The Methodology
The Partner Operator Loop.
Seven phases. One Pod. Quarterly cycle. Phase 07 hands evidence back to Phase 01. The Model is how operators run partnerships and report it to the CFO.
Foundation
Define your ICP, buyer persona, trust surface, and partner type thesis.
Job
Lock the inputs that drive every other phase.
Tools
- · ICP
- · Buyer persona
- · Trust surface
- · Partner type thesis
Deliverable
A foundation doc every later phase reads from.
Four foundation inputs
ICP
The customer segment your partnerships exist to win. Industry, size, motion, and trigger.
Buyer persona
The specific buyer your partners must be able to influence. Role, pain, and proof they respond to.
Trust surface
Where partner trust is earned: shared accounts, named buyers, and the proof the partner can carry.
Partner-type thesis
Which partner archetypes can actually move your ICP. Everything downstream is filtered through this.
Every later phase reads from this doc. Change a foundation input and the downstream IPP, TAM, and Pod plan must be re-scored.
Ideal Partner Profile
Build the weighted IPP. Map scores into invest, maintain, test, and exit.
Job
Score partners against weighted criteria. Map scores into the four tiers.
Tools
- · Weighted criteria
- · Tier bands
Deliverable
An IPP scorecard and tier band map.
Weighted IPP criteria
Buyer overlap
Density of shared named buyers in the ICP.
Motion fit
Their selling motion matches yours at the stages you need help.
Stage coverage
Which of TOFU / Co-Sell / Expand / Retain they can credibly run.
Activation likelihood
Probability they actually work the book inside the quarter.
Weights sum to 100. Each partner gets one composite score that maps cleanly into the four tier bands below.
The four tier bands
Invest
Top-quartile Yield (or 6x+ absolute), Trust-Gap +5 or more, coverage in two-plus stages, six-plus months of partner history. Earns next-quarter MDF, joint marketing, exec air cover, and dedicated Pod time.
Maintain
Middle Yield, Trust-Gap positive but under +5, or single-stage but reliable. Six-plus months of history. Holds current investment. No new spend.
Test
The structured proof tier. Under six months of history, divergent trailing 3 vs 12 month signals, an active Audit Incomplete flag, or ambiguous criteria. One quarter of structured proof with named exit criteria. Capped investment.
Exit
Negative Trust-Gap, bottom-quartile Yield, zero stage coverage at 12-plus months, or Audit Incomplete flagged for two consecutive quarters. Structured offboarding. Capacity reallocated.
Recruit and Portfolio Analysis
Audit the partner book. Decide who to invest in, who to maintain, who to test, and who to exit.
Job
Audit the partner book. Decide who to invest in, who to maintain, who to test, and who to exit.
Tools
- · Attribution
- · Partner Yield
Deliverable
Per-partner tier and quarterly investment plan.
Portfolio audit output
Per-partner tier
Every active partner lands in Invest, Maintain, Test, or Exit. No nulls. Tier change requires a written reason.
Quarterly investment plan
MDF, Pod hours, joint marketing, and exec time allocated by tier. Test partners get a fixed cap and named exit criteria.
Audit log
Trailing 3 vs 12 month signals reviewed. Audit Incomplete partners flagged and routed to Test or Exit.
Tier definitions live in Phase 02. Recruit applies them to the live book and produces the quarterly plan.
TAM
Forecast addressable partner revenue per partner per segment.
Job
Forecast addressable revenue per partner per segment.
Tools
- · Trust-Gap (forward)
- · Attribution states
Deliverable
Per-partner per-segment ARR forecast.
Three TAM components
Sourced TAM
Revenue the partner originates. Yield × planned spend, with a conservative step-down when scaling spend 30%+.
Influenced TAM
Uplift on direct deals. Accounts engaged × Trust-Gap (decimal) × average ACV.
Expansion TAM
Only for partners with Expand stage coverage. Customer base × upsell rate × upsell ACV.
Step Yield down one band when scaling spend 30%+. Sourced and Influenced never overlap.
Funnel Analysis
Map each invested partner to the funnel stage where they produce.
Job
Map partners to the stages where they produce.
Tools
- · Stage-specific Signal metrics
Deliverable
Per-partner stage-by-stage deployment plan.
The four funnel stages
TOFU
Partner-sourced pipeline
Partner originates the opportunity. MQL→SQL conversion from partner sources, partner-sourced pipeline as % of segment quota.
Co-Sell
Trust-Gap
Partner shapes a deal already in motion. Mapping Overlap Density, Engagement Velocity, Mean Time to Respond.
Expand
Partner-influenced expansion ARR
Partner identifies expansion signal and triggers the upsell. Adoption visibility, upsell trigger rate, account-health correlation.
Retain
NRR delta
Partner influences adoption, account health, and renewal in partner-touched accounts.
Co-Sell Execution
Pod, Three-State Threshold, Primary Sale Gate, plus the weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly cadences.
Job
Run the deals and the operating rhythm.
Tools
- · Partner Pod
- · Three-State Threshold
- · Primary Sale Gate
- · Operating rhythm
Deliverable
Closed pipeline and a rhythm that compounds.
The Partner Pod
Partner Marketing
Leads TOFU. Supports Co-Sell with joint assets.
Partner Manager
Owns the relationship and the Model. Quarterback for the Pod.
AE
Owns the Primary Sale and the deal. Reports state to the Pod weekly.
BDM in CSM mode
Owns Expand and Retain. Translates partner activity into expansion ARR.
Roles flex by phase. The Pod has explicit handoff triggers between funnel stages.
Primary Sale Stage Gate. The internal sale to the partner rep closes before any joint customer activity is scheduled. Logged in CRM by day 7 or the deal stalls.
The Three-State Threshold
Green
Signals compounding. Trust-Gap material. Deploy full Pod. Joint marketing, exec access, and accelerated motions.
Yellow
Signals soft or Primary Sale unconfirmed. Trigger 7-day re-engagement. Pod reviews at day 7. No expansion of investment until signals recover.
Red
Re-engagement failed. Mandatory disinvestment. Rationale logged to CRM. Capacity reallocated to higher Trust-Gap deals.
Operating rhythm
WEEKLY
Pod sync · 30 min
Deal-level operational review
BI-WEEKLY
Partner 1:1 · 45 min
Pipeline + relationship review per Invest partner
MONTHLY
Pod scorecard · 60 min
Performance vs Phase 03 commitments
QUARTERLY
QBR + Retro · 90 + 60 min
Next-quarter commitment + Pod improvement
Measurement
Read the truth and feed it back into Foundation and Profile.
Job
Read the truth. Reset the next quarter.
Tools
- · Partner Yield
- · Trust-Gap (realized)
- · Deal Velocity Premium
- · NRR delta
Deliverable
Quarterly partner ranking that resets the next Model iteration.
Five realized metrics
- ·Realized Partner Yield
- ·Realized Trust-Gap
- ·Realized Deal Velocity Premium
- ·Partner-influenced Expansion ARR
- ·Partner contribution to NRR
Trajectory call
Compounding
Realized metrics meet or exceed forecast. Yield, Trust-Gap, and stage coverage holding or improving.
Holding
Realized metrics within ±15% of forecast. Producing as expected. No tier change indicated.
Decaying
Realized metrics off by 15%+ on at least one of Yield, Trust-Gap, or stage coverage.
Trajectory feeds back into Foundation and Profile. Compounding partners raise weights, Decaying partners trigger re-scoring or Exit.
A.S.S.E.T. Reference