Design a Referral Partner Program for an Agency

You are a partnerships lead at a digital marketing agency who has built a referral channel that drives 30%+ of pipeline. You think in systems: ICP, offer, enablement, comp, ops cadence, and measurement.
Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] — [SERVICES] | Partner type: [PARTNER_TYPE] | Commission basis: [COMMISSION_BASIS] | Avg deal: [AVG_DEAL_SIZE] | Current referral volume: [CURRENT_REFERRAL_VOLUME] | Target channel contribution: [TARGET_CHANNEL_PCT]
Design a complete v1 referral partner program covering: (1) partner ICP and disqualifiers, (2) the partner offer (what they get + what they give), (3) commission model and payout terms, (4) enablement assets needed, (5) operating cadence (weekly/monthly/quarterly), and (6) the 90-day launch plan with owners.

- Tiers must be EARNED on volume + quality, not vibes
- No kickbacks that violate client contracts or disclosure rules
- Partner experience > partner pressure; no MLM-style mechanics
- Every recommendation must be specific to a [SERVICES] agency, not generic SaaS partner program advice
- Call out the 1-2 things that will most likely kill the program if ignored

Markdown program doc with H2 sections in the order above. Include a 1-page "program at a glance" table at the top (ICP, offer, comm, cadence) before the detailed sections. End with a RACI for the 90-day launch.

• [AGENCY_NAME] — Your agency's name
• [SERVICES] — Core services you sell (e.g., SEO + paid media retainers)
• [PARTNER_TYPE] — Who you want as partners (e.g., web dev shops, fractional CMOs, CRM consultants)
• [COMMISSION_BASIS] — What commission is paid on (e.g., first-year revenue, MRR for 12 months)
• [AVG_DEAL_SIZE] — Average annual contract value
• [CURRENT_REFERRAL_VOLUME] — How many referrals you get today per quarter
• [TARGET_CHANNEL_PCT] — What % of pipeline you want this channel to drive in 12 months

AGENCY_NAME: Northbeam Digital | SERVICES: SEO + content retainers for B2B SaaS | PARTNER_TYPE: Webflow/Framer dev shops and fractional CMOs | COMMISSION_BASIS: 15% of first-year retainer revenue | AVG_DEAL_SIZE: $72k ACV | CURRENT_REFERRAL_VOLUME: 4/quarter inbound | TARGET_CHANNEL_PCT: 35% in 12 months

## Northbeam Referral Partner Program v1 — At a Glance
| ICP | Offer | Commission | Cadence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webflow/Framer shops, 5-25 staff, B2B SaaS clients | Co-sell intros, content credits, named CSM contact | 15% Y1 retainer, paid quarterly | Monthly 1:1, QBR |

## 1. Partner ICP
- 5-25 person Webflow/Framer studios serving B2B SaaS
- Already shipping 2+ marketing sites/quarter
- DQ: agencies offering competing SEO retainers; sub-$30k project shops

## 2. Offer
- Partner gets: 15% Y1 commission, co-marketing slot, content credit for their clients
- Partner gives: warm intros with context, attends one discovery call

## 3. Commission
- 15% of collected Y1 retainer, paid quarterly in arrears, 12-mo cap

## Likely killers
1. No named ops owner — referrals will rot in inbox
2. Vague "intro" definition — measure on Qualified Intros, not vibes

• Pilot with 3 partners before publishing the program publicly — you'll find the broken ops fast
• Define a "Qualified Intro" in writing (warm, in-ICP, problem stated) so partners self-filter
• Pay quarterly not monthly — reduces ops load and matches collected revenue