What partner onboarding covers
Onboarding starts the moment you approve a partner and ends when they send you real business, not when the contract is signed. A typical sequence:
- Approve the application and tell the partner within a couple of business days.
- Send the agreement, tax form and payment details request together.
- Give portal access and invite the partner's team, so each referral is credited to the right person.
- Send a welcome email with one next step: book the kickoff call.
- Run a 30 to 45 minute kickoff call to agree on target clients for a first introduction.
- Assign one short training course.
- Review progress at 30, 60 and 90 days.
The partner onboarding checklist turns these steps into a list you can copy.
Why it matters
Partners who never produce anything usually lose momentum in their first few weeks. They sign, get a login and then nothing happens, because nobody helped them choose a first client to introduce. Onboarding is designed to prevent that.
Onboarding vs enablement
Onboarding is a one-time setup with a clear end. Partner enablement is the ongoing work of keeping partners able to sell, through new content, certification and help on live deals. Onboarding includes the first piece of enablement, usually a short core course. The partner onboarding guide covers both the steps and a 90-day timeline.
Example
Lumen Health approves Kestrel Advisory as a referral partner on a Monday. That afternoon Kestrel receives one email with links to e-sign the agreement and upload a W-9 in the partner portal. Both are done by Wednesday.
On Thursday, Lumen's partner manager runs a 40-minute kickoff call, and they agree on three Kestrel clients to approach first. Kestrel's two consultants complete a 30-minute course the following week. On day 24, Kestrel submits its first referral. At the 30-day review, the partner manager notes that the agreement and W-9 step took the longest and moves the reminder email earlier for the next partner.