If you’re a partner manager starting a new referral, reseller, or affiliate program (or if you just need a better partner portal for your current partner ecosystem), you know how hard it is to choose the best partner relationship management software!
You need your PRM software to seamlessly integrate into your team’s daily workflow and make managing your partner ecosystem simpler, more efficient, and more profitable.
Thankfully, there are dozens of great partner relationship management tools that do just that!
The problem is there are so many different options, each with a different range of features, integrations, and pricing. Choosing the best PRM for your needs is challenging, to say the least.
To make it easier, we have curated a quick guide to partner management and a list of our detailed partner relationship management software reviews of the best PRM tools to choose from!
Whether you’re a growing start-up, small business, or fully-fledged enterprise, this review is for you!
Right, let’s get straight to it:
This is a quick comparison of the top partner management software tools so you can see an apples-to-apples comparison of their pros and cons, pricing, and our review scores (scroll down for the full reviews, including key features and independent review site scores):
Best 13 Partner Relationship Management Software | Pros & Cons | Pricing | Our P2P Rating |
Kiflo |
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Everflow |
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Allbound |
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PartnerStack |
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PartnerPortal.io |
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Tune |
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Partnerize |
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Elioplus PRM |
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Salesforce PRM |
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ZINFI |
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Impartner PRM |
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Partnerhub |
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Impact |
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Partner relationship management (PRM) refers to all the tasks and processes involved in coordinating and managing any partner program, which includes everything from recruiting partners to engaging and nurturing those relationships to assessing performance and ongoing program optimization.
The aim of partner relationship management is to drive growth and revenue for both parties by making it easier to monitor performance, share information and communicate and collaborate.
You can think of PRM as CRM (customer relationship management) for your partners instead of your customers.
As a partner or affiliate manager, you need to know where each partner or affiliate stands, at any given time, in terms of how they’re performing for you and how well your program is performing for them.
Partnerships must be mutually beneficial to be successful and sustainable in the long run.
Good PRM, using good PRM software, is how you keep tabs on those mutual benefits and how you can improve outcomes for both parties, for each individual partner.
Partner relationship management is a highly competitive space (as of 2020, the market was worth $54.82 billion worldwide) and nurturing partner relationships effectively is essential for success.
Check out this video by HCL Technologies to learn more about partner relationship management and what it involves:
Summary: What is Partner Relationship Management?
Partner Relationship Management (PRM) refers to the ways a business manages it’s partnerships with the second and third party entities that promote or sell its products. It encompasses all the processes and software tools used to facilitate, monitor and manage partnerships with other businesses or individuals that the vendor uses to sell their products or services.
Partner management software (PMS) is an all-in-one solution for partner relationship management. Your PMS functions as a partner portal and a program management tool in one.
Using a tech stack of different tools to carry out various tasks and processes for your partner management can work, and there are many tools available to use, but they seldom work together seamlessly.
Partner management software, on the other hand, is designed to address all your needs so you can manage your program from end to end, all in one place.
Note that when it comes to partner management tools, the terms partner management software (PMS) and partner relationship management (PRM) are often used interchangeably.
Partner management software is an all-in-one solution designed to help partner managers with all aspects of PRM, to:
Different PRM/PMS software offers different features to help partner managers achieve the above, but the overall aim is to make running a partner program easier, even if you have a huge number of partners around the world.
Summary: What is PRM Software and What Does It Do?
Partner management software (PMS) is an all-in-one solution for partner relationship management and is designed to streamline every aspect of the partner program. This includes identifying and recruiting partners, the onboarding process, providing information and resources, monitoring activity and tracking progress, deploying campaigns, keeping partners engaged, tracking partner commissions and pay-outs, and analytics and reporting to optimize the program as a whole and individual partners within the program.
Kiflo is a cutting-edge Partner Relationship Management (PRM) program for small and medium-sized businesses. With their easy-to-use platform, educational materials, and top-notch support, you can quickly build and grow your partner network.
Kiflo helps you grow your brand recognition, sales footprint, and customer base by helping you get the most out of your affiliate, referral, and reseller partners. They have the all-in-one solution you need to get the most out of your partner programs, like syncing with your CRM and keeping an eye on your leads and deals.
Pros
Cons
G2: 4.8/5 – 60 reviews
Capterra: 5/5 – 3 reviews
Website: kiflo.com
Make use of the affiliate program software with the world’s highest user ratings and reviews.
