In almost every industry, referrals are the gold standard of customer acquisition. Research has repeatedly shown that referred leads close faster, buy more, and stay longer — all with significantly less effort and at a much lower CPA than non-referred prospects. A University of Pennsylvania study[1] found that referred customers are more loyal and profitable — by a 16% margin — than their non-referred counterparts.

Having a channel partner program in place is becoming an important piece of the overall customer acquisition plan for B2B marketers today. And it comes as no surprise. B2B buyers are researching your brand before actually engaging with you. In fact, roughly 80% of the B2B buyer’s journey is complete before a buyer reaches out to sales. Which is why it’s crucial to build relationships with customers using the help of partners.

Securing partners (and figuring out incentives) for your partner affiliate program are crucial first steps in building a successful partnership. However, maintaining and nurturing relationships as well as delivering the best experience possible can be more important aspects of your partner program. While these elements are sure to be time and resource intensive, they are also closely tied to long-term success. 

In most cases, the success of a business partner program is almost always driven by a scientific blend of quantity (how many partners you have) and relevance (what are you offering to partners for sharing your brand).

With marketers adopting more personalized strategies, like nurturing via email workflows or developing a partner program, B2B buyers are looking beyond traditional methods of engagement and are pursuing building relationships with organizations.

We are elated to announce the formal launch of our Partner Program. Over the past few years, we have had the privilege of working with some amazing marketing agencies and business consultants who have helped their clients recognize the true value and importance of word-of-mouth. 

If there’s one question we hear more than any other from customers looking to start or scale a B2B referral program, it’s this: Do B2B referral programs actually work?