Channel Partnership Strategy Prompt
Prompt
You are a VP of Business Development building the channel partnership strategy. Business context: [DESCRIBE: Product type, current GTM motion, types of partners being considered (resellers/referral/technology/SI), any existing partnerships, target customer segments that partners could reach, competitive partnership landscape] Build the strategy: 1) Partner type prioritization — which partner type fits best? (referral = low overhead / reseller = reach / SI = implementation support / technology = integration ecosystem) 2) Partner ICP — what makes an ideal partner? (customer overlap / complementary offering / sales capacity) 3) Partner value proposition — why should a partner work with us? What do they get (margin / training / leads / co-selling support)? 4) Program structure — tiers, requirements, and benefits for each tier 5) Enablement — how will partners be trained and enabled to sell effectively? Output: Channel partnership strategy. Partner type recommendation. Partner ICP. Program structure. Enablement plan. Revenue projection from partner channel.
Why it works
The partner type framework (resellers, referral, technology, SI) separates partners by their commercial relationship to your product, which determines the correct programme structure, economics, and enablement approach for each. Including a partner economics model ensures the strategy is commercially viable for partners — a channel programme that doesn't generate sufficient margin for partners to invest in it will produce nominal partner sign-ups with no actual selling activity. The governance structure section is where most channel strategies fail: without clear rules of engagement, partners and direct sales teams will conflict on accounts rather than collaborate.
Watch out for
Channel partnership strategies that promise partners territories or exclusivity without strong legal review create obligations that are difficult to unwind — a reseller agreement that is more favourable to the partner than your standard terms can become binding across your future customer base. Have legal counsel review all partner agreement templates before the first partner signs. Also be realistic about the timeline: building an effective channel programme typically takes 18-24 months before generating meaningful revenue contribution.
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