What a partner portal includes
The contents vary with the program, but most portals cover the same jobs:
- Referrals and leads. A form to submit a referral and a list showing the status of each one.
- Deal registration. A way for partners who sell to claim an opportunity. See deal registration.
- Commissions and payments. What the partner has earned, what is approved and when it will be paid.
- Training. Courses, quizzes and certifications that help partners sell. See partner enablement.
- Content. Decks, case studies, logos and pricing sheets in one place.
- Account and agreement. The signed partner agreement, tax forms, payment details and team members.
Why companies use one
Without a portal, a partner program runs on email and spreadsheets. Partners ask whether their referral was accepted, finance asks who is owed what, and the partner manager spends the week answering both. A portal gives partners the answers directly and gives the company one record of every lead, deal and payment.
It also makes partner onboarding faster, because the agreement, tax form and first training course can all be completed in the same place on day one.
Partner portal vs CRM
Your CRM is built for your own sales team, and partners should not have access to it. A portal shows partners only their own records and syncs the relevant data back to the CRM. The PRM vs CRM guide explains how the two fit together.
Example
Atlas Logistics, a software company, launches a partner portal at partners.atlaslogistics.com with its own logo and colors.
Brightline Agency signs up, e-signs the partner agreement and uploads a W-9 in its first session. A week later Brightline submits a referral for a regional freight company. The portal shows the lead as Pending, then Approved two days later. When the customer pays its first invoice, a commission appears in Brightline's Payments tab with an expected payout date, and nobody at Atlas has to send an update email.