Partner relationship management (PRM) software equips businesses with tools to manage their relationship with channel partners such as sales partners, resellers, distributors, and other service providers that promote and sell a vendor's products or services. By streamlining communication and offering end-to-end support, PRM software helps these partners drive sales and increase market reach.
PRM software provides a private portal for each partner to access documents, campaign materials, market development funds (MDF), opportunities, and deals. Sales leaders, particularly those in channel sales, utilize PRM software to maximize their channel partners, including value-added resellers (VARs) and specialty retailers. PRM software distributes opportunities and MDFs fairly, ensures partners remain on brand with messaging, captures activities, and measures partner success.
While some PRM solutions may also track compliance with laws, contractual agreements, and incentive and loyalty programs, these are typically considered as secondary capabilities. In contrast, channel incentives management (CIM) software is purpose-built to design, track, and modify incentive programs such as rebates, discounts, loyalty, gamification, and other activity-based incentives to reward channel partners.
It is important to emphasize that there are partner management solutions that can support specific types of partnerships. For example, affiliate marketing software focuses on performance-based partnerships with affiliates, influencers, and publishers who earn commissions or rewards based on measurable outcomes. In contrast, PRM software focuses on strategic co-selling partnerships with B2B sales channel partners.
These solutions should not be confused with other software products that manage relationships, like CRM software, which is used only for customers, or supplier relationship management software, which is part of supply chain management. Also, PRM software differs from partner ecosystem platforms as these platforms provide account mapping features and enable multi-partner collaboration on an ecosystem-wide scale for the entire network of channel partners. On the other hand, PRM software facilitates direct, one-to-one relationships between a company and its channel partners.
To qualify for inclusion in the Partner Relationship Management (PRM) category, a product must:
Offer portals to communicate and exchange information and content between a company and its partners, and optionally with prospects or customers
Provide onboarding, training, and certification of partners
Manage who has access to what information and decide which access rights are available for each user, group, or role
Include workflows, notifications, and alerts to automate the management of partner programs for both the company and its partners
Include deal management or deal registration that streamlines tracking partner deal or lead registrations, submissions, and approvals
Track and measure the effectiveness of MDF, co-op, and co-branded partner activities
G2 takes pride in showing unbiased reviews on user satisfaction in our ratings and reports. We do not allow paid placements in any of our ratings, rankings, or reports. Learn about our scoring methodologies.
Torchlite is a Partner Relationship Management [PRM] Platform designed to scale your partner program in inventive ways. Scale quantity, types, tiers or simply accelerate partner performance with these
PartnerAlign ensures your partners’ sales success so both vendors and partners can grow revenue together. Deliver a strong sales enablement program to your partners. Allow partners to integrate sales
Get 2x conversion than Google Ads with G2 Advertising!
G2 Advertising places your product in premium positions on high-traffic pages and on targeted competitor pages to reach buyers at key comparison moments.
allianceboard is a software platform that specializes in helping companies manage their alliances, partnerships, and collaborations.
The platform provides tools and features for organizations to man
Altershare is a partner settlement and interconnect billing solution designed to bring transparency, accuracy, and automation to complex financial interactions between businesses and their partners. T
The Chanimal Partner Portal is the first commercial PRM built with WordPress and inherited the strengths of the world’s most popular content management system, or CMS. Leveraging over 60,000 plug-ins,
ChannelCommand is the ultimate Partner Relationship Management (PRM) tool that simplifies and enhances partner management processes. With its user-friendly interface, you can effortlessly invite partn
Channel Fusion is a comprehensive channel marketing platform designed to facilitate collaboration between brands and their channel partners, enhancing engagement and driving measurable business outcom
Channelkonnect is a ready to use software, that helps brands and its channel partners to manage their working capital effectively by ensuring availability of right stocks in the right time at the righ
One ChannelOS for best PartnerXperience and Partner Engagement:
Adaptable to vendor’s unique partner program definition and partner types and audiences. Partner operates within one Partner Xperience
Channelplace is a cloud-based partner relationship management (PRM) platform for vendors leveraging wide reach, multi-tier sales channels and alliances.
Transform your channel partner experience with all-tier management of subscription-based sales.
Combine all-tier partner relationship management with the tools to dramatically increase your global rea
Elioplus Channel Partner Recruitment is a comprehensive solution designed to help IT software companies expand their partner networks and boost indirect sales. By connecting vendors with a global data
ONVEX International Partnership Management System is a highly customisable, all-in-one platform for managing international partnerships. The solution enhances collaboration, drives operational excelle
With over 3 million reviews, we can provide the specific details that help you make an informed software buying decision for your business. Finding the right product is important, let us help.