Salesforce Partner

Program Guide for

Consulting
Partners
A go-to resource for Salesforce Consulting
Partners
February 2015

Contents
WHAT IS THE SALESFORCE PARTNER PROGRAM FOR CONSULTING PARTNERS? ................................................... 2
PROGRAM OVERVIEW ..................................................................................................................................................... 2
HOW DOES THE PARTNER PROGRAM WORK? ...................................................................................................... 3
PROGRAM BENEFITS ....................................................................................................................................................... 3
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................................................................... 5
CORE ATTRIBUTE DEFINITIONS .......................................................................................................................................... 6
NEW SUB-ATTRIBUTE REQUIREMENT: THE SALESFORCE FULLFORCE INITIATIVE .......................................................................... 7
NEW SUB-ATTRIBUTE REQUIREMENT: EMERGING PRODUCTS ................................................................................................. 8
PARTNER TIER ASSIGNMENTS ........................................................................................................................................... 9
CALCULATING YOUR PARTNER VALUE SCORE (PVS) ............................................................................................................ 10
ANNUAL PVS TARGETS BY COUNTRY ................................................................................................................................ 10
PROGRAM FEES ........................................................................................................................................................... 11
PROGRAM FEES AND PVS REQUIREMENTS BY TIER ............................................................................................................. 11
PROGRAM ADVANCEMENT ............................................................................................................................................. 11
RESOURCES TO MAKE YOU AN EXPERT .............................................................................................................. 11
RESOURCES TO FOSTER COLLABORATION .......................................................................................................................... 13
RESOURCES TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS .............................................................................................................................. 15
RESOURCES TO MANAGE YOUR BUSINESS ........................................................................................................................... 16
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ....................................................................................................................... 18
PROGRAM CHANGES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016 ..................................................................................................................... 18
MEASUREMENT PROCESS ............................................................................................................................................... 18
PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY ................................................................................................................................................... 19
PROGRAM FEES AND PAYMENT TERMS ............................................................................................................................. 20
PROGRAM BENEFITS ..................................................................................................................................................... 21
PARTICIPATION IN THE SALESFORCE AUTHORIZED TRAINING RESELLER PROGRAM ..................................................................... 22
PARTNER PREMIER SUPPORT .......................................................................................................................................... 22
GENERAL ASSISTANCE ................................................................................................................................................... 22

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What is the Salesforce Partner Program for

Consulting Partners?
The Salesforce Partner Program for Consulting Partners is designed for firms that are inspired to lead the
next phase of innovation and help companies connect with their customers in entirely new ways. The
Salesforce Partner Program offers a robust set of resources, training, and tools, enabling you to develop
expertise around specific business functions, product areas, and industries so you can expertly serve
your customers, differentiate your practices, and grow a profitable business. Unlike programs developed
by traditional software providers, the Salesforce Partner Program is built exclusively for the cloud and
takes advantage of the clouds unique customer engagement models, economics, and potential to deliver
unparalleled customer success.
The Salesforce Partner Program gives you the support to:

The Salesforce
Consulting Partner
Program acknowledges
partners for the
investments they make
to the ecosystem.

Drive customer innovation As a Salesforce Partner,

youll work with the worlds leading social, mobile, and cloud
technologies to unlock new opportunities and drive
successful business outcomes for your customers.
Develop specialized expertise To ensure customer
adoption and ongoing customer satisfaction, you need to
offer a combination of strategic vision, deep technical skills,
and expertise specific to a customers business. The
Kai Hsiung
Salesforce Partner Program offers a range of programs
Chief Revenue Officer
including sales and technical enablement, role-based
product training, and a portfolio of certifications to help
Silverline
you master Salesforce technologies and develop dedicated
skills around specific Salesforce products, industries, and
geographies.
Grow a thriving practice The Salesforce Partner Program is designed to capitalize on the
immense opportunity of the cloud with a collaborative go-to-market approach that will help you
differentiate your practice, generate customer demand, and build a profitable Salesforce practice.

