Bradley Johnston
Opensend Director of Partnerships
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.