The definitions that hold up
Partner-sourced: the partner originated the opportunity. It did not exist in your pipeline, they registered it before it did, and it closed inside the protection window.
Partner-influenced: the opportunity already existed and the partner materially helped it close. Co-sell contributions and integration partners live almost entirely here.
Why blending them is fatal
Counting any deal a partner touched as ecosystem-influenced inflates the number quickly and pleasantly. It is also indefensible: the first person who asks how many of those deals your own team would have closed anyway will destroy the figure, and with it the budget.
Reporting two numbers looks weaker in the moment and survives, which is the only property that matters.
One number that cannot be questioned beats a bigger one that can.
What a defensible figure requires
- A registration that predates the opportunity, with a timestamp you did not write yourself.
- A protection window stamped at registration, not applied retroactively from today's policy.
- Revenue matched against money that actually collected.
- An audit trail per deal, so any single figure can be taken apart on request without a spreadsheet exercise.
Do not discard influence
Influenced revenue is not a consolation prize. Co-sell and integration partnerships accelerate deals rather than originate them, and a programme measuring only origination will conclude those partners produce nothing — then cancel a channel that was working.
Report both. Never add them together.