From Chaos to Clarity: GSI Lead Tracking with Referral Management

Global system integrators (GSIs) often account for the largest revenue stream at companies, and yet they're often one of the most difficult to track and map ROI to as a result of poor attribution methods due to manual processes. For many companies, GSIs are not just a piece of the revenue, they're often the biggest portion of their channel revenue.  

If you're struggling to capture leads from your GSI partners in your PRM, you're not alone. While many large GSIs won't log into your traditional partner portal to register leads, there is a solution with automated and integrated referral management.  

Here's how I've helped companies create automated workflows that both vendors and GSIs love.  

The challenge: Visibility into GSI lead data  

If you're a partnerships leader, you know how it goes. Powerhouse GSIs, like Accenture and Infosys, typically refrain from engaging with traditional partner portals. They may avoid logging into partner portals and instruct their employees to steer clear of accepting terms and conditions, which are often prerequisites for setting up portal accounts.  

Instead, valuable lead data from GSIs is often lost in your CAMs' emails or buried in Excel sheets, making ROI validation and attribution nearly impossible. 

However, with the advent of B2B referral management tools, the landscape is rapidly evolving, offering simplified, streamlined, and trackable methods to revolutionize your lead management efforts.  

The role of referral management  

Referral management offers a seamless way to overcome this obstacle. A CAM can create a unique referral link with a lead capture webform. The GSI can then use that link to send over new leads, as well as send it to their customers. This allows GSIs to submit leads that are also tagged specific to their business or unit. This URL can be shared internally among GSI administrators or CAMs managing the partnership. 

With Impartner, that referral lead data flows directly into your PRM. With the lead data now in your PRM, you can gain invaluable insights into your performance, allowing you to report, analyze, track, and model the data to make more informed decisions. 

Furthermore, since GSIs often have multiple branches and offices worldwide, each needing a tailored approach, referral management provides the flexibility to manage leads on a granular level. Whether it's their APAC or Chicago office, you can easily differentiate and track leads based on a GSI's respective branches or offices, ensuring no lead falls through the cracks. 

By offering GSIs a portal-free method to register leads, you not only streamline the process but also strengthen your partnership by providing a user-friendly experience built around their needs.  

How referral management works  

With Impartner's referral management solution, you can unlock a host of powerful features to streamline lead generation, track referrals from affiliates, and prove the value of your referral programs.  

Here's how Impartner can transform your B2B referral management strategy: 

• Create personalized referral links per company or individual, empowering your referral partners to generate quality leads effortlessly 
• Manage unique reward rules by partner entity and/or their referral sources, ensuring fair and transparent incentive structures 
• Automate communication, tracking, and fulfillment processes, eliminating manual tasks and streamlining operations 
• Access direct ROI and advanced analytics, providing valuable insights into the performance and effectiveness of referral programs 

With this solution, you can build a unique experience that's tailored to the specific needs and preferences of each referral partner, empowering them to manage their referral sources and access critical data with ease. Learn more about partner referral programs in our full MasterClass webinar.  

Automated GSI lead management is here  

Say goodbye to lead management headaches and hello to a more efficient and effective way of capturing and tracking leads from your GSI partners.  

Ready to take your partner management to the next level? Reach out to me today to learn more about how Impartner's referral management tools can help you automate your indirect sales pipeline!