Everflow manages, tracks, and optimizes all customer marketing activities, including affiliates, events, influencers, in-app, media buying, referrals, and strategic alliances.
What’s more, Everflow is trusted by over 800 international brands, including DoorDash, Gabb Wireless, Harley-Davidson, Sephora, and Skillz.
Pros
Cons
G2: 4.8/5 – 123 reviews
Capterra: 4.8/5 – 38 reviews
Website: everflow.io
Allbound helps businesses grow their partner programs and keep track of progress. Additionally, this powerful PRM platform gives relationship managers complete control over their initiatives. It helps with everything from partner onboarding to training and engagement.
Allbound also has a portal that can be customized so that your partners can log in and get all the information they need to market your business’s products or services effectively.
In addition to the self-service site for partners, you will also get a partner marketing dashboard. This can be used to evaluate your partner program’s success and determine your return on investment.
Pros
Cons
G2: 4.5/5 – 223 reviews
Capterra: 4.9/5 – 19 reviews
Website: allbound.com
PartnerStack is a leading platform for establishing partnership channels. However, it is tailored to businesses providing software as a service to other companies (SaaS).
One of the things that makes this one of the best PRM solutions is that it lets you use different channels to keep in touch with people.
Their platform helps B2B companies find resellers, influencers, affiliates, and agencies, among other types of partners.
Likewise, of all the product designs in this field, PartnerStack’s is the most simple, clean, and easy to understand.
Pros
Cons
G2: 4.8/5 – 515 reviews
Capterra: 4.9/5 – 83 reviews
Website: partnerstack.com
PartnerPortal.io is a website that software companies and agencies can use to manage their partners.
Moreover, PartnerPortal.io lets you keep track of your onboarding partners, register leads, give out commissions, make co-marketing materials, send messages, and do much more.
Likewise, PartnerPortal.io can also be used regularly by your partners as a helpful partner portal and a PRM solution, all in one.
Pros
Cons
G2: 4.5/5 – 35 reviews
Website: partnerportal.io
With the help of Tune, a partner marketing management platform, a company can easily automate the process of choosing, onboarding, and activating strategic business partners.
Their PRM platform is used by many well-known companies, such as Nord VPN, Shopify, Groupon, and others. This is because they let their clients build a unique partner experience.
The Tune platform will help you work faster and build trust with the people you work with to make money faster.
Pros
Cons
G2: 4.2/5 – 114 reviews
Capterra: 4.6/5 – 62 reviews
Website: tune.com/partners
Partnerize is yet another excellent platform for managing collaborations. This platform supports a complete system that automates all of your time-consuming tasks. Moreover, the platform is simple to comprehend and utilize.
Partnerize was founded in 2010 to make tracking, calculating, and paying partners easier. It is a SaaS-based automated platform that provides you with some things you can apply right away to improve your business in the long run.
Pros
Cons
G2: 4.0/5 – 3 reviews
Capterra: 4.5/5 – 73 reviews
Website: partnerize.com
Elioplus PRM is a free partner relationship management software for managing relationships with partners. Further, it was made specifically with B2B SaaS businesses in mind.
Elioplus lets you supercharge your partner network by encouraging partners to register deals, distribute leads, maintain your content, and communicate in real-time, as well as giving them access to a wide range of other features.
Pros
Cons
G2: No reviews yet
Capterra: 4.2/5 – 11 reviews
Website: elioplus.com/prm-software
Businesses can keep track of customer relationships and interactions using the cloud-based Salesforce PRM Platform. This software is a place where customer data, communications, and interactions with customers can all be managed in one place.
Likewise, it lets businesses control how they talk to their customers and how connected they are to those customers.
Pros
Cons
G2: 4.2/5 – 15,489 reviews
Capterra: 4.4/5 – 17315 reviews
Website: salesforce.com
ZINFI is one of the best partner relationship management software that offers a solution for unified channel management (UCM). It enables a channel-selling organization to take an integrated strategy by coordinating channel policies.
Also, it makes channel programs and internal staff who help the partner base and external partner users more efficient. It also automates company operations and channel sales to make a worldwide channel that works well and makes money.
Pros
Cons
G2: 4.8/5 – 234 reviews
Capterra: No reviews yet
Website: zinfi.com
Impartner is a platform that aids businesses in managing and following up on their partnerships.
