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.
The concepts every partnership leader, channel seller, and ecosystem operator should know cold.
The network of companies, platforms, advisors, service providers, resellers, and communities that help a business reach, sell to, implement for, or support customers.
Read definitionChannel Partner describes a partner role or partner company type that supports sales, delivery, implementation, influence, or customer success.
Read definitionA joint sales motion where two or more companies collaborate on the same account or opportunity to create, progress, or close revenue.
Read definitionA process where a partner submits an opportunity to a vendor so the partner can receive attribution, protection, margin, or support on that deal.
Read definitionPartner-Sourced Revenue is a partnership concept used to describe how partners are recruited, activated, managed, measured, or monetized.
Read definitionPartner-Influenced Revenue is a partnership concept used to describe how partners are recruited, activated, managed, measured, or monetized.
Read definitionSoftware used to manage partner onboarding, deal registration, enablement, communications, performance tracking, and partner program operations.
Read definitionMarketplace 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.
Read definitionStrategic Alliance is an ecosystem strategy concept used to understand, design, or orchestrate value across multiple partners, platforms, and routes to market.
Read definitionValue-Added Reseller / VAR describes a partner role or partner company type that supports sales, delivery, implementation, influence, or customer success.
Read definitionGlobal System Integrator / GSI describes a partner role or partner company type that supports sales, delivery, implementation, influence, or customer success.
Read definitionA go-to-market motion that uses partner, customer, and ecosystem signals to identify warmer paths into accounts.
Read definitionEcosystem Qualified Lead / EQL is a metric used to evaluate revenue performance, partner contribution, pipeline quality, retention, or program effectiveness.
Read definitionPartner Enablement is a partnership concept used to describe how partners are recruited, activated, managed, measured, or monetized.
Read definitionPartner Activation is a partner program element used to structure, manage, govern, or scale how partners work with a company.
Read definition327 partnership terms, categorized and prioritized. Use search and filters to find what you need.
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