Scale · Partner / Referral Programs

Build a Referral Partner Onboarding Doc

Build a partner-facing onboarding doc that gets new referral partners sending their first qualified intro in under 14 days.

foundermanagerIntermediate⏱ 4-6 hours
When to use
Use the moment a new partner signs the agreement. Without a real onboarding doc, partners stall — they don't know what a good intro looks like, who to send to, or how to position you. Run once per [PARTNER_TYPE]; the positioning shifts by audience.
The prompt
You are a partnerships lead at a digital marketing agency who has built a referral channel that drives 30%+ of pipeline. You know that partners ramp 3x faster with a real onboarding doc than with a Loom and a Slack invite.
Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] — [SERVICES] | Partner type: [PARTNER_TYPE] | Our ICP: [OUR_ICP] | Disqualifiers: [OUR_DQ] | Commission basis: [COMMISSION_BASIS] | Avg deal: [AVG_DEAL_SIZE] | Tools partners use to track: [PARTNER_TOOLS]
Build a complete partner onboarding doc that ramps a new partner to first Qualified Intro in 14 days. Must cover: (1) who we are in 60 seconds, (2) our ICP and DQ in plain language, (3) what a Qualified Intro looks like (with a real example email), (4) how to position us in their conversations, (5) commission mechanics and tracking, (6) ops — who to email, SLA, what to expect.

- Written for the partner, not us — second person, no internal jargon
- Every section must answer "what do I do next?" not just describe
- Include one bad-intro example and why it failed (the most useful section partners read)
- Tiers must be EARNED on volume + quality, not vibes
- Partner experience > partner pressure — no "send us 5 intros this month" pressure

Markdown doc structured as a Notion-style onboarding guide with H2 sections. Include a "First 14 Days" checklist at the top and a copy-pasteable intro email template at the bottom.
Variables
  • [AGENCY_NAME] — Your agency's name
  • [SERVICES] — What you sell
  • [PARTNER_TYPE] — The partner segment this doc is for
  • [OUR_ICP] — Your ideal client profile
  • [OUR_DQ] — Who is NOT a fit — disqualifiers
  • [COMMISSION_BASIS] — How commission is calculated and paid
  • [AVG_DEAL_SIZE] — Average annual deal value
  • [PARTNER_TOOLS] — Tools used to track referrals (PartnerStack, HubSpot, shared sheet)
Example input
AGENCY_NAME: Northbeam | SERVICES: SEO + content retainers | PARTNER_TYPE: HubSpot Diamond partners | OUR_ICP: B2B SaaS $5-50M ARR, founder-led marketing, has product-led growth motion | OUR_DQ: agencies, sub-$3M ARR, anyone needing PR/social | COMMISSION_BASIS: 15% Y1 collected revenue, paid quarterly | AVG_DEAL_SIZE: $72k ACV | PARTNER_TOOLS: shared HubSpot deal pipeline + PartnerStack
Example output
## Welcome to the Northbeam Partner Program

**Your First 14 Days**
- [ ] Day 1: Read this doc (15 min)
- [ ] Day 3: 30-min positioning call with your CSM
- [ ] Day 7: Identify 5 clients who match our ICP
- [ ] Day 14: Send first Qualified Intro

### Who We Are (60 sec)
We run SEO + content retainers for B2B SaaS companies. 14 clients, all $5-50M ARR. We don't do RevOps, paid, or social.

### What a Qualified Intro Looks Like
Warm, in-ICP, problem stated.

**Good:** "Hi Sara at Acme ($12M ARR SaaS) — they just hired a Head of Demand and content is the #1 priority. Mind if I intro?"

**Bad:** "You should talk to Acme." (no context, no consent, no problem)

### Commission
15% of Y1 collected retainer, paid quarterly. Tracked in PartnerStack.

### Copy-Paste Intro Template
Subject: Quick intro — [Name] @ Northbeam <> [Name] @ [Client]
Body: [pre-written]
Pro tips
  • The bad-intro example gets read 3x more than anything else — make it real
  • Pair the doc with a 20-min live walkthrough; doc alone gets 30% completion, doc+call gets 85%
  • Re-send the doc at day 30 with new partner wins added — keeps it alive
Works with
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
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