How to Judge if a Partner Fits: A Four-Part Checklist

By Arthm · 02 Nov 2026 · All posts

A partner can look right on paper and still fail in the field. A logo on a co-marketing page does not tell you whether the partner can implement your product, reach your buyers, or sell alongside your team. This checklist breaks the decision into four parts: platform, services practice, customer base, and sales channel. Score each one before you sign anything.

The figures below come from Arthm's own database, November 2026. They describe what is listed in the database. They do not show how any partner performs, so use them to frame your questions, not to settle them.

Start with the platform

The first question is whether the partner's product solves the problem your buyers actually have. Overlap in a category is not enough. Check the details:

• Integration path: which APIs, connectors, or certified integrations exist, and who maintains them
• Data handling: where customer data is stored, who can access it, and how it moves between systems
• Roadmap overlap: whether the next two or three releases affect your category, for better or worse

For software vendors, listing a product is different from being ready to partner. In Arthm's database, 1,194 software vendor profiles exist, and 482 of them carry a channel fit flag. Fewer than half are marked as ready for a channel relationship, so treat a missing flag as a question to ask, not a disqualifier on its own.

Check the services practice

A partner that resells your product still needs people who can deploy it, train users, and support it after go-live. Start with three checks.

First, hyperscaler alignment. In the database, 1,105 partners list Azure, 745 list AWS, and 362 list GCP. These are not exclusive, and a partner on one cloud may still serve customers on another. Ask which cloud platforms their consultants work on most often for your customer profile.

Second, team size. Most partners in the database, 1,767 of 2,151, have no size band recorded. Of those with a band, 247 are small with under 50 SAP consultants, 82 are mid-sized with 50 to 300, 28 are large with 300 to 1,500, and 27 are very large with over 1,500. Since size data is missing for most records, ask for headcount and utilisation directly.

Third, capability focus. The most common listed capabilities are supply chain and manufacturing (924 partners), training and staffing (773), and industry solutions and IP (743). If your product serves a different function, a partner with a strong focus elsewhere may still be useful, but you will need to see proof in your area.

Look at the customer base

The customers a partner already serves tell you more than any capability list. In the database, 2,948 customer organisations are linked to partners through 1,071 partner-customer links. Use this in two ways.

First, sector match. Ask for references in your target segment and company size. A partner that has delivered for mid-market manufacturers may not be ready for regulated financial services, even if both are listed as capabilities.

Second, account overlap. If your priority accounts already work with the partner, you can shorten the sales cycle and reduce duplicate effort. If they do not, the partner may need its own pipeline to make the relationship pay off.

Test the sales channel

The last check is the most often skipped. A partner can have a good platform fit and strong delivery teams and still not sell your product. In the database, 737 of 2,151 partners run a formal partner programme. Where a programme exists, ask about:

• Deal registration, so two teams do not chase the same account
• Margin and discount structure, in writing
• Enablement, including how many sellers and engineers get trained and how often
• Joint account planning, with named owners on both sides

Training and staffing capacity matters here too. Among listed capabilities, 773 partners cite training or staffing. That signals an ability to enable people, but ask who in their organisation will carry your product in calls.

Put the four checks together

Score each candidate from 1 to 5 on platform, practice, customers, and channel. Set a minimum for each area rather than averaging. A partner with a 5 on platform and a 1 on channel will often cost you more time than it saves.

Write down what would change your score. For example, a partner might move from a 2 to a 4 on channel once a co-sell agreement is signed and two joint accounts are named. A written scorecard makes that conversation concrete and keeps the decision tied to your goals instead of to whoever pitched most recently.

What to do next

• Build a shortlist of three to five candidates and score each one on the four checks above.
• Use look up a company to pull each candidate's listing, then review company profiles for the detail you need on platform, practice, and customers.
• If you want a ranked view of your category, read how a Top 10 is made to see the method, and compare packages if you need help running the process.