How to Build the Best SaaS Partner Program (with Examples!)

Building a strong SaaS partner program is one of the most reliable ways to support scalable revenue, especially in a competitive and fast-changing technology market. This guide draws on real-world insights from partner leaders around the world and focuses on the practical foundations of building, managing, and scaling successful partnerships. 

Whether you are refining an existing program or building one from the ground up, partnerships can play a meaningful role in expanding reach, improving execution, and supporting long-term growth. Let’s get started. 

👉 Keep reading to learn more about: 

• What a SaaS partner program is 
• Why SaaS partner programs matter 
• How to build an effective SaaS partner program 
• How automation supports partner programs 

What is a SaaS partner program?  

A SaaS (software as a service) partner program is a strategy that helps software companies grow by working with third-party organizations or individuals. These partnerships are designed so both sides benefit by selling, promoting, or extending the company’s software. 

Types of SaaS partners can vary, but commonly include: 

• Resellers or distributors, who sell software directly to customers 
• Affiliates or influencers, who promote software in exchange for commission 
• Service partners, who provide services such as implementation, customization, training, or ongoing support 

For example, a company that builds accounting software for small businesses may partner with accounting consultants. These consultants recommend the software to their clients and support implementation, while earning commissions and ongoing services revenue. In some cases, they may also receive access to premium features they can include in their own offerings. 

This approach benefits both sides. The software company reaches new customers without relying solely on direct marketing, while consultants strengthen their service portfolio and client value. 

The goal of a SaaS partner program is to extend reach into new customers and markets by leveraging the networks and expertise of resellers, affiliates, ISVs, implementation specialists, MSPs, and other partner types. 

Why are SaaS partner programs important?  

SaaS partner programs support growth and competitiveness, especially as organizations are expected to scale with limited resources. When designed well, partner programs provide a scalable path to expansion. Key benefits include: 

• Expanded market reach: Access new markets and customer segments through partner networks, including faster expansion into new regions or industries. 
• Improved customer experience: Extend implementation, support, and services through partners to help customers receive timely and relevant assistance. 
• Revenue growth and cost efficiency: Leverage partner sales and marketing efforts to grow revenue while sharing go-to-market costs. 
• Product and solution feedback: Use partner insights to inform product improvements and address evolving customer needs. 
• Stronger market intelligence: Gain visibility into customer behavior, demand trends, and competitive dynamics through partner data. 
• Business resilience: Diversify revenue sources and reduce reliance on a single market or route to market. 

SaaS partner programs support both near-term performance and long-term strategic growth, including stronger market positioning and innovation. 

Investing in a dedicated partner program is a practical way to strengthen partner relationships. As economic conditions remain uncertain, partner ecosystem leaders face both the challenge and opportunity to differentiate through more effective partnership execution. 

🔎 Learn more: Explore how partner programs support scalable growth by understanding the key benefits partners bring to modern SaaS ecosystems. 

How to build a SaaS partner program 

A well-designed partner ecosystem can support meaningful revenue growth for a SaaS business, but building an effective partner program requires time and focus. This section outlines where to start and how to approach program development in a practical way. 

Additional resources are included throughout, with links to deeper guidance and actionable next steps where relevant. 

Learning from proven partner programs can help inform how you design and evolve your own. Throughout this guide, examples are drawn from SaaS partner leaders who have built and scaled successful programs. 

You can explore additional real-world examples in our case studies, and access longer presentations from industry experts at Multiply ImpartnerCon. 

✅ Level up: From partner agreements to onboarding checklists, we’ve built a library of free templates that SaaS leaders can use to support and scale their partner programs. Explore the free templates here. 

1. Understand your market and partnership potential 

Analyzing your market is a foundational step in building a successful SaaS partner program. This includes understanding your target audience, competitive landscape, and identifying partners that serve similar customers or complement your product. 

The goal is to align what your product offers with what potential partners need to strengthen their own value proposition. When this alignment is in place, both sides benefit, increasing the likelihood of productive and long-term collaborations. 

