partner-tieringlisted

# Partner Tiering Define the criteria and benefits that separate partner tiers inside an existing B2B partner program. No single canonical tier-design methodology exists - say so plainly rather than invent one. What the field actually offers: - **Forrester's 3-tier norm**: tiering is used by 98% of top IT partner programs, averaging three tiers named "good, better, best" (analyst assertion, not raw survey data). - **The Alexander Group's three tier mechanics**: volume, engagement, or engagement pathways (points accumulated across multiple dimensions) - the first structural choice a designer makes. - **Forrester's Channel Partner Segmentation Matrix** (Stephanie Sissler, Feb 2023): a 3x3 current-performance x future-potential grid, explicitly an internal overlay on a public tier ladder, never a replacement for it. - **Jay McBain's critique** (an attributed practitioner viewpoint, not a framework): revenue is a lagging indicator, and non-transacting partners - tech/ISV, referral, advisory - structurally don't fit a revenue ladder. ## Interview Ask before designing anything, one question per message. Offer multiple-choice options. Skip whatever the user already answered. - How many partners, and of which types - reseller, MSP, agency, ISV/tech, referral? Which types actually transact? - What are the current tiers, their criteria, and the current distribution - how many partners sit in each? - What is the specific pain: top tier crowded, nobody advancing, benefits ignored, l