Saas Partners Flashcards
Partner Ecosystem
- Partners are independent companies with their goals and objectives, which in some way leverage the SAAS company offers to enhance or complement their own
- have established a relationship with the SAAS vendor, meaning that there is a clear value exchange
Sales Funnel Breakdown
- TOFU (Top of the funnel) is to drive interest and awareness
- BOFU (bottom of the funnel) is to drive conversion and ultimately sales
TOFU (Top of the funnel)
At this stage, we are interested in creating leads, to be qualified by marketing and move further down the funnel to sales.
BOFU (bottom of the funnel)
The SAAS vendor will do demos, provide white papers, case studies, trials to reach commitment and sales.
Partner Ecosystem Classifications
Top of the funnel partners
Bottom of the funnel partners
Outcomes partners.
TOFU Partners
Marketing Affiliate Partner
Influencers
Referral Partners.
BOFU Partners
Resellers Managed Service Providers Marketplaces OEMs Distributors
Outcome Partners
System Integrators Technology Partners Solution Partners Alliance Partners Training Partners
Marketing Affiliate Partner (TOFU)
- typically send traffic to the SAAS website
- The SAAS company will reward affiliate partners for each visitor or customer (sale) brought by the affiliate’s marketing efforts
Influencer Partner (TOFU)
- Typically a consultant or trusted advisor
- Their objective is to provide advice and guidance to the customer, to be effective he needs updated information of the available solutions
- The SAAS vendor will support the partner through training, product access, sandbox, demos, or white-papers
- Usually, there are no monetary rewards associated with such referrals
Referral Partner (TOFU)
- generate leads to the SAAS sales team in exchange for a fee per lead closed
- leverage the relationship and trust with the customer. It provides a lead, so it is never anonymous (different than marketing affiliate)
Reseller (BOFU)
- “just” to sell the service, capturing a profit margin
- can provide additional services like renewals, billing, or contract management
Managed Services Provide (BOFU)
- take the SAAS offer and deliver it as a full, outsourced solution to the customer, based on their platforms and its relationship with the client.
Marketplace Partner (BOFU)
- specialized platform that offers multiple SAAS vendors
- can act as a Reseller or as a Referral Partner
- an be stand-alone or part of an IAAS, PAAS or SAAS company
OEM Partner (BOFU)
- will use the SAAS solution as a part of his product. and will define the go-to-market for its product
Distributor (BOFU)
- in the SAAS environment include a marketplace capability
- can provide a platform to support any resellers managing the SAAS solution, such as billing, provisioning and vendor contracts
System Integrator (OCP)
- provide customization, deployment, and integration in the enterprise
- usually have relationships with the IT department and with the business leaders
- can have vertical or horizontal specialization
Technology Partner (OCP)
- develop and market SAAS solutions that complement and enhance the SAAS vendor’s own
Solution Partner (OCP)
- Supplement and enhance the SAAS solution, but in this case through a product or service
Alliance Partner (OCP)
- have a broader and deeper relationship, with strong organizational commitment and significant business impact
- partner in areas such as product development, joint branding or finance
Training Partner (OCP)
- educate the customer and other partners regarding the SAAS service
Partner Nuances
- A combination could exist, in which a partner performs several roles
- a System Integrator that resells the product and delivers training, or, a referral partner that can provide some customization after the sale