Assessing your product’s readiness for a partnership program is just as important. This includes evaluating product maturity, market demand, and how well your solution can integrate with or complement partner systems and offerings. 

In most cases, your product should be ready to integrate smoothly or add clear value to a partner’s existing solutions. 

Watch the following video to learn how AvePoint, a major Microsoft vendor, built a partner management strategy for their network of global partners. 

2. Set clear partnership goals and metrics  

Before building a SaaS partner program, it’s important to define what success looks like and tie those goals to clear, quantifiable ROI metrics. Leadership teams are more likely to invest in partner programs when results can be tracked and outcomes are predictable. 

An ROI-validated partner program allows you to report on real performance across your ecosystem. This visibility helps build confidence with the C-suite, support continued investment, and reinforce the business value of your partner strategy. 

Part of this process is defining specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for your partner program. These goals provide clear direction and serve as benchmarks for evaluating progress over time. 

Whether your objective is entering new markets, increasing revenue by a set percentage, or expanding your customer base, clear partner metrics help ensure efforts remain aligned and focused on measurable outcomes. 

For example, a SaaS company looking to enter the European market might set a goal to partner with 20 local resellers within the first year to leverage their existing networks and customer relationships. This goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, giving the business a clear framework for expansion. 

✅ Level up: Leading SaaS partner programs use ROI-validated approaches to build C-suite confidence and secure ongoing investment. Use our ROI-validated ecosystem checklist to understand the steps involved. 

3. Identify and recruit your potential partners  

Identifying the right types of partners is essential to building a successful partner program. Affiliates, resellers, referral partners, and other partner types each contribute different strengths to your business. 

Affiliates can help expand online visibility, value-added resellers can bundle your product to reach new customer segments, and service partners can extend your ability to support customers. Understanding the role and market position of each partner type makes it easier to align their capabilities with your program goals. 

Segmenting potential partners based on market influence, customer base, and alignment with your business goals helps ensure you work with partners that can deliver the most impact. 

For example, if your goal is to expand into the healthcare industry, partnering with consultants that have established credibility in that space can accelerate entry into the market. If product expansion is the priority, working with ISVs or MSPs in healthcare can help extend functionality and reach. 

🔎 Explore more: The partner landscape includes a wide range of partner types designed to support different business goals. Explore our full guide to the different types of partners to learn more. 

4. Build a compelling value proposition and incentive program 

Why should partners invest time and effort in your program? From the outset, it’s important to clearly communicate how partnering with your company helps them grow. That starts with understanding partner goals and positioning your program as a practical way to support their business objectives. 

For example, Shopify’s partner program enables developers, designers, and marketers to build eCommerce solutions for their clients using its platform. By offering revenue share, access to a broad customer base, and structured support resources, Shopify has established a clear value proposition that attracts and sustains a diverse partner ecosystem. 

In addition to a clear value proposition, establishing the right incentive and reward structure is essential for motivating partners and reinforcing desired behaviors. Common partner incentive models include: 

• Rebates 
• Commissions 
• Revenue sharing 
• Tiered rewards 
• Access to ongoing service contracts 
• Performance bonuses 

Align incentives with your broader business objectives, so they reinforce the behaviors and outcomes that matter most. For example, if expansion into new markets is a priority, higher incentives can reward partners who successfully establish presence in those regions. If increasing product adoption is the goal, incentives can be tied to customer usage milestones or sustained engagement. 

5. Develop a personalized onboarding and training process 

A structured onboarding process is essential for setting partners up for success. This includes product training, access to relevant marketing materials, and ongoing sales support to help partners confidently represent and deliver your solution. 

The objective is to ensure partners are equipped to market, support, and implement your product effectively for customers. When onboarding is well designed, it improves partner engagement, shortens time to first sale, and strengthens long-term program performance. 

For example, Microsoft’s partner onboarding process is widely recognized for its effectiveness. New partners gain access to structured training resources, certification programs, and marketing materials aligned to different stages of the partner journey. This approach helps ensure partners understand the product, deliver solutions confidently, and contribute to shared growth. 

