Partnerships Glossary

Partnerships Glossary

A practical guide to the language of partner ecosystems, channel sales, alliances, co-selling, marketplaces, and ecosystem-led growth.

Partnerships have their own language. This glossary breaks down the terms, metrics, motions, and operating concepts used across modern partner programs, from referral and reseller channels to strategic alliances, cloud marketplaces, co-selling, and ecosystem-led growth.

Featured Partnership Terms

The concepts every partnership leader, channel seller, and ecosystem operator should know cold.

Partner Ecosystem

Ecosystem Strategy

The network of companies, platforms, advisors, service providers, resellers, and communities that help a business reach, sell to, implement for, or support customers.

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Channel Partner

Partner Type

Channel Partner describes a partner role or partner company type that supports sales, delivery, implementation, influence, or customer success.

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Co-Sell

Co-Sell

A joint sales motion where two or more companies collaborate on the same account or opportunity to create, progress, or close revenue.

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Deal Registration

Channel Sales

A process where a partner submits an opportunity to a vendor so the partner can receive attribution, protection, margin, or support on that deal.

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Partner-Sourced Revenue

Metrics

Partner-Sourced Revenue is a partnership concept used to describe how partners are recruited, activated, managed, measured, or monetized.

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Partner-Influenced Revenue

Metrics

Partner-Influenced Revenue is a partnership concept used to describe how partners are recruited, activated, managed, measured, or monetized.

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PRM / Partner Relationship Management

Partner Ops

Software used to manage partner onboarding, deal registration, enablement, communications, performance tracking, and partner program operations.

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Marketplace Partner

Partner Type

Marketplace Partner refers to the marketplace model, platform, or commercial motion used to package, list, co-sell, or transact partner solutions through cloud or vendor ecosystems.

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Strategic Alliance

Ecosystem Strategy

Strategic Alliance is an ecosystem strategy concept used to understand, design, or orchestrate value across multiple partners, platforms, and routes to market.

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Value-Added Reseller / VAR

Partner Type

Value-Added Reseller / VAR describes a partner role or partner company type that supports sales, delivery, implementation, influence, or customer success.

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Global System Integrator / GSI

Partner Type

Global System Integrator / GSI describes a partner role or partner company type that supports sales, delivery, implementation, influence, or customer success.

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Nearbound

Ecosystem Strategy

A go-to-market motion that uses partner, customer, and ecosystem signals to identify warmer paths into accounts.

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Ecosystem Qualified Lead / EQL

Metrics

Ecosystem Qualified Lead / EQL is a metric used to evaluate revenue performance, partner contribution, pipeline quality, retention, or program effectiveness.

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Partner Enablement

Enablement

Partner Enablement is a partnership concept used to describe how partners are recruited, activated, managed, measured, or monetized.

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Partner Activation

Partner Ops

Partner Activation is a partner program element used to structure, manage, govern, or scale how partners work with a company.

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A–Z Glossary

327 partnership terms, categorized and prioritized. Use search and filters to find what you need.

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Showing 327 of 327 terms

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