What It Is
An agency partner is a service-based business that helps clients implement, manage, or optimize your product as part of a broader service offering. Unlike partners who only resell your product, agencies offer strategic or operational support, becoming an extension of your solution rather than just a distribution arm. Agency partners often work closely with technology partners to deliver full-stack solutions to clients. Think CRM setup with a data migration layer or marketing automation paired with strategy and execution. They thrive when your product has clear use cases that require expert guidance or customization.
When to Use Agency Partners
Build agency partnerships when your product requires implementation expertise, ongoing management, or strategic guidance that your team can't scale directly. Agency partners are valuable when entering markets where buyers expect full-service solutions, when your product serves mid-market or enterprise clients needing customization, or when implementation complexity creates friction in your sales process. They're especially effective for SaaS platforms, marketing technology, and business software requiring integration with existing systems.
How It Works
Agencies join your partner program and get trained on your platform's capabilities and use cases. They position your product as part of their service offering, bundling it with implementation, strategy, or ongoing management. When agencies sell projects to their clients, your product becomes part of the solution stack. Revenue flows through different models: agencies may resell with a margin, refer clients for direct sales, or purchase licenses to include in their service packages.
Benefits for Partner Programs
Agency partners extend your implementation capacity without hiring internal teams. They add value beyond the product itself, making complex solutions more accessible to buyers. Agencies bring established client relationships and industry expertise that accelerate market entry. For B2B partner programs, agencies drive larger deal sizes, improve customer success rates, and create stickier implementations that reduce churn. They're particularly valuable in partner ecosystems where product alone isn't enough to win deals.
Agency Partners vs Reseller Partners
Agency partners sell services with your product embedded in the solution. Reseller partners sell your product directly with basic support or setup. Agencies focus on implementation, customization, and ongoing client relationships. Resellers focus on transactional sales and volume. Many companies build both agency and reseller tracks in their partner programs, using agencies for complex deployments and resellers for straightforward product sales.
