How account mapping works
Each side exports a list of accounts from its CRM with a status on each: customer, open opportunity or target prospect. The lists are matched on website domain, which is more reliable than company name. The result is a set of overlaps, usually shown as a grid of your statuses against the partner's.
The account mapping template gives you a ready-made sheet for a first pass, and the account mapping guide covers how to agree data sharing with a partner.
What each overlap means
| Your status | Partner's status | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Open opportunity | Customer | Ask the partner for context or an introduction |
| Target prospect | Customer | Ask for a warm introduction before outreach |
| Customer | Prospect | Help the partner, for example with a reference |
| Customer | Customer | Look for integration or expansion opportunities |
| Open opportunity | Open opportunity | Agree who leads to avoid channel conflict |
Why it matters
Account mapping turns a partnership from a general agreement into a list of specific accounts to work on. It shows where a partner can help close deals you already have, which is the usual starting point for co-selling, and it gives partners a concrete reason to stay engaged.
Example
Fjord Analytics and Signal Partners each upload their account lists. Fjord has 400 accounts and Signal has 250, and 32 domains match.
Of those, six are open opportunities at Fjord that are current Signal clients. Fjord's reps ask Signal for context on each, and Signal introduces two of the buyers directly. One of them, Lumen Health, signs a $30,000 contract six weeks later and is recorded as partner-influenced. Another nine overlaps are Fjord customers that Signal is pitching, so Fjord offers Signal two customer references to help with those deals.