🔎 Discover more: From first login to first sale, our partner onboarding checklist outlines the ten essential steps for onboarding and training partners effectively. 

6. Create an automated partner-led sales pipeline 

A core objective of any partner program is driving revenue growth. To support this, build an automated and scalable sales pipeline for partner-led deals. 

Automation allows partners to access opportunities, register leads, and track deal progress with less manual effort. These workflows reduce delays and errors while ensuring partners and internal teams are working from accurate, up-to-date information. 

Clear pipeline visibility also helps reduce partner conflict. When partners can see which opportunities are already in progress, overlap is minimized and trust improves across partner and internal sales teams. 

To see how this works in practice, learn how Nintex built an automated workflow that unified pipeline data across its partner ecosystem. 

⭐️ Example: Nintex builds automated sales pipeline workflows 

"In the world of partner strategies, the key is not just in finding prospects but staying ahead of the curve. Impartner’s technology ensures we’re not just keeping up; we’re leading the way.” 

— Anna Abramovs, Director, Global Partner Program 

Read the full case study to see how Nintex unified pipeline data and automated partner workflows at scale. 

7. Grow with an integrated partner management platform  

Choosing the right tools to manage partner relationships is critical to the success of a SaaS partner program. These tools should support sales tracking, communication management, and consistent information sharing across the partner ecosystem. 

A partner relationship management (PRM) platform centralizes how organizations manage and scale their partner programs. It supports key partner operations, including: 

• Onboarding and training 
• Certification programs 
• Lead and deal tracking 
• Incentive management 
• Asset management 
• Partner business planning 
• MDF management 
• Marketing and sales enablement 
• Partner marketing 
• Performance analytics 

By using a PRM, SaaS companies can build stronger, more productive relationships with partners while improving visibility and consistency across partner operations. Learn how to evaluate and select the right platform in our guide to the best partner management platforms. 

As Dinara Bakirova, Global Head of Channel Operations at Lookout, explains: 

“Our partners are our extended salesforce, and our partners’ success is our success. We wanted to provide the best partner experience and have everything in one place for them to navigate.” 

Watch Dinara discuss how a PRM helped shape Lookout’s partner program, or read the full story in the Lookout case study. 

8. Drive continued growth with performance analytics  

To sustain partner program performance over time, establish regular performance reviews. These reviews should evaluate partner results against defined KPIs, such as revenue contribution, customer satisfaction, and the impact of joint marketing activity. 

Running these evaluations on a consistent cadence, whether quarterly or biannually, makes it easier to assess partner health, identify trends, and address gaps before they affect results. 

Integrating performance insights into an ROI-validated ecosystem is the next step. This ensures partner performance data is used to support clear reporting on impact and outcomes. 

Analytics also help identify which partnerships are performing well and provide the evidence needed to demonstrate ROI. When performance measurement and ROI analysis are connected from the start, it becomes easier to scale what works and improve program results over time. 

The best SaaS partner programs start here 

The best SaaS partner programs are built on automation and tools that support ROI validation as programs grow. Automation creates the foundation for consistent execution, measurable performance, and informed decision-making across the partner ecosystem. 

Relying on manual processes makes it difficult to scale partner programs effectively. Automating time-intensive tasks reduces operational effort and cost while making it easier to track outcomes and demonstrate ROI across partner activities. 

SaaS leaders recognize that a strong partner experience is essential to program success. Delivering that experience requires a platform that removes friction and supports partners throughout their day-to-day work. 

That’s where Impartner fits. 

Each day, millions of partners across industries rely on Impartner. The reason is simple. Partner experience matters, and leading partner organizations recognize its impact on growth and performance. 

Impartner supports partner programs through partner relationship management (PRM) and partner marketing automation (PMA), helping companies drive revenue and profitability through partner-led sales. 

From partner training and onboarding to pipeline management, resource sharing, and performance tracking, Impartner provides a platform designed to support execution, scale, and measurable results. 

Need to accelerate your partnerships? We’re ready when you are.