Week 1: contracts, access, kick-off
- Mutual NDA signed (if not done pre-agreement)
- Partner agreement countersigned, copies distributed
- W-9 or local tax form collected
- Partner contact list collected (primary, secondary, billing, technical)
- Internal stakeholder list shared (vendor channel manager, SE, marketing contact)
- Kickoff meeting scheduled and held (45 minutes)
- Access provisioned: partner portal login, content library, deal registration tool
- Welcome packet sent (one-pager, pitch deck, demo video, certification enrollment link)
Week 1 should feel like the vendor has its act together. Every gap visible to the partner this week is a credibility hit.
Weeks 2-4: certification and enablement
- Partner sales reps enrolled in certification (target: 2 reps minimum)
- Live product Q&A scheduled and held
- First competitive battlecard walkthrough completed
- Pricing and packaging deep-dive completed
- Sales objection guide delivered and walked through
- Test pitch from partner rep, with feedback from vendor SE
- Certification completed (knowledge check + practical exercise)
By end of week 4 the partner should be capable of running their own first sales conversation without vendor support.
Weeks 5-8: supported selling
- First deal registrations submitted by partner
- Vendor SE joins first 2-3 technical calls
- Weekly office hours running (30 minutes, partner-driven agenda)
- First customer reference call facilitated
- Co-marketing activity scoped (typically a joint webinar or content piece)
This is the highest-touch phase. The partner is selling but still needs vendor air cover. Expect to spend 2-4 hours per week per partner during this window.
Weeks 9-12: independence and planning
- Joint Business Plan completed for next 12 months
- First standalone close (or near-standalone with light vendor support)
- QBR scheduled (first one due at month 4)
- Tier evaluation: where does this partner fit, what is the path to next tier
- Office hours reduced to bi-weekly
- Marketing calendar locked for next quarter
By week 12 the partner should be self-sufficient on standard deals. Continued high-touch support beyond week 12 indicates either an enablement gap or a wrong-fit partner.
30 / 60 / 90 day check-ins
Three formal check-ins during onboarding, each 30 minutes with a fixed agenda. Day 30: are access and enablement assets working, what is blocking, what additional support is needed. Day 60: how many registrations, how many active conversations, what is the realistic 90-day pipeline. Day 90: joint business plan review, tier path, ongoing cadence. These check-ins surface issues before they become program drag. Skip them and you discover the problem at month six when the partner has gone silent.