Sales handbook: Partnerships — hardware vs channel partners

nuxt/content/handbook/sales/index.md

@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ lifecycle:
   renewals, and expansion; measured by customer outcomes, not just retention.
 - **[Professional Services](./professional-services.md)** — Deliver scoped,
   high-impact engagements that accelerate implementation and time-to-value.
-- **[Sales Partnerships](./partnerships.md)** — Extend FlowFuse's reach through
+- **[Sales Partnerships](./partnerships/)** — Extend FlowFuse's reach through
   resellers, referrers, and system integrators.
 
 Together these teams form a single commercial engine aligned around one goal:
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ Each function is accountable for a specific phase of the customer journey:
 | **[Sales](./sales-team.md)** | New business, opportunity qualification, demos, proposals, closing new and expansion ARR |
 | **[Solution Engineering](./solution-engineering.md)** | Technical discovery, demos, proofs of value, onboarding, architecture and expansion advisory |
 | **[Customer Success](./customer-success.md)** | Onboarding, adoption, renewals, advocacy, and driving account health and growth |
-| **[Sales Partnerships](./partnerships.md)** | Reseller, referrer, and system-integrator motions; partner enablement |
+| **[Sales Partnerships](./partnerships/)** | Reseller, referrer, and system-integrator motions; partner enablement |
 | **[Professional Services](./professional-services.md)** | Scoped implementation, integration, and enablement services |
 
 ## Regional coverage

nuxt/content/handbook/sales/partnerships/.navigation.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+title: "Partnerships"
+navigation:
+  order: 5
+  icon: i-lucide-handshake

nuxt/content/handbook/sales/partnerships/channel-partners.md

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+---
+title: "Channel Partners"
+navigation:
+  order: 2
+---
+
+# Channel Partners
+
+Channel partners — **resellers, referrers, and system integrators** — extend
+FlowFuse's reach **commercially**. There's no device to certify, so this is a lighter
+motion than the [hardware partnership](/handbook/sales/partnerships/hardware-partners/):
+it's governed by agreements and fees rather than a staged technical process. Here are
+[our standard terms](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BVls7LEC1CBQ6wlrb8GeWSYr2vj9fMqgdsWiWLoQZOY/edit){rel="nofollow"}.
+
+## Reseller partnerships
+
+For reseller partnerships, please refer to our [Reseller Agreement](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uaRahdTSWYxMvejAXlg0FT-WYXXpcEEKKMPGDtrhf4g){rel="nofollow"}. Upon signing, partners will also receive access to our [Deal Registration Form](https://docs.google.com/document/d/16_ebDfXdC9tenUOhOA5-sTDnJBN2aqTZ4vmqmfJ7v9I){rel="nofollow"} for opportunity tracking.
+
+## System integrators
+
+FlowFuse also continues to build its partner channel by working with strategic System Integrators.
+
+When there's interest in becoming a partner FlowFuse requires a project to collaborate on jointly. Implementation projects structure the partnership and learning on both sides.
+
+Please [contact us](/partners/) to discuss and complete an agreement.
+
+## Referral partner fees
+
+Referral partner fees are paid quarterly for closed won deals attributed to a referral partner, in line with the applicable partnership agreement. Referral partners work with FlowFuse to help identify and close deals, and are compensated for successful referrals.
+
+In the first week after the quarter has passed, calculate the commission payments:
+1. Pull closed won deals from HubSpot
+2. Calculate the fees and apply the rates in the partnership agreement (stored on Google Drive) to the applicable deal value
+3. Confirm the numbers in writing and request for an invoice
+4. Send invoice to billing to process the total fees due

