Building Partner Networks That Actually Work
Most partner programs are built backwards. Companies define commission structures, create a partner portal, and then wonder why resellers aren't selling.
The problem is value demonstration. A partner network is not a distribution channel you install — it's a market relationship you earn.
A simple framework that has helped me a lot
Years ago I came across something called the BRAT framework. It's a straightforward way to think about your value proposition and structure your partner-facing messaging around it.
I'd love to credit the original author, but despite my best efforts I've never been able to track down the original source — so if you know who came up with this, I'd genuinely appreciate a heads up.
What is BRAT framework
- B is for Brand
- R is for Revenue
- A is for Activity
- T is for Trust
The idea is simple: you want to maximise the combined score across all four. If your brand is weak, you need to compensate with a stronger revenue proposition. If trust is lacking, something else has to pick up the slack. Think of it as a balancing act.
Brand value
Is your brand already well known and recognised in your target markets? If not, lean harder into marketing activity (A) and leave more margin for the channel (R).
As your brand grows, you can gradually pull back on the other levers — year over year, as the recognition does more of the heavy lifting.
Revenue share
How much margin are you willing to leave for your channel? The right number varies by industry, but the principle stays the same: the lower you score on the other three, the higher you need to go here. Everything has a price.
Apple is a useful reference point — their brand is so strong they can afford to leave very slim margins for their distribution partners. Chances are you're not Apple yet, so price your products in a way that gives the channel a healthy reason to invest time into them.
One of the most common mistakes I see is manufacturers trying to keep street prices low while their brand is still young. That creates a real conflict for the distribution channel.
Activity
This covers all marketing activity — not just your digital presence and brand campaigns, but also how proactive your Account Management team is towards your channel.
When you build things like partner training, customer education, marketing material preparation, and public appearances into your account team's job description, you'll see meaningfully higher engagement from your reseller network.
Trust
Trust is hard to define, but you'll know immediately when it's missing. And when it is missing, you need to score very high on the other three to compensate.
Some people say that without trust, nothing gets done. I don't think that's quite right — business can still grow, it just comes with significantly more friction and resistance from your network.
Where trust really becomes critical is in recruiting new partners. Without it, building new relationships is an uphill battle that rarely goes anywhere.
Trust lives in people and in company culture. If you're seeing trust issues, the answer is almost always to look inward first.
I hope this simple mental model will be helpful to you as you design your go-to-market strategy.