What It Is
A partner-sourced pipeline is made up of deals that come from your partners, whether through referrals, co-selling, or shared marketing. It shows the actual revenue impact your partnerships are driving. This pipeline is often the proof that your partner program is working. Tracking it helps you prioritize partner enablement and double down on what delivers results.
When to Track Partner-Sourced Pipeline
Track partner-sourced pipeline from day one of partner program launch to measure partnership ROI and justify program investment. Monitor it when partners become active to identify which partnerships generate revenue versus which remain inactive. Partner-sourced pipeline tracking is essential when reporting to executives on partnership performance, when determining partner tier levels based on contribution, or when calculating partner compensation and incentives. Implement tracking when you need to understand which partnership types (referral, co-sell, channel) drive the most revenue. Pipeline visibility becomes critical when optimizing resource allocation between partner enablement and direct sales.
How It Works
Partner-sourced pipeline tracking requires clear attribution rules defining what counts as partner-sourced: deals registered by partners, opportunities with partner involvement, or revenue influenced by partner relationships. Partners register deals through partner portals, CRM integrations, or deal registration systems. Sales teams tag opportunities with partner attribution as deals progress through stages. Revenue reporting separates partner-sourced from direct-sourced pipeline, showing partner contribution by partnership type, individual partner, geography, or product line. Successful tracking includes partner influence analytics showing which partners contribute to which deal stages, average deal size by partner type, and conversion rates for partner-sourced versus direct opportunities.
Benefits for Partner Programs
Partner-sourced pipeline provides concrete evidence of partnership ROI, justifying program investment and resource allocation. It identifies which partners drive actual revenue versus which consume support without contributing results. Pipeline data reveals which partnership types generate best economics, informing future partner recruitment priorities. In B2B partner programs, partner-sourced pipeline metrics validate go-to-market strategy effectiveness and guide program optimization. Tracking enables performance-based partner tiers, incentives, and marketing development fund allocation. For companies in partner marketplaces, demonstrating strong partner-sourced pipeline attracts more partners wanting to join productive ecosystems. Partner-sourced pipeline visibility transforms partnerships from relationship exercises into measurable revenue engines.
Partner-Sourced Pipeline vs Partner Pipeline
Partner-sourced pipeline tracks revenue opportunities and deals that partners generate for your business. Partner pipeline tracks the development stages of partner relationships from prospect to productive contributor. Partner-sourced pipeline measures sales outcomes: leads, opportunities, closed deals. Partner pipeline measures partnership maturity: signed, onboarding, activated, productive. Partner-sourced pipeline shows the revenue value partnerships create. Partner pipeline shows how partnerships develop over time. Partner-sourced pipeline is owned by sales teams tracking deals. Partner pipeline is owned by partner teams tracking relationship progression. Both connect strategically: healthy partner pipeline development leads to growing partner-sourced pipeline. Successful partner programs track both to understand partnership investment (partner pipeline) and partnership returns (partner-sourced pipeline).