nuxt/content/handbook/sales/partnerships/hardware-partners.md

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+---
+title: "Hardware Partners"
+navigation:
+  order: 1
+---
+
+# Hardware Partners
+
+Hardware partners are device / edge-hardware makers whose product ships running, and
+**certified** for, FlowFuse — bringing a device to market with FlowFuse fleet
+management built in. This is a **technical, gated** partnership: prove the device
+works, then take it to market. It is run from the
+[Partner Workbook](/handbook/sales/partnerships/partner-workbook/).
+
+## The partnership process
+
+It runs through five **stages**, each with **entrance and exit criteria** (see the
+[Partner Stages](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X3Z9kX4_42Gx5WMzHVnhij61xJGXyOCopnUNFsmqf8s/edit){rel="nofollow"}).
+Every stage produces or executes a portion of the
+[Partner Workbook](/handbook/sales/partnerships/partner-workbook/).
+
+The single most important rule: **prove the technical first.** Whether FlowFuse runs
+on the partner's hardware is the roadblock — until it's confirmed you have a *gate*,
+not a schedule. Only once feasibility is certified does the partnership move into
+**execution** (stages 3–5).
+
+### 1 · Qualify & Fit
+
+Decide whether there's a real partnership here, and set it up to succeed. The goal is
+to agree the **"better together" thesis** and the value exchange — what each side
+gives and gets — and to put accountability in place: a single owner + exec sponsor
+and an **economic buyer** on *both* sides, plus a **forcing function** (a named end
+customer that pulls the partnership forward). A partnership without a buyer, a
+sponsor, and a customer to aim at will drift.
+*Produces: the workbook's **Overview** and **Fit & Use Case** tabs.*
+
+### 2 · Feasibility & Certification — the gate
+
+The roadblock stage: prove FlowFuse actually runs on the partner's hardware *before*
+anyone invests in offer, pricing, or GTM. This is where partnerships most often die,
+so it is a hard gate. The goal is a FlowFuse-[certified](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-8YLKoBYBCJeIBYxQT5GyohSnVN9Xx7HrL49vex5byA/edit){rel="nofollow"}
+device — the agent installs and runs, survives an uplink drop, the data path works,
+known blockers are resolved, and the reference architecture and integrator roles are
+documented. Clearing it is **"technical confirmed"** — the trigger that lets
+execution begin.
+*Produces: the workbook's **Certification** tab.*
+
+### 3 · Joint Offer & Commercial
+
+Turn the proven integration into something you can sell together. The goal is a
+**repeatable joint offer** (an MVP kit / Quick-Start flows + a demo that doubles as a
+sales asset) **and** a **commercial model agreed once** — pricing, licensing, revenue
+split, procurement, and support. Deciding these once, together, is what stops pricing
+and packaging from looping.
+*Produces: the workbook's **Overview → Joint Offer + Commercial Model**.*
+
+### 4 · Legal
+
+Paper the partnership: execute the **NDA** and the **partnership agreement**, and
+clear any outstanding commercial or legal blockers so nothing stalls the launch.
+*Produces: the commercial / legal status on the workbook.*
+
+### 5 · GTM Launch
+
+Take it to market. The goal is to ship the launch — **narrative, enablement, and
+co-marketing** — and land a **first reference customer** that proves the motion works
+and seeds the next deals.
+*Produces: the workbook's **Plan → post-launch** section.*
+
+## What good and bad look like
+
+- **Good** — a strong champion, a genuine "better together" fit, fast technical validation, and a concrete shared demo that doubles as a sales asset. The risk is *sprawl*: run it to the gates so pricing, certification, and GTM don't loop.
+- **Bad** — a technical blocker owns the relationship; a single engineer contact with no economic buyer or exec sponsor; no commercial track; no customer forcing function; and every call ends "reconnect next week." That's how a promising partnership quietly stalls.
+
+## Certification
+
+Hardware partners get their device **FlowFuse-certified**. The
+[Certified Device Requirements](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-8YLKoBYBCJeIBYxQT5GyohSnVN9Xx7HrL49vex5byA/edit){rel="nofollow"}
+define what a device must meet; certification is the exit of the Feasibility gate
+(stage 2).

