Submission
The partner submits a deal registration via the canonical channel — partner portal, Typeform, or PRM tool. The form captures the fields described in the deal registration form template: customer name, contact, deal value range, expected close, sales stage, and compelling event.
Critical: the form must produce a timestamp. First-in-time disputes between partners are resolved by timestamp alone. Submissions via email do not produce a clean timestamp and should not be accepted for registration (only for informal heads-up).
Eligibility check (within 48 hours)
Within 48 business hours of submission, the channel team runs the eligibility check against:
- Vendor CRM: is this customer an active direct opportunity owned by another team?
- Recent direct outbound: was this customer contacted by direct sales in the last 60 days?
- Approved Channel Account List: is this account protected as direct-only?
- Other partner registrations: is this customer already registered by another partner?
- Minimum thresholds: does the deal meet the minimum value (typically $5K ACV)?
The 48-hour SLA matters. Slow approval kills partner momentum more than rejection.
Approval, modification, or rejection
Three possible outcomes, each communicated in writing:
- Approved: registration confirmed, protection period begins, partner has 90 days exclusive right to pursue.
- Approved with modifications: standard cases include scoping the registration to a specific subsidiary, narrowing to certain product lines, or adjusting the protection window. The partner accepts or declines the modified terms.
- Rejected: rationale provided in writing. Most common rationale: prior direct engagement. If the partner disagrees, an appeal path should exist (typically VP channel within 5 business days).
Protection period management
During the 90-day protection window, the partner has exclusive right to pursue the prospect and the vendor's direct team will not engage. Operational rules:
- Partner is expected to provide a status update every 30 days (sales stage, next steps, expected close).
- If the partner goes silent for 45+ days, the channel team should check in. Silence usually means the deal stalled.
- If the partner needs a 60-day extension at expiry, they may request one with evidence of active progress (recent meeting, sent proposal). One extension is standard; multiple extensions invite reconsideration.
Expiration and re-registration
At protection expiry, the registration lapses. The lead returns to the general pool. The original partner may re-register if the deal becomes active again, but loses first-in-time priority — if another partner has registered the same prospect in the interim, the new partner wins.
The exception that prevents abuse: deals registered for 90 days with no partner activity (no meetings, no documented engagement) should not be eligible for re-registration immediately. Most programs enforce a 30-day cooling-off period before re-registration is allowed.
Conflict resolution patterns
The two scenarios that produce most conflict: (1) direct team and partner both pursuing the same prospect — resolved by registration timestamp and prior-engagement check; and (2) two partners registering the same prospect — resolved by first-in-time. In both cases, document the resolution in writing and communicate it to all parties. Verbal resolution invites disputes later.
The escalation path: channel manager handles standard cases, VP channel handles appeals, founder or COO handles unresolvable conflicts. Escalation above VP should be rare; if it is not, your rules need tightening.