Program Overview
Key Program Features

Value

1. Enablement

Foster the development of specialized capabilities

Support technical skills development
Ensure successful customer deployments

2. Sales support

Accelerate the sales cycle

Increase win rates
Increase deal size

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3. Marketing support

Generate demand
Build awareness for and differentiate your practice
Ensure messaging alignment

4. Operational infrastructure

Provide clear terms of engagement

Improve business planning productivity
Reduce administrative resource requirements

How does the Partner Program work?

Recognition of Our Partners Total Value Contribution
The Salesforce Partner Program for Consulting Partners is based on a tiered structure that recognizes
the total contribution each company makes to its Salesforce partnership. The program offers five
partnership tiers based on a companys commitment and the maturation of its Salesforce business:
Global Strategic, Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Registered.

Program Benefits
Each program level offers a unique set of benefits to support the growth of our Consulting Partners
business. With the new program enhancements for FY16, Partners will have access to an expanded
range of benefits based on the level of partnership.

Registered

Silver

Gold

Platinum

Global Strategic

General
Access to the Partner
Community

AppExchange Listing

Access to Partner
Digital Sales Aid

Monthly Office Hours

Welcome Kit

n/a

n/a

Eligible for Accelerate

Initiative
Partner Management

Partner Practice
Development

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Registered

Silver

Gold

Platinum

Global Strategic

Enablement
Cloud Implementation
Knowledge Base

Two Free Salesforce

EE User Subscriptions
(internal use)

Free Online Training

Free Support Case

Packs

Eligible to Resell
Salesforce Training

Volume Discounts on
Certification

Discount on Partner
Premier Support

Eligible for AE Case

Study Webinar Series

Eligible for Fullforce

Initiative

Eligible for Partner

Briefings

Discount on Expert
Services

Discount on
Classroom Regional
Product Bootcamp

Technical Architect
Voucher (written exam)

Marketing
General Marketing
Support

Marketing Kits

Demand-Generation
Tools

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Registered

Silver

Gold

Platinum

Global Strategic

PR Resources

Marketing Concierge

Marketing (continued)
Eligibility for Marketing
Co-Funding (MDF)

Joint Marketing
Planning

Sales

Eligible for Referral

Incentives
Onboarding
Resources

n/a

Joint Go-to-Market
(GTM) Planning
Joint Business
Planning
= eligible

n/a = not applicable

* Referral incentives for Platinum partners will be paid in Emerging Markets only

Program Requirements
Beginning in February 2015, Consulting Partner tiers will be
based on a Partner Value Score (PVS). The PVS measures a
Partners contribution over a rolling, 12-month period against
Salesforce-set targets across three main categories: ACV,
Expertise, and Customer Success. All Partners receive a PVS
based on their total contribution to these categories.
During the PVS calculation process, Partners are evaluated
across a range of core attributes associated with the main
categories by country, including total ACV, ACV growth,
Salesforce certifications, specializations, customer satisfaction
(CSAT), and customer success stories. Salesforce Consulting
Partners score points for each of these weighted attributes,
which are tallied over the rolling, 12-month period to determine
their PVS. Any contribution to a category will count toward a
Partners total PVS, which subsequently determines program
eligibility and Partner tier. (Note that youll be classified as a
Registered Partner until you achieve the minimum PVS for your
desired tier.)

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We appreciate the
transparency of the
Salesforce Consulting
Partner Programs
goals and the clarity
around what is required
of partners.
Garret Carlson
Director, Strategic Alliances
Slalom Consulting

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The following table defines the PVS core attributes.

Core Attribute Definitions

Core
Attribute

Category

SubAttribute

Sourced ACV
ACV 35%

ACV

Co-Sell ACV

ACV Growth 10%

Expertise

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Definition
Any previously unknown opportunity referred by a Partner as
a lead submitted through the Partner Community and
accepted by the Salesforce Sales team, resulting in new end
user purchase of original services, purchase of additional
services, or upgrade to existing services within a rolling 12month timeframe.
Partner brings previously unknown intelligence to an existing
Salesforce opportunity or is brought in by the AE to support
the close of an existing Salesforce opportunity within a rolling
12-month timeframe. Note: Co-Sell ACV includes the sum of
Sourced ACV and Joint Sales.

