Channel Focus: All you need to know about Salesforce’s partner program

Headquartered in Salesforce Tower, San Francisco, Salesforce says it’s paving AI-agent-powered or “agentic” productivity in the enterprise. Putting money where its mouth is taking it beyond its category-defining customer relationship management software (CRM) for deeper penetration of automation, AI, and data opportunities. 

One of the company’s key goals is driving enhanced customer experience across sales, service, marketing, commerce, and IT.

Incorporated in 1999 by Marc Benioff, Parker Harris, Frank Dominguez, and Dave Moellenhoff, working towards sales automation and CRM in a San Francisco one-bedder, Salesforce reported $34.9 billion in total revenue, up 11% year over year for the fiscal year ending 31 January 2024.

Thanks to some 73,000 employees and 12,000 channel partners, Salesforce came sixth overall in Q3 2024 for cloud, with its 2% share near neck-and-neck with Oracle.

Salesforce partners include AWS, Google Cloud, IBM, Adastra, Atos, Cloudsmiths, NTT Data, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and many more. 

Salesforce promotes its ability to deliver on helping customers benefit from their proprietary data, with generative AI tools for more meaningful returns for organizations and more accurate outputs. 

Key offerings

Salesforce Platform, under which exists products Saleforce-native data engine Data Cloud, umbrella CRM offering Customer 360 and autonomous AI-agent builder Agentforce.  

Recent news: 

• In September 2024, the frm took a swipe at Microsoft Copilot as “the new Clippy” in favor of its own vision for the AI-agented enterprise at Dreamforce 2024 in September.
• A January connectivity benchmarking survey from Salesforce-owned MuleSoft reported that 81% of respondents argued disparate data sets were the biggest barrier.
• Also in January, Salesforce became a victim of its popularity when phishing attacks spoofing Salesforce domains doubled in that month alone. With 150,000 or so customers, Salesforce domains are trusted senders and typically tempting mailbox targets.

Salesforce for partners

Partners lead 70% of Salesforce customer implementations. In April 2024, Salesforce executive vice president of worldwide alliances and channels Steve Corfield said in an interview that its 12,000 partners, including 6000 in consulting, could enjoy “about $6 for every $1 of annual contract value (ACV) we sell” based on licensing-derived estimates — predicting many “pockets” of untapped potential growth such as emerging markets and public sector.

Citing opportunities across the Salesforce portfolio, Corfield singled out Data Cloud in particular as having the potential to become a sort of “air traffic control” on top of organizational data.

“We ‘own’ that master data layer that sits between customers,” Corfield claimed. “If we can service that in a safe and secure way, there’s massive benefit. And if you look at the Snowflakes, the Databricks, a large percentage of data that sits in those areas is Salesforce.”

Salesforce aimed at proving and validating “hundreds” of use cases to empower sales in the coming year, he promised.

Salesforce for partners

Announcing the Agentforce Partner Network in September, Salesforce president and chief operating officer Brian Millham said the firm wants a billion AI agents in a year. 

“With the Agentforce Partner Network, customers can now access a catalog of third-party skills, actions, and agents directly in the Salesforce Platform to make AI agents even more capable and unleash a limitless digital workforce,” he said in the announcement. 

Corfield at the Salesforce Partner Innovation Awards 2024 explained: “Partners across our ecosystem are leaning into these new technologies and helping lead our mutual customers through this transformative time.” 

As Brian Landsman, executive vice president of global technology partners, Salesforce, added: “Our partners drive growth for customers by accelerating, extending, and scaling our products and platforms. We are deeply grateful for our outstanding partner ecosystem and cannot wait to see what comes next as we transform customer experiences.”

When it comes to consultancy partners in the year-old Vector Partner Program accelerator, for example, Salesforce noted in February that some 60% of Salesforce customers rely on them to realize RO on their Salesforce technology purchase. As such, Salesforce said it would double the number of partners internationally eligible for the Vector program. 

Partner programs, tiers, and partner types

Salesforce funnels partners towards its AppExchange Partner Program with ISVforce and OEM partner app distribution models based on how apps are sold to end customers. Both give access to Salesforce technology for builds, distribution, marketing, and support of partner apps.

• SVforce apps must depend on core Salesforce tech such as Sales or Service Cloud, to be sold to an existing Salesforce customer.  ISV partners are required to share 15% of net revenue with Salesforce.
• OEM apps must instead deliver a Force.com Embedded Edition User License along with the app. OEM partners need to share 25% of net revenue with Salesforce.

AppExchange partners achieve Base, Ridge, Crest, and Summit tiers. Partners receive a Trailblazer Score, tier, and rewards based on performance pillars of customer success, 

• 350 points based on customer retention rate.
• 300 points for technology adoption, including via Trailhead learning platform certifications and badges.
• 350 points for growing revenue.

In addition, AppExchange marginal percentage net revenue (PNR) model delivers eligibility for lower marginal royalty rates on future and add-on bookings when they achieve an average order value (AOV) of $1 million. 

Further benefits, rewards, and incentives

Multiple resources and programs exist, including the Vector accelerator and the Zero Copy Partner Network for solution providers focusing on specific integrations. Partner Connect, a new feature for its Partner Relationship Management (PRM) solution for real-time visibility on shared deals, was announced in 2024. 

• Decks and demos for marketing including for Agentforce.  
• Credentials for partners including for AI.
• Market development funding (MDF) per partner type.
• Forums, “chatter groups”, webinars, and technical case packs.
• Additional documentation, vouchers, and certifications.
• Partner support via X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and by subscribing to this email blast.

How to get on board

Join the Salesforce Partner Program and select the appropriate program track for earning Trailblazer points and benefits via this link. Then get started with Trailhead for ISVs here. 

Salesforce welcomes technical onboarding questions via the AppExchange & ISV Technical Enablement Chatter Group and ISV enablement questions to this portal page. An ISV-specific onboarding guide can be found here.