Forecastable Blog

Forecastable's Education Center -- The best advice on building partner programs that produce forecastable revenue.

Latest Post

Latest Post

Two B2B executives across a conference table reviewing a printed OEM contract draft alongside a reseller agreement, with discount tier annotations visible, deep navy and amber palette

OEM vs Reseller: A 2026 Comparison for Programs

What is the difference between OEM and reseller? Short answer: OEM vs reseller is the decision between embedding your product inside a partner’s offering (OEM) versus letting a partner sell your product as-is alongside theirs (reseller). The two motions look adjacent and produce opposite operating models. The economics, the legal posture, the support model, and […]

Read Article

Editor's Picks

Nearbound Marketing: What It Is and How It Works

Demand generation that runs through partners by borrowing their trust, measured as pipeline.

MDF Programs That Generate Real Pipeline (Not Just Activity)

Short answer: most MDF (Market Development Funds) programs in B2B SaaS waste 50 to 70 percent of their budget. The cause is structural, not size. MDF gets framed too narrowly as marketing money. It then goes to partners who will not run the activity that drives pipeline. The fix is a defensible MDF program that […]

Joint Demand Generation: How to Run Co-Marketing That Converts

Short answer: joint demand generation campaigns with partners produce 2x to 4x the ROI of solo demand-gen when designed correctly. They produce 0.5x or worse when designed wrong. The difference comes down to four design decisions. You need a shared ICP, a single accountable owner, lead-level attribution, and a structured handoff motion. Get those four […]

Two B2B executives across a conference table reviewing a printed OEM contract draft alongside a reseller agreement, with discount tier annotations visible, deep navy and amber palette

OEM vs Reseller: A 2026 Comparison for Programs

What is the difference between OEM and reseller? Short answer: OEM vs reseller is the decision between embedding your product inside a partner’s offering (OEM) versus letting a partner sell your product as-is alongside theirs (reseller). The two motions look adjacent and produce opposite operating models. The economics, the legal posture, the support model, and […]

Read Article
Partner manager walking a head of sales through a CRM-grade partner pipeline on a wall monitor with named deals visible at the stage level, deep navy and amber palette

Partner Manager Skills: A 2026 Operating Profile

What partner manager skills predict performance in 2026? Short answer: partner manager skills are the operational competencies a partner manager needs to produce partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline at scale, hunter orientation, pipeline discipline, partner-manager execution, internal selling, and ecosystem fluency. In 2026, these five competencies determine whether a partner manager produces deals or produces meetings, […]

Read Article
Two sellers from different B2B companies presenting a joint value proposition to a customer in a calm modern conference room with a printed seller script visible on the table, deep navy and amber palette

Partner Messaging: A 2026 Framework for Co-Sell

What is partner messaging? Short answer: partner messaging is the joint narrative two partner companies use to position a combined offering to a shared customer, covering the joint value proposition, the buyer-fit segmentation, the proof points, and the specific scripts both sales teams use in the room. In 2026, it is the single most undervalued […]

Read Article
Partnerships leader and a CFO reviewing a printed partner tier ladder and margin protection table at a calm modern conference table with a discount tier spreadsheet visible on a tablet, deep navy and amber palette

Partner Pricing: A 2026 Buyer’s Guide for Programs

What is partner pricing? Short answer: partner pricing is the deliberate set of discount tiers, deal-registration rules, margin protection mechanisms, and incentive structures that govern what a partner pays, earns, and protects on every transaction. It is the operating economics of a partner program, not the headline discount alone. In 2026, programs that publish a […]

Read Article
Two professionals reviewing a partner manager compensation plan on a laptop in a modern conference room, deep navy and amber palette

Partner Manager Salary: What to Pay and Why

What is a partner manager salary? Short answer: a partner manager salary is the total compensation (base, variable, and equity) paid to the person who recruits, activates, and drives revenue through a company’s partners. There are now two structures in market for this role. The legacy structure pays a relationship-coordination hire on a 70/30 to […]

Read Article
Three-shelf modern display wall with descending amber light bands and an analyst studying the top tier, an abstract hierarchy still life.

Partner Tiering: What It Is and How to Design It

What is partner tiering? Short answer: partner tiering is the practice of grouping partners into levels (typically by production, commitment, or capability) and matching investment and benefits to each level. In 2026, the tiers that work are earned on output, not assigned on logos or revenue size. A tier system is an investment allocation tool, […]

Read Article
A VP of Partnerships presenting to executives in a glass-walled boardroom, abstract revenue waterfall on screen, calm authority.

VP of Partnerships: What the Role Is and When to Hire

What is a VP of Partnerships? Short answer: a VP of Partnerships is the senior leader who owns the partner revenue motion (strategy, team, and the partner-sourced number) and represents partnerships in the company’s revenue leadership. In 2026, the role is a revenue role, not a relationship role, and it should be hired and held […]

Read Article
Oblique view of a C-suite executive meeting at a circular walnut table, navy presentation wall with abstract dashboard, weighty strategic mood.

Chief Partner Officer: What the Role Is and When to Hire

What is a Chief Partner Officer? Short answer: a Chief Partner Officer is the C-suite executive who owns partnerships as a primary go-to-market motion, sitting on the leadership team and accountable for partner-driven revenue at the board level. In 2026, the role exists at companies where partnerships is not a channel but the channel. A […]

Read Article
Two professionals reviewing a commercial hardware device and a partner-program dashboard together in a modern device lab.

OEM Partnerships: How They Work and When to Use Them in 2026

Short answer: OEM partnerships are commercial agreements where a hardware manufacturer lets another company’s product become part of what it ships, and lets a wider channel sell the result. Picture a server builder or a commercial mobile device maker. Around its OEM program sits a crowd. Software vendors want their product certified and embedded so […]

Read Article
Two revenue executives discussing partnership strategy in a glass-walled meeting room.

B2B Partnerships: A 2026 Operating Guide for Revenue Leaders

B2B partnerships are commercial relationships between two business organizations designed to produce joint customer outcomes and shared revenue. The category covers reseller channels, technology integrations, services and SI alliances, marketplace co-sell motions, and a long tail of joint go-to-market relationships. Strong B2B partnerships compound on operating discipline; weak ones run on personality and produce inconsistent […]

Read Article
1 2 3 4