Partner motions are the specific go-to-market activities that vendors and partners execute together to generate pipeline and close revenue. Each motion defines how the vendor and partner interact in the sales and marketing process: who sources the lead, who owns the customer relationship, who closes the deal, and how value is exchanged.
Common motion types
Most partner programs support multiple motions, each suited to different partner types, deal scenarios, and market conditions. The most common motions include:
- Resell: The partner purchases the vendor’s product (or licenses it at a discount) and sells it to the end customer. The partner owns the customer relationship, sets pricing, and provides first-line support. Revenue attribution is straightforward: the reseller generates the transaction.
- Referral: The partner identifies an opportunity and passes it to the vendor’s sales team. The vendor closes the deal and pays the partner a referral fee or commission. The partner does not transact or manage the customer post-sale.
- Co-sell: The vendor and partner sell together into an account. Both contribute sales resources, and the deal may be registered by either party. Co-selling is common in enterprise deals where the partner brings the customer relationship and the vendor brings product expertise.
- Influence: The partner shapes the customer’s buying decision through advisory, consulting, or solution design but neither transacts nor formally refers the deal. Partner-influenced revenue is harder to measure but often represents a significant portion of total channel impact.
- Marketplace: The customer purchases through a digital partner marketplace (either the vendor’s own or a third-party platform like a cloud marketplace). The partner may have introduced the customer or configured the solution, but the transaction occurs on the marketplace.
- Services attach: The partner does not sell the vendor’s product but provides implementation, customization, or managed services around it. The partner generates revenue from services while the vendor benefits from customer adoption and retention.
Why explicit motion definitions matter
Defining partner motions explicitly is essential because each motion requires different operational support, compensation structures, and measurement approaches. A program that treats all partner activity as ”channel sales” will inevitably create conflict and confusion.
For example, a resell motion requires pricing tiers, inventory management, and partner margin calculations, whereas a referral motion requires lead routing, deal tracking, and commission processing. A co-selling motion requires rules of engagement, split compensation, and CRM visibility for both parties. If these distinctions are not defined upfront, partners encounter friction whenever their activity does not fit the program’s default assumptions.
Motions also determine how the vendor staffs and trains its channel team. Channel account managers supporting resellers need different skills than those supporting co-sell partners: the former focus on partner enablement and independence, while the latter focus on joint account planning and deal coordination.
Formalizing motions through program mechanisms
Organizations typically formalize their partner motions through several mechanisms:
- Rules of engagement: A documented framework that specifies which motion applies in which scenario, how conflicts between motions are resolved, and how credit is assigned when multiple partners or the direct sales team are involved in the same deal.
- Motion-specific deal registration: The deal registration form captures the type of motion, which triggers the appropriate approval workflow and compensation calculation. A referral registration routes differently than a co-sell registration.
- Compensation aligned to motion: Referral partners receive a percentage fee, resellers receive margin, and co-sell partners may receive a commission, a sourcing bonus, or revenue share depending on their contribution. Misaligned compensation discourages the motions the vendor wants to encourage.
- Motion-specific enablement: Training and sales tools vary by motion. Resellers need product pricing and competitive positioning, referral partners need qualification criteria and handoff processes, and co-sell partners need account mapping tools and joint selling partner playbooks.
| Motion | Lead source | Who closes | Partner compensation | Typical partner type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resell | Partner | Partner | Margin on product sale | Reseller, VAR, distributor |
| Referral | Partner | Vendor | Referral fee or commission | Referral partner, consultant |
| Co-sell | Either | Joint effort | Revenue share or bonus | Strategic partner, SI |
| Influence | Vendor or partner | Vendor | Influence fee (if any) | Consultant, advisor, analyst |
| Marketplace | Customer | Self-service | Transaction commission | ISV, technology partner |
| Services attach | Vendor | Vendor (product); Partner (services) | Services revenue | SI, MSP, implementation partner |