What's in the tracker
Most partner programs start in a spreadsheet, and that is a sensible place to start. The trouble is that most partner spreadsheets grow one column at a time until nobody trusts the totals. This template starts with the structure a program needs, so the numbers hold up when you have 5 partners or 50.
| Sheet | What it does |
|---|---|
| Partners | One row per partner, with type, tier, manager, main contact, agreement status and commission rate |
| Referrals and deals | Every referral and registered deal, with dates, stage, status, value and the end of its protection period |
| Commissions | Commission on revenue you have collected, calculated from the rate, with totals |
| Partner summary | Referrals, wins, won value, commission earned and commission paid for each partner, calculated from the other sheets |
| Tiers | Your levels, who qualifies and what each earns |
| Allowed values | The fixed lists for types and statuses, so filters and formulas match |
The example rows show the workbook in use: three partners, six referrals and two commissions. Overwrite them with your own, and add a row to the Partner summary for each new partner.
How to open it in Google Sheets
The download is an Excel file, and it opens in Excel, Numbers and Google Sheets.
- Upload the file to Google Drive.
- Open it with Google Sheets.
- Choose File, then Save as Google Sheets, so you are editing a native sheet rather than the Excel file.
The formulas carry over. If you rename a sheet, update the formulas that refer to it in the Partner summary.
Rules that keep a partner spreadsheet accurate
A spreadsheet is only as reliable as the habits around it. These are the ones that matter most.
- One row per referral, added the day it arrives. The date referred is what settles disputes about who sent a customer first.
- Statuses from a fixed list. "Won", "won" and "Closed - won" are three different values to a formula. Use the Allowed values sheet, or turn on data validation.
- Never delete rows. Mark referrals Rejected or Lost instead. Deleted rows are how commission disputes start.
- Pay on collected revenue. Add a commission row when the customer has paid, not when the contract is signed. Our referral fee guide covers why.
- One owner. One person approves referrals and commissions, even if several people can read the sheet.
A monthly routine
Once a week, review every Pending referral and approve or reject it. Partners judge your program on how quickly they hear back.
Once a month, filter Referrals and deals for Won, add a Commissions row for each customer who has paid, and mark last month's approved commissions Paid when the money goes out. Then check the Partner summary: it is the quickest way to see which partners are sending business and which have gone quiet. The partner program KPIs guide suggests what else to track as you grow.
When the spreadsheet stops working
Spreadsheets break down in predictable ways. Watch for these signs:
- partners emailing to ask what happened to a referral, or when they will be paid
- two people editing the same sheet and overwriting each other
- commission totals that do not match what finance paid
- referrals that should have synced to your CRM living only in the sheet
When that happens, the next step is a partner portal where partners submit referrals and see their status, synced with your CRM, with commissions calculated from closed deals. Our guide to PRM vs CRM explains what changes. If you would rather not rebuild everything by hand, send us your spreadsheet and we will set your program up in Partner.io for free.