Furthermore, it enables enterprises to track and gauge the success of their collaborations. It enables partners to manage their relationships in a single location. Numerous functionalities are available on the platform.
What’s more, partners can manage their relationships and enhance communication, agreements, and cooperation with the aid of relationship management tools.
Pros
Cons
G2: 4.6/5 – 284 reviews
Capterra: 3.5/5 – 2 reviews
Website: impartner.com
For leading SaaS and digital agencies, Partnerhub is a first-of-its-kind free partner relationship management software for managing collaborations. Digital agencies and tech platforms may locate, evaluate, install, and activate as many partnerships as they can handle using Partnerhub.
In a similar way, Partnerhub helps find partners, activate them, stay in touch with them, work together on projects, share documents, give one-time awards, send automated messages and alerts, and keep track of referrals. Most of Partnerhub’s customers think of it as a one-stop shop for their program’s success.
It also integrates with the most popular CRMs and marketing automation tools.
Pros
Cons
G2: 5/5 – 12 reviews
Capterra: No reviews yet
Website: partnerhub.app
Impact was started in 2008 by a small group of people with a lot of experience in partnership marketing.
In reality, Impact makes it easier to work with partners and manage media. It was made for advertisers who want a better affiliate marketing platform. Impact is a complete automation platform that handles all aspects of customer service, such as tracking, nurturing, and connecting with customers.
Pros
Cons
G2: 4.6/5 – 521 reviews
Capterra: No reviews yet
Website: impact.com
Choosing the best PRM tools for your business comes down to identifying exactly what you need it to do for your program and then choosing the PMS that will best meet those needs.
Your PRM software must also integrate with the important systems you’re using already, such as your CRM or marketing automation software.
PRM software offers a wide range of features, capabilities, and integrations, so it’s important to choose wisely to get the most value from your investment.
Here are some things to consider when you’re comparing PRM software to find the best fit for your business:
There are many significant benefits to using a dedicated partnership management solution or PRM software for your partner program, regardless of the size of your organization.
Benefits of Partner Relationship Management (PRM) Software Include:
In the simplest terms, CRM is for your Customers, the people who buy your product/service; and PRM is for your Partners, the people who help you promote or sell your product/service.
The main difference between CRM and PRM software us that they’re designed to be used for different purposes because CRM and PRM are different practices and require different software capabilities:
Customer relationship management (CRM) refers to the strategies, methods, and technologies used to evaluate and manage relationships with a business’s customers. CRM tools act as a centralized solution for customer communication and support, as well as lead management and data relating to customer actions and interactions. The aim of CRM is to improve how a business interacts with its customers and nurture customer relationships.
Whereas;
Partner relationship management (PRM) refers to the methods and strategies used to manage a business’s relationships with its partners, such the affiliates or referral partners, resellers, or distribution partners. PRM relies on using a partner management system (PMS), or PRM software, to manage individual partner relationships and the network of partners as a whole. A PRM software acts as a centralized platform for communication, engagement, performance tracking and commission pay-outs, sales enablement/knowledge base access, and analytics and reporting for the optimization of the partner ecosystem.
That’s all there is to it!
Now you know precisely what partner relationship management is, why it’s essential, and which best RPM software are the best.
To get started, just pick the PRMS that fits your company and budget the best, and get to building and maintaining those partnerships!
PRMS, which stands for "Partner Relationship Management Software", is a group of technologies that businesses use to streamline, improve, amplify, and strengthen the business processes they have with their indirect partners in order to grow together. Read the full review to learn more about Partner Relationship Management, and the best PRM tools to use. By using a PRM platform, you can make sure that you have access to all of the training and enablement content your channel partners need to do well. You can set up a repository to make it easy to find training materials, videos, datasheets, and other helpful materials. Read the full review to learn more about what good Partner Relationship Management involves, and find the best PRM software to use. PRM software helps enterprises and other large organizations keep track of their partnerships. Some of its benefits are better partner engagement, better partner marketing and co-marketing, more partner sales, more partner revenue, a higher return on investment, and better communication and collaboration. Read the full review to learn what good Partner Relationship Management software provides, and which PRM software tools are the best.Frequently Asked Questions
What is a partner relationship management tool?
Why do you need a PRM?
What are PRM software's benefits?
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