How should I define activation, and what are some common blockers/issues that prevent successful activation of partners?

Partner activation is the process of transitioning a newly signed partner from onboarding to actively selling, implementing, and driving value with your SaaS solution. Activation is typically defined by key milestones, such as completion of onboarding and training, certification, engagement with sales and marketing resources, and most importantly, closing their first deal or delivering their first project. A fully activated partner is one who can independently position, sell, and support your product within their service offerings. However, several blockers can prevent successful activation. Lack of clarity on value proposition can make it difficult for partners to see how your product fits into their business model. Complex or lengthy onboarding processes can lead to disengagement before they fully ramp up. Limited access to sales enablement materials or demo environments can hinder their ability to confidently pitch to clients. Insufficient incentives or deal registration support may cause partners to prioritize competing solutions. Weak internal buy-in within the partner organization, especially from leadership or sales teams, can delay momentum. Additionally, lack of ongoing support and engagement after initial onboarding can lead to stagnation. To drive successful activation, focus on clear value alignment, structured onboarding, hands-on support for early deals, and continuous engagement through co-marketing, sales incentives, and enablement resources.

What Activation Really Means and What Stops It from Happening In a high-performing partner ecosystem, activation isn’t about completing onboarding or logging into the portal it’s about generating revenue. Full stop. How We Define Activation: A partner is activated when they register and close their first deal within 90 days of onboarding. That first win is the tipping point it builds confidence, proves value, and sets the tone for long-term engagement. But activation doesn’t happen by accident. And more often than not, it stalls for preventable reasons. Here are the most common blockers that get in the way: 1. Lack of Clarity on ICP or Value Proposition If partners don’t know who to target or what to say, they won’t take the first step. Clarity on ideal customer profile and messaging is table stakes. 2. Weak or Incomplete Enablement If training is unstructured, too generic, or hard to access, partners will lose momentum quickly. Without confidence in the pitch or product, they won’t go to market. 3. No Clear Incentive or Path to Win Partners need to see how they’ll make money now. If there’s no short-term incentive, limited deal visibility, or unclear payout structure they’ll deprioritise you. 4. GTM Misalignment If your program isn’t aligned with how your partners sell target markets, motion, roles they won’t engage. Misalignment kills speed and trust. 5. Deal Registration Friction If registering a deal is clunky, slow, or feels like a black box, partners won’t bother. Fast, transparent processes build trust and accelerate action. The Bottom Line: Partners activate when they’re confident in the pitch, equipped to sell, and can clearly see a fast path to revenue. Remove friction, drive focus, and make the first win inevitable. That’s how activation scales.

Activation should be a clear milestone that indicates a partner is ready and motivated to drive revenue. The definition will depend on your business company, but in general, activation should be: 1. Measurable: tied to actions that show real engagement. 2. Time-Bound: ideally happening within the first 30-90 days. 3. Aligned with Revenue Generating Behavior: encouraging activities that lead to deals closed. Ways to define activation based on different partner models: Referral Partners: - First referral or lead submitted - First sale generated - Co-marketing campaign launched Technology/Integration Partners: - Integration completed and tested - First joint customer onboarded - Co-marketing campaign launched Common partner activation blockers: - Lack of clarify on next steps. - Lack of product knowledge. - No immediate incentive to engage. - Complicated deal registration process. - Lack of cross team/channel support. - Misaligned incentives.