A partner lead intake hands a receiving team enough of a partner's knowledge to decide whether it can act. The form needs to preserve identity, context, permission and ownership so that decision does not require a second fact-finding exercise. Identifying the intended buyer before the consent page can limit the lead to being sold to that company.1 Make that choice part of the intake design, and carry the consent record with the lead.
Build the submission path
Set the route before asking partners to send live prospects. Tell the partner where to submit, which fields are required, what format the receiving team expects and how a test submission will be checked.
The partner should accept the invitation to connect and formalize the relationship with the lead buyer.2 Give the partner the submission documentation, including the required lead format and data mapping.3 Verify the setup with a test lead that meets the technical requirements before live submissions begin.4
When partner groups need different intake experiences, configure lead submission separately for each group and tailor the form to those needs.5 Settle these operating details with the partner:
- Where does the partner submit the lead?
- Which fields must be complete before submission?
- What does each field mean in the receiving system?
- What consent record must accompany the lead?
- How will the partner know the submission was received?
Both sides should be able to describe the same path from submission to review before live submissions begin.
Capture identity and context
A lead is a potential customer the partner believes is likely to purchase from the company it partners with.6 The intake should give the receiving team enough context to assess that belief and decide what to do next.
Collect company name, country, city, company type, email, phone, primary product of interest, first name, last name, title, total potential users, goals, pains, next steps, purchasing timeframe, zip code, number of employees and potential sales value in the lead form.7 The referral sheet also requires the customer's name and a description of the proposed transaction.8
Ask the partner:
- Who is the prospect and which company are they with?
- What product or service is relevant to the prospect?
- What outcome, pain or goal did the prospect describe?
- What transaction is the partner proposing?
- What has already happened between the partner and the prospect?
- What next step did the prospect agree to?
The answers should give another person a clear view of who the prospect is, why the lead exists and what should happen next.
Handle consent at submission
Keep consent inside the intake record as a required handoff item that the receiving team can inspect without searching through a separate conversation.
The lead buyer should consider requiring a copy of the consent language with the other lead data.9 Ask the partner for the language the prospect saw and keep it beside the submitted contact and opportunity details. The receiving team can then check whether the permission matches the intended follow-up before acting.
Use this checkpoint: what did the prospect agree to, and where is that language stored? Hold the submission for clarification when the partner cannot answer either part.
Review before acceptance
Review qualification, contact quality and ownership conflicts before the lead enters active follow-up. This is where the receiving team decides whether the submission can move forward.
Check that the lead is properly qualified and that the prospect contact information is valid.10 For a qualified lead, check the system for active opportunities and related leads connected to the account.11 If an existing opportunity appears, confirm which partner is working with the client and whether that partner's role is a sourcing partner or a joint sales partner.12
Ask:
- Is the contact information usable?
- Does the prospect fit the agreed qualification standard?
- Does an active opportunity or related lead already exist?
- Which partner has the working relationship?
- What role should the partner receive for this lead?
Move the record forward when it has a clear disposition and no unresolved ownership question. Send it back to the partner when a missing answer prevents that decision.
Submit and verify the handoff
Submission is complete when the record exists in the receiving system and the partner can see what happens next. Keep the handoff visible so the partner does not have to recreate the story in a follow-up message.
The partner must complete every mandatory field before submitting the form.13 Verify in the CRM that a record for the lead has been created.14 After submission, the company's sales team works to close the customer and keeps the partner updated on the lead's status.15
Record the submission status, the next action and the person responsible for it. If the record cannot be found, stop the handoff and resolve the system or submission issue before asking the partner to send the lead again.
What not to do
Keep these failure points visible to the partner and the receiving team.
- Do not leave lead monitoring entirely to the receiving team. Partners are responsible for monitoring their leads and being proactive.16
- Do not leave a suspected processing error unresolved. The partner should submit a support case for review when a lead has not been processed correctly.17
- Do not promise that a converted lead can be corrected through the original form. Converted leads may not be edited.18