Referral and co-selling programmes need clear rules: an ideal customer profile, referral qualification, account ownership, lead handoff, follow-up deadline, commercial credit, customer consent, data-sharing rules, conflict resolution and reporting. Lock the referring partner onto the record at creation, route existing-customer referrals to the account owner and decide credit rules in advance. Start with referrals unless deal sizes justify the overhead of formal co-selling.
A partner who refers an introduction and hears nothing back will not refer again. The workflow matters more than the event where it was agreed.
Checklist
Define first
- The ideal customer profile
- Referral qualification
- Account ownership
- Lead handoff
- Follow-up deadline
- Commercial credit
- Customer consent
- Data-sharing rules
- Conflict resolution
- Reporting
- Feedback to the referring partner
Framework
Referral workflow
Framework
Co-selling workflow
Practitioner points worth adopting
Practitioner guidance on co-selling, much of it from partner-technology vendors, converges on a few points. Co-selling means shared accountability for progressing the opportunity, not only a handoff. A defined ideal partner profile is the first defence against low-value partnerships. Account mapping, comparing customer and prospect lists to find overlap, works best as an active, frequent practice, not a quarterly exercise. A referral that loses its partner when it enters the CRM becomes an inbound lead for everyone downstream, so record the referring partner at creation in a field that routing cannot overwrite. Decide in advance how credit works when a referral turns out to be an existing customer.
Reference
Match the programme to deal size
| Situation | Sensible approach |
|---|---|
| Smaller average deals | A simple referral programme with clear rules and fast feedback |
| Larger, complex deals | Formal co-selling with named roles, account mapping and joint planning |
| Mixed | Referral by default, co-selling for selected strategic accounts |
Reference
Partner referral tracker
| Partner | Referral | Account | Date submitted | Owner | Status | Next step | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Worksheet
Joint account plan
| Account and ownership | |
| Customer objective | |
| Our role and partner role | |
| Key stakeholders on each side | |
| Planned joint conversation | |
| Data-sharing and consent arrangements | |
| Next steps with owners and dates | |
| Review date |
Frequently asked questions
How do you run a partner referral programme through events?
Define the ideal customer profile, qualification, ownership, handoff, deadline, credit, consent and reporting, then use events to agree and rehearse the process with partners.
What is the difference between a referral and co-selling?
A referral is a handoff of an introduction. Co-selling involves shared accountability for progressing an opportunity, with joint roles and planning.
How do you keep partner attribution in the CRM?
Record the referring partner when the lead is created, in a field that routing rules cannot overwrite, and agree credit rules in advance.