Partner Research & Qualification Sheet

About This Template

The Partner Research & Qualification Sheet is your simple, effective tool for researching and qualifying potential partners before you invest time in building relationships. This is the one sheet you'll use until you're ready to invest in a comprehensive PRM solution.

Key Features

4 C's Partner Qualification Method

Evaluate partners across four critical dimensions:

1. Capability - Does the partner have the right skills and resources?
2. Capacity - Can they handle the partnership workload?
3. Commitment - Are they willing to invest in the partnership?
4. Cultural Fit - Do values and working styles align?

Partner Categories & Types

• Reseller Partners - Sell your product to end customers
• Referral Partners - Generate leads and introductions
• Technology Partners - Integrate with your product
• Service Partners - Deliver implementation and support
• Strategic Partners - Co-innovate and co-market

Vertical & Sub-Vertical Clustering

Organize partners by:

• Industry vertical (e.g., Healthcare, Financial Services, Retail)
• Sub-vertical specialization (e.g., Hospital Systems, Insurance, E-commerce)
• Geographic focus
• Customer segment (Enterprise, Mid-Market, SMB)

How to Use

1. Research Phase - Document potential partners and their details
2. Categorization - Assign partner types and verticals
3. Qualification - Score partners using 4 C's framework
4. Prioritization - Focus on highest-scoring partners first
5. Tracking - Monitor outreach and conversation status

Who This Is For

• Partnership Managers - Building partner pipeline
• Business Development - Qualifying partnership opportunities
• Sales Leaders - Selecting channel partners
• Startup Founders - Planning first partnerships

What's Included

• Partner Research & Qualification Sheet (editable spreadsheet)
• 4 C's scoring framework with weighted criteria
• Partner type taxonomy with definitions
• Vertical clustering structure
• Example data to understand usage
• Lifetime access with updates

Benefits

• Objective Partner Selection - Remove bias with structured criteria
• Consistent Evaluation - Apply same framework to all prospects
• Better Conversations - Research before outreach
• Prioritized Pipeline - Focus on best-fit partners
• Team Alignment - Share research across stakeholders

Before You Invest in a PRM

Most companies don't need expensive Partner Relationship Management (PRM) software when they're getting started. This simple sheet gives you:

• Partner database and tracking
• Qualification scoring
• Pipeline management
• Research documentation

When you're ready to scale to hundreds of partners, then invest in a PRM. Until then, this sheet has everything you need.

Get Started

Purchase the Partner Research & Qualification Sheet today and start building a qualified partner pipeline.