — you’re leaving revenue on the table.

A modern channel management strategy requires clear goals, the right partners, a frictionless onboarding experience, and consistent training and communication. But most importantly, it needs a system that scales.

That’s where Introw comes in.

With Introw, channel managers can:

• Eliminate manual workflows and reduce channel conflict
• Improve visibility across multiple sales channels and partner types
• Automate onboarding, training, deal tracking, and performance reporting
• Support better partner relationships with real-time CRM insights
• Track and analyze channel performance and drive revenue growth

Whether you’re running a mature channel sales strategy or just starting to scale with indirect sales channels, Introw gives you the right channel management software to move faster, stay aligned, and grow with confidence.

Ready to turn your partner ecosystem into a high-performing revenue machine?

Book your Introw demo today.

The world of partnerships is evolving—and for the better! Data has become the cornerstone of modern partnership management, transforming how partner managers make decisions, build relationships, and drive growth. Today’s partner managers don’t just maintain connections—they leverage data to uncover insights, optimise processes, and unlock new opportunities. When I started, I was navigating spreadsheets and tracking relationships through CRMs like Pipedrive and HubSpot. Today, the focus is on integrating those systems into a single source of truth, creating transparent, frictionless experiences for partners that foster long-term success.

This shift is a game-changer for managing and scaling partnerships. I’m Eva Fayemi, Co-Founder & CEO of Bond Agency, and I’m excited to share how data is reshaping partnership management.

1. Companies start with CRM Data

For most companies, CRM systems are the starting point for managing partnerships. These systems provide key data on sales interactions and performance, but integrating partner-sourced data can be a challenge. While it's better than nothing, simply tracking data isn't enough—it's crucial to define a partnership strategy first.

At Bond Agency, we help clients identify their partnership goals and align them with broader business objectives before optimising their CRM or introducing tools like Introw. A common challenge we see is companies not tracking which partnerships contribute most to the bottom line. We guide them in mapping partner journeys, attributing engagement, and tracking conversions in the CRM. This clarity leads to improved decision-making, better tracking, and growth.

Protip: Ensure your sales team is aligned on reporting partner-sourced leads. Create internal documentation and calls to keep everyone on the same page for seamless reporting across teams.

2. Increasing Revenue and Engagement

Growing revenue and boosting partner engagement are top priorities, but these goals can be time-consuming and difficult to track. Modern partner managers balance engagement and tracking more efficiently through technology, automating key processes and logging communication touchpoints with partners.

For example, one of our clients used to spend hours tracking partner engagement manually. After integrating their CRM with automation tools, they gained a dynamic, real-time view of partner contributions. Automated alerts and insights allowed their team to respond quickly, increasing partner engagement and revenue from key accounts.

Protip: Track whether partners open onboarding materials like sales brochures or marketing resources. This helps identify where additional support is needed for smoother, more effective onboarding.

3. More Transparency Through Data Means Better Collaboration

A common issue partners face is a lack of transparency. Without it, trust erodes, and partnerships can’t thrive. Tools like Introw are changing this dynamic by providing greater transparency. It connects CRM data with partnership management, offering a platform that tracks key metrics, aligns partners on pipeline progress, provides content, and monitors engagement.

This transparency empowers partner managers to track the entire partnership ecosystem while giving partners visibility into their performance. When everyone is aligned with clear data, collaboration becomes more efficient and impactful.

The future of partnership management is data-driven. With tools like Introw, partner managers can unlock new insights, improve collaboration, and drive faster, more efficient growth. Companies that embrace this will lead the next era of partnership management.

About Bond Agency: Since 2020, Bond Agency has been helping B2B tech and SaaS startups accelerate growth through strategic partnerships. We specialise in strategy development, execution, and providing fractional partner teams, focusing on scaling businesses in the EMEA and USA. With a diverse network of affiliates, tech integrations, and B2B influencers, we’ve delivered impactful results across industries including hospitality tech (e.g., Unicorn Mews), MarTech (e.g., Hotjar), and SaaS (e.g., Revenue Hero).

Join the conversation in our Slack community, The Nearbound Club, where tech founders and partnership leaders drive innovation in the partnerships space.

Visit: www.bond-agency.io

We’ve seen that there are 3 potential ways to manage your partners within HubSpot: custom properties, company association & custom object association. Before implementing a partner portal like Introw we advise to map your partners in your HubSpot. 

In this blogpost we’re going to focus on revenue attribution so we’re looking at the object “Deal” in HubSpot. If you also want to attribute contacts, leads, companies,… to partners, you can use the same approach.

