Partnerships & Channel Sales Glossary
Clear definitions for the terms that matter in partnerships, channel sales, and ecosystem strategy. No jargon soup. Each entry explains the concept, why it matters, and how it connects to the broader partner ecosystem.
A
Account Mapping
The process of securely comparing customer and prospect lists between partners to identify shared accounts and co-selling opportunities.
Agency Partner
A marketing, design, or consulting agency that implements or resells a company's product as part of client engagements.
Alliance Manager
A professional who manages strategic technology and business partnerships between two companies at the executive and organizational level.
C
Channel Conflict
Friction that occurs when a vendor's direct sales team competes with channel partners for the same customer or deal.
Channel Manager
A professional responsible for recruiting, enabling, and managing a vendor's relationships with channel partners.
Channel Sales
A go-to-market strategy where companies sell through third-party partners instead of (or alongside) a direct sales force.
Channel Strategy
The deliberate plan for how a company will use indirect sales channels to reach customers, including partner types, economics, and go-to-market rules.
Cloud Marketplace
A procurement platform operated by AWS, Azure, or GCP where enterprise buyers purchase third-party software using their cloud commit.
Co-Marketing
Joint marketing activities between a vendor and partner to generate shared demand and brand awareness.
Co-Selling
A collaborative sales motion where a vendor and partner jointly engage a prospect, sharing account intelligence and selling effort.
D
Deal Registration
A process where channel partners register sales opportunities with a vendor to protect their margin and establish deal ownership.
Direct Sales
Selling products or services through an in-house sales team without third-party intermediaries.
Distributor
A company that buys from vendors in volume and resells to a network of resellers, adding logistics, credit, and enablement services.
E
I
Indirect Sales
Any revenue generated through third-party partners, distributors, or affiliates rather than the company's own sales team.
Influenced Revenue
Revenue from deals where a partner had a meaningful impact on the outcome but did not originate the opportunity.
ISV Partner
An Independent Software Vendor that builds and sells software on or alongside another company's platform.
L
M
Marketplace
A digital storefront where software vendors list their products for buyers to discover, evaluate, and purchase.
MDF (Market Development Funds)
Vendor-provided funds that channel partners use for local marketing, demand generation, and brand awareness activities.
MSP (Managed Service Provider)
A company that remotely manages a customer's IT infrastructure, security, or business applications on an ongoing basis.
N
O
P
Partner Attach Rate
The percentage of deals where a partner is involved, either sourcing the opportunity or influencing the outcome.
Partner Ecosystem
The network of companies, integrations, and relationships that surround a product or platform and extend its value to customers.
Partner Enablement
Training, tools, content, and support that help channel partners effectively sell, implement, and support a vendor's product.
Partner Onboarding
The structured process of bringing new channel partners into a vendor's program, from agreement signing through first deal.
Partner Overlap
Shared customers or prospects between two companies, identified through secure account mapping to reveal co-selling opportunities.
Partner Portal
A web-based platform where partners access training, marketing materials, deal registration, and performance dashboards.
Partner Scorecard
A measurement framework that evaluates partner performance across revenue, enablement, customer success, and engagement metrics.
Partner Success
A function dedicated to ensuring channel partners achieve their business goals and maximize value from the vendor relationship.
Partner Tiering
A structured system that segments partners into levels (e.g., Silver, Gold, Platinum) based on performance, certification, and commitment.
Partner-Led Growth
A go-to-market strategy where partner relationships are the primary engine for customer acquisition, expansion, and retention.
Private Label
A product manufactured or developed by one company but sold exclusively under another company's brand, often with customization.
PRM (Partner Relationship Management)
Software that helps companies recruit, onboard, enable, and manage channel partners at scale.
R
Referral Partner
A company or individual that sends qualified leads to a vendor in exchange for a commission or fee on closed deals.
Reseller
A company that purchases products from a vendor and sells them to end customers, typically adding some value through bundling, support, or local presence.
Revenue Share
A compensation model where a vendor splits a percentage of deal revenue with a partner who contributed to the sale.
S
SI (Systems Integrator)
A consulting or services firm that brings together multiple technology products into a unified solution for enterprise customers.
Sourced Revenue
Revenue from deals that a channel partner originated, meaning the partner identified the customer and created the opportunity.
T
Technology Partner
A company that integrates its product with another company's platform to deliver combined value to shared customers.
Through-Channel Marketing
Marketing programs and automation that enable channel partners to execute vendor-approved campaigns in their local markets.
Two-Tier Distribution
A channel model where the vendor sells to distributors, who then supply and support a network of resellers who sell to end customers.