What this template covers
A partner scorecard turns "how is this partner doing" into a number you can compare across partners and quarters. This template is a weighted scorecard built for B2B SaaS partner programs. The Excel version calculates the weighted scores and total for you. The Word version is the same scorecard for sharing with a partner before a review.
It includes:
- A weighted scorecard with eight metrics and the columns Metric, Weight, Target, Actual, Score (1 to 5) and Weighted score. Each weighted score is the weight times the score, and the Total row adds them up. A second total checks that your weights still add up to 1.
- The eight metrics, across five areas:
| Area | Metrics | Combined weight |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | Partner-sourced new ARR, partner-influenced new ARR | 0.30 |
| Pipeline | Partner-sourced pipeline created, win rate on registered deals | 0.25 |
| Engagement | Deals registered, joint marketing activities completed | 0.15 |
| Enablement | Certified sellers at the partner | 0.15 |
| Customer outcomes | Gross revenue retention of partner-sourced customers | 0.15 |
- A scoring guide that says what 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 mean for each metric, so two partner managers score the same partner the same way.
- Tier rules that link the total to a tier decision.
- How to run the review, and a table for comments and agreed actions.
How to fill it in
- Set targets per tier, not per partner. Every Gold partner should be scored against the same targets for the year. If you need different weights for different partner types, such as referral partners and resellers, publish both versions.
- Check the weights. The Total in the Weight column must equal 1. If a metric does not apply, set its weight to 0 and move that weight to the others.
- Enter actuals from your systems at quarter end. Revenue, pipeline and registrations from your CRM or partner portal, certifications from your training records, retention from billing.
- Score each metric with the guide. Do not adjust scores for effort or bad luck. Use the comments table for context.
- Read the total against the tier rules and record the decision.
A worked example
The template ships with a Silver services partner's Q3 results. They closed $85,000 of sourced new ARR against a $100,000 target (85%, a score of 3), beat their influenced target by 20% (a 5), created $240,000 of pipeline against $300,000 (a 3) and kept 92% of the revenue from customers they brought in (a 4). They registered 9 deals against 12 and have 2 certified sellers against 3, both scores of 3.
Multiplying each score by its weight and adding gives a total of 3.40. Under the tier rules, that keeps the partner at Silver. The two weakest areas, registrations and certifications, become the agenda for their partner QBR, with an action to enroll two new sellers in certification.
Tips for a fair scorecard
- Weight what you want more of. If your program exists to produce new revenue, revenue and pipeline should carry at least half the weight.
- Include a customer outcome. A partner who brings in customers who churn within a year is costing you money. Retention keeps the scorecard honest.
- Move partners up on two good quarters, not one. One large deal can lift a single quarter.
- Give notice before a move down. Share the scorecard, agree a development plan, and allow a quarter to recover.
- Keep the metrics stable for a year. Changing them mid-year makes quarters impossible to compare.
The partner program tiers guide covers how to design the tiers the scorecard feeds, and the partner program KPIs guide covers which metrics to track at the program level.
After the review
Share the scorecard with the partner before their quarterly review, then use the meeting on the lowest-scoring metrics. Record any tier change with its effective date and what the partner needs to do to reach the next tier. Keep every quarter's scorecard so you can show the trend when a partner asks why their tier changed.