Custom properties

How does it work?

1. Create a custom deal property
   • Step 1: Go to settings —> data management —> properties
   • Step 2: Create property:
     • Object type: Deal
     • Group: Deal information
     • Label: This is up to you to decide, we've gone for "Partner". Click "Next"
     • Field type: If you’re sometimes working with multiple partners on a deal, we advise going for “Multiple checkboxes.” If there is always a maximum of one partner per deal, go for “Dropdown select.”
2. Add your custom property to your view or your teams view (this will allow you to easily select the right partners from the left side panel)
3. Attribute the right partner(s) to the right deals

‍What are the pros?

✅ Easy and fast set-up

✅ Possible with all HubSpot plans

✅ Easy to create revenue reports

What are the cons?

❌ Every sales person should have this custom property in their view

❌ Not possible to navigate directly to the partner company

Company association (with association label)

How does it work?

1. Create a custom association label between deal and company
   • Step 1: Go to settings —> data management —> objects —> deals —> associations
   • Step 2: Create association label:
     • Objects you’re associating: Deals-to-companies
     • How many labels do you need? A single label
     • Create one called: partner sourced (for deals that partners have sourced)
     • 💡 Optional: You can create another label called: partner influenced (for deals that partners have influenced)
2. Associate the partner company to a deal and select the label “partner sourced” (or partner influenced)
3. You can do this by associating an (additional) company to the deal; add company

What are the pros?

✅ Easy and fast set-up

✅ Scalable

What are the cons?

❌ Not possible with all HubSpot plans

❌ Not easy to report on in HubSpot

Custom object association

How does it work?

1. Create a custom object
   • Step 1: Go to settings —> data management —> objects —> custom objects
   • Step 2: Create custom object:
     • Object name - singular: “Partner”
     • Object name - plural: “Partner”
     • Primary display property: “Partner Name”
     • Property type: Single-line text
2. Associate the right company object to the partner object in order to have all the right data connected
3. Associate the partner object to a deal

💡 Optional: Create association labels on this custom object to differentiate between for example partner influenced and partner sourced

What are the pros?

✅ Good for organisations with larger amounts of partners

✅ Scalable

What are the cons?

❌ Not possible with all HubSpot plans

❌ Not so easy

‍‍

Conclusion

To wrap up, there are 3 ways to manage your partners in HubSpot: via custom properties, via company association and via a custom object. 

Introw supports all methods :).

‍

What is Introw?

Working with resellers, referral partners, distributors,...? Keep on reading! Introw is a partner relationship management (PRM) platform allowing you to collaborate with your B2B partners in shared spaces integrated with HubSpot. 

One space to be aligned on pipeline, enable partners with content and track engagement.

Partnership data lives in the CRM, so we’re leveraging that to the fullest with our native and 1-click HubSpot and Salesforce integration.

With that, we’re not only elevating your B2B partnership experience, we’re elevating the experience of your entire partnership team.

Request a demo now.

‍
Install the HubSpot connection here.

Introw raises €1M

The Ghent-based tech start-up Introw, already helping dozens of companies to unlock partnership sales, raises €1M to create "Digital Partnership Rooms"

Early-stage fund Pitchdrive leads the €1 million round in Introw, joined by vetted angels such as Pieterjan Bouten (Showpad), Ewout Meyns (Hubspot) & Dieter De Mesmaeker (DataCamp).

Young entrepreneurs Andreas Geamanu (CEO), Laurens Lavaert (CTO) and Simon Van Den Hende (AI Engineer) founded the company in early 2023 together with “Netlog-maffia” serial entrepreneurs Lorenz Bogaert, Toon Coppens, Nicolas Van Eenaeme and Vincent Verlee.

They are on a mission to make partnership collaboration easy by allowing partners to collaborate in shared spaces. 

"There is only 25% adoption on current partner relationship management (PRM) solutions. With Introw partners don't need an account which results in up to 80% partner adoption," says co-founder Andreas Geamanu.

About the Challenge

The founders saw the challenges sales teams faced when trying to collaborate with B2B partners.  Driven by these challenges, the founders set out to bridge the gap and forge a new path for B2B ecosystem sales.

”We saw a huge drive in the founders to solve a pain they had experienced personally. Combining the technical (AI) expertise with B2B sales expertise will be a magical potion that can lead to a huge shift in the way companies work with partners today” Wim Derkinderen at Pitchdrive.

With the help and expertise of these experienced angel investors and Pitchdrive, Introw will use this funding to convert warm leads into deals worldwide. Introw is onboarding new users every day.

Sign ups are open at introw.io