Partner relationships

An account represents a partner company, with status, segment, contact name and annual potential. A contact represents a person at the account and can identify a decision maker, influencer, gatekeeper or end user. An opportunity points to the counterparty account and may point to a primary contact. Creator attributions can also point to the account. These references make it possible to see which partner discussions led to a drop without inventing a second customer directory.

Partner Manager checks account status before qualifying an opportunity. An account marked On Credit Hold needs the team’s commercial decision before new commitments. Contact records keep phone and email details, while the opportunity owner and team member record identify who follows up. Activities capture calls, meetings, email and tasks against the opportunity, so the owner can see what needs doing next.

• Named owner. Partner Manager maintains the account and contact. Creator Coordinator can see the partner context for attribution. Sales Operations reviews account status.
• Partner context. Connect each opportunity to its counterparty account and, when known, the primary contact.
• Next contact. Record the follow-up activity and owner after a partner conversation.

Agree when a new partner account should be created, which organization owns it, and who maintains its contact information. Define how Prospect and Active are used and who may set On Credit Hold. Decide whether a contact must be the opportunity’s primary contact or can be involved only through a logged activity. Check how the team treats an account marked On Credit Hold before qualification or a proposal. Name who can update that account status and where the commercial decision is recorded.

A new partner asks about a creator drop. The manager creates the account as Prospect, adds the buyer as a contact, and opens an opportunity using the same counterparty. After a call, the manager records the outcome and a follow-up task. If the buyer changes, the primary contact is updated while the opportunity and past activity remain attached to the partner account.

• Partner accounts — Partner companies grouped by active commercial status.
• Open relationship activities — Calls and tasks still awaiting action on an opportunity.

• Qualification to proposal: Follow the related decision and record changes.
• Review the data model: Check references before importing records.