nuxt/content/handbook/sales/partnerships/index.md

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+---
+title: "Partnerships"
+---
+
+# Partnerships
+
+FlowFuse partners in two distinct ways, and they don't work the same:
+
+- **[Hardware partners](/handbook/sales/partnerships/hardware-partners/)** — device / edge-hardware makers whose product ships running, and *certified* for, FlowFuse. A **technical, gated** engagement run from the [Partner Workbook](/handbook/sales/partnerships/partner-workbook/): prove the device, then take it to market.
+- **[Channel partners](/handbook/sales/partnerships/channel-partners/)** — **resellers, referrers, and system integrators** who extend FlowFuse's reach. A lighter, **commercial** arrangement governed by agreements and fees, with no device to certify.
+
+Partner-led and co-sell motions grow pipeline and revenue beyond the direct team, and
+the function owns partner enablement and the commercial terms that govern these
+relationships.
+
+## Partner types
+
+| Type | Who they are | Motion |
+|------|--------------|--------|
+| **[Hardware partner](/handbook/sales/partnerships/hardware-partners/)** | Device / edge-hardware makers whose product ships FlowFuse-certified | Technical & gated — the staged process + [Partner Workbook](/handbook/sales/partnerships/partner-workbook/) |
+| **[Reseller](/handbook/sales/partnerships/channel-partners/#reseller-partnerships)** | Resells FlowFuse to their own customers | Reseller Agreement + Deal Registration |
+| **[Referral partner](/handbook/sales/partnerships/channel-partners/#referral-partner-fees)** | Refers opportunities to FlowFuse | Paid referral fees |
+| **[System integrator](/handbook/sales/partnerships/channel-partners/#system-integrators)** | Implements & delivers FlowFuse for customers | A joint project + agreement |

nuxt/content/handbook/sales/partnerships/partner-workbook.md

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+---
+title: "Partner Workbook"
+navigation:
+  order: 3
+---
+
+## Partner Workbook
+
+The **Partner Workbook** is the single document that runs a
+[hardware partnership](/handbook/sales/partnerships/hardware-partners/) — copy the
+[FlowFuse Partner Workbook template](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1c2UXyzkADJCwOjG9Rrz8B01watDYBkg7eKa2BYhxcdI/edit){rel="nofollow"}
+per partner. It is a first-class asset of the engagement, alongside the
+[Partner Stages](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X3Z9kX4_42Gx5WMzHVnhij61xJGXyOCopnUNFsmqf8s/edit){rel="nofollow"}.
+Like the PoV workbook, it is the through-line across the whole partnership: each
+[stage](/handbook/sales/partnerships/hardware-partners/#the-partnership-process) produces or executes a portion of it.
+Completed workbooks live in the partner
+[Drive folder](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GUEMDoDmX9hrgsxFVJ-PcyrILHgSm4km){rel="nofollow"}
+and are shared *with the partner*.
+
+## How the stages feed the workbook
+
+| Stage | Portion of the workbook |
+|-------|-------------------------|
+| **Qualify & Fit** | **Overview** (partner, team, economic buyer) + **Fit & Use Case** (thesis, value exchange, forcing function, success criteria) |
+| **Feasibility & Certification** *(the gate)* | **Certification** — device + reference architecture, the access-provisioned gate, integrator roles, cert checklist, blockers |
+| **Joint Offer & Commercial** | **Overview → Joint Offer + Commercial Model** |
+| **Legal** | Overview commercial / legal status |
+| **GTM Launch** | **Plan → post-launch** |
+| *Throughout* | **Plan** (gates + schedule), **Timeline** (execution Gantt), **Questions** |
+
+## The tabs
+
+| Tab | What it's for | Why it matters |
+|-----|---------------|----------------|
+| **Overview** | The partner, the team (Partner Lead · Solutions Engineer · Marketing · Technical Contact, mirrored FlowFuse ↔ partner), the joint offer + commercial model, and key links. | One place for who's involved and what the deal looks like. |
+| **Fit & Use Case** | The "better together" thesis, the value exchange, the **forcing function**, and partnership success criteria. | Anchors the partnership to real value and a named customer — not just a cool integration. |
+| **Certification** | The device + reference architecture, the **access-provisioned gate**, integrator roles, the cert checklist, and known blockers. | The technical gate — the roadblock that sinks partnerships when it's skipped. |
+| **Plan** | Pre-partnership gates, the stage schedule, and post-launch. | Turns "let's try it" into gated, owned, dated work. |
+| **Timeline** | An execution Gantt that begins at **technical confirmed**. | You can't schedule a partnership until the technical is proven. |
+| **Questions** | Async Q&A — technical / commercial / legal. | Keeps blockers visible instead of buried in email threads. |