Purpose
Define and structure a complete KPI framework for a reseller or partner portfolio — with exact metric definitions, calculation formulas, targets, and data sources — so partnerships teams can measure, tier, and manage partner performance from one consistent scorecard instead of ad-hoc spreadsheets.
When to Use
Invoke this skill when the user asks to:
- Define KPIs or metrics for a reseller or channel partner program
- Build a partner scorecard or performance dashboard
- Structure bookings, retention, growth, or engagement metrics for a partner portfolio
- Set targets and benchmarks for partner performance
- Create a tiering model to rank partners by contribution
- Standardize how partner performance is reviewed across a BD team
Inputs Required
Before starting, collect:
- Partner type: Reseller / referral / VAR / MSP / distributor / co-sell
- Program stage: Early (launching) / scaling / mature (optimizing)
- Portfolio size: Approximate number of active partners
- Revenue model: How partners generate revenue — resell margin, referral commission, co-sell, recurring
- Available data sources: CRM, PRM, billing system, product analytics, etc.
- Primary program goal: Bookings growth / retention / partner activation / portfolio expansion
- Review audience: Who reads the dashboard — partner managers, leadership, or both
If program stage or portfolio size is missing, assume a scaling-stage reseller program of 20–50 partners and note the assumption.
Instructions
Build the KPI Framework Across 6 Metric Domains
For every metric, specify:
- Definition: What it measures in one plain sentence
- Formula: The exact calculation
- Target/benchmark: A concrete number or range calibrated to program stage
- Data source: Where the number comes from
- Cadence: How often it's refreshed (weekly / monthly / quarterly)
Domain 1 — Bookings & Revenue Performance (5 metrics) The revenue contribution of the partner portfolio.
- Partner-sourced bookings (new revenue closed through partners)
- Partner-influenced bookings (deals partners touched but didn't close)
- Average deal size (partner-sourced vs. direct benchmark)
- Bookings attainment vs. quota (per partner and portfolio-wide)
- Revenue mix (partner-sourced % of total company bookings)
Note attribution model early — sourced vs. influenced must be defined before any bookings metric is trustworthy.
Domain 2 — Retention & Renewal (4 metrics) Whether partner-driven revenue sticks.
- Partner-sourced customer gross retention rate
- Partner-sourced net revenue retention (NRR)
- Partner renewal rate (partners themselves staying active in-program)
- Churned partner revenue (revenue lost when a partner goes inactive)
Distinguish end-customer retention from partner retention — these are two different risks and both belong on the dashboard.
Domain 3 — Growth Rate (4 metrics) The trajectory of the portfolio, not just the snapshot.
- Quarter-over-quarter partner bookings growth %
- New active partner growth (net new partners producing revenue)
- Expansion rate (existing partners increasing bookings vs. prior period)
- Time-to-first-deal (days from onboarding to first closed deal) — a leading growth indicator
Prioritize rate-of-change metrics over absolute totals; a large portfolio with flat growth is a problem a snapshot hides.
Domain 4 — Engagement & Activity (4 metrics) Leading indicators that predict future bookings.
- Deal registration volume (registrations submitted per partner)
- Active partner ratio (% of partners with at least one deal or registration in the period)
- Pipeline coverage (partner-sourced pipeline ÷ partner quota gap)
- Portal / co-sell activity (logins, asset downloads, joint activities)
Engagement metrics are the earliest warning system — a drop here precedes a bookings drop by one to two quarters.
Domain 5 — Enablement & Readiness (3 metrics) Whether partners are equipped to sell.
- Certification / training completion rate
- Time-to-productivity (onboarding start to first registered deal)
- Enablement coverage (% of partner reps who completed required training)
Tie enablement metrics to bookings outcomes where possible — show which certified partners outperform uncertified ones.
Domain 6 — Portfolio Health & Concentration (4 metrics) Risk and balance across the portfolio.
- Revenue concentration (% of partner bookings from top 3 partners)
- Partner tier distribution (count of partners per performance tier)
- At-risk partner count (partners with declining activity or bookings)
- Contribution margin per partner (revenue minus program cost)
Flag concentration risk explicitly — a portfolio where 80% of revenue comes from two partners is fragile regardless of total revenue.
Build the Partner Scorecard Tiering Model
Define 3–4 tiers (e.g., Strategic / Growth / Emerging / At-Risk) using a weighted score:
- Assign weights across the 6 domains totaling 100% (weight bookings and growth highest for scaling programs; retention and health highest for mature programs)
- Give each tier a clear entry threshold and the management action it triggers (invest, maintain, develop, or intervene)
Define the Review Cadence
Specify what gets reviewed and when:
- Weekly: Engagement and deal registration — the leading indicators
- Monthly: Bookings attainment, growth rate, at-risk partner flags
- Quarterly: Full scorecard, tier reassignment, retention/NRR, concentration risk, contribution margin
Output Format
- Structure: 6 metric domains, each as a labeled table of metrics with definition/formula/target/source/cadence columns; followed by a tiering model and a review cadence
- Length: 1,100–1,500 words
- Format: Structured document with tables per domain; tiering and cadence as clearly labeled sections
- Sections: Bookings & Revenue → Retention & Renewal → Growth Rate → Engagement & Activity → Enablement & Readiness → Portfolio Health → Tiering Model → Review Cadence
- Tone: BD operations analyst — precise, quantitative, decision-oriented; every metric must be actionable, not vanity
Quality Checklist
Before delivering output, verify:
- [ ] All 24 core metrics across the 6 domains are present (5+4+4+4+3+4)
- [ ] Every metric has a definition, formula, target, data source, and cadence — no blanks
- [ ] Bookings domain defines the attribution model (sourced vs. influenced) before listing bookings metrics
- [ ] Targets are calibrated to the stated program stage — not identical across early/scaling/mature
- [ ] Tiering model weights sum to exactly 100% and each tier has a triggered management action
- [ ] Review cadence separates weekly leading indicators from monthly and quarterly reviews
Notes
- Engagement metrics predict bookings better than bookings predict themselves — weight them heavily on early-stage program dashboards
- The single most common failure is measuring absolute totals without growth rate; a stable-looking portfolio can be quietly declining
- Concentration risk is invisible on a revenue-only dashboard — always surface top-partner dependency explicitly
- If the user has no PRM or clean attribution, recommend starting with the 8–10 metrics they can actually source reliably rather than a full 24-metric dashboard they can't populate
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