YoY Growth

A rolling 12-month comparison between the current Sourced

ACV performance and the previous years Sourced ACV
performance. Note: A minimum of $75,000 US/$50,000 nonUS for the previous years Sourced ACV performance is
required for eligibility to earn points in this category.

Technical
Architect

The Salesforce Certified Technical Architect program is

designed for technical architects who want to demonstrate
their knowledge, skills, and capabilities of accessing
customer architecture; designing secure, high-performance
technical solutions on the Force.com platform;
communicating technical solutions and design tradeoffs
effectively to business stakeholders; and providing a delivery
framework that ensures quality and success.

Sales Cloud

The Salesforce Certified Sales Cloud Consultant exam is

designed for implementation experts who have experience
implementing Sales Cloud solutions in a customer-facing role.
The Salesforce Certified Sales Cloud Consultant is able to
successfully design and implement Sales Cloud solutions that
meet customer business requirements, are maintainable and
scalable, and contribute to long-term customer success.

Certifications
30%

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Service Cloud

Developer

Specialization
5%

Customer
Success

The Salesforce Certified Service Cloud Consultant exam is

designed for implementation experts who have experience
implementing Service Cloud solutions in a customer-facing
role. The Salesforce Certified Service Cloud Consultant is
able to successfully design and implement Service Cloud
solutions that meet customer business requirements, are
maintainable and scalable, and contribute to long-term
customer success.
The Salesforce Certified Force.com Developer exam is for
individuals who want to demonstrate their knowledge, skills,
and abilities building custom applications and analytics using
the declarative capabilities of the Force.com platform.

The Salesforce Fullforce Initiative is structured to recognize

Fullforce Initiative deep expertise in a specific area or the development of a
proven, Salesforce-based services offering.
Emerging
Products

Recognition of Partners that can demonstrate expertise in

any of our emerging products, including Data.com, Desk.com,
Heroku, Foundation, Pardot, and Work.com.

Through the registration and closure of at least one or more

projects in our Partner Community within a rolling 18 month
CSAT 15%
CSAT
timeframe, customers complete a survey that generates a
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Score for the relevant Partner.
Referenceable information on a Salesforce customer project
Customer Stories
Customer Stories within a rolling 18-month timeframe.
5%

New Sub-Attribute Requirement: The Salesforce Fullforce Initiative

The Salesforce Fullforce Initiative is part of the Salesforce Partner Program and recognizes deep
expertise in a specific area or the development of a proven, Salesforce-based services offering.

Salesforce Fullforce Master Recognition of a Consulting Partner holding Silver Tier

status or above that satisfies the Salesforce Fullforce Master Program criteria and has
successfully passed the program application and review process for a designated
product or industry.
Salesforce Fullforce Solution Recognition of a Consulting Partner holding Silver
Tier status or above that has built an industry solution satisfying the Salesforce
Fullforce Solution criteria and has successfully passed the program application and
review process.

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Initially, these designations will focus on the following clouds and industries:

Salesforce
Fullforce
Initiative

Cloud

Sales
Cloud

Service
Cloud

Industry

Platform

Certified Fullforce
Solution
Fullforce Master

Financial
Services

Healthcare

Retail /
Consumer
Products

Comms /
Media

* A Certified Fullforce Solution is required for a Fullforce Master in industry designation

Who qualifies?
In addition to Silver Tier status or above, the qualification criteria for a Fullforce Master or Fullforce
Solution are focused on sales and delivery capabilities and demonstration of customer success. You can
find a comprehensive list of criteria as well as an assessment tool to verify your qualifications in the
Partner Community.

New Sub-Attribute Requirement: Emerging Products

Partners can earn points toward their PVS by demonstrating expertise in one of our emerging products.
(Note: Validation from the program owner for each product is required. See the Partner Community for
details.)
The following products qualify:

Data.com Data.com is the Salesforce solution for delivering leading business data inside your
CRM. Use Data.com to search valuable account information from D&B and millions of crowd-sourced
contacts and find the records your business needs. With Data.com Prospector, you can add these
records to Salesforce as new accounts, contacts, and leads, or export them to use in other apps. With
Data.com Clean, you can keep your CRM records clean and up to date.
Desk.com Customer service is changing. There are more ways than ever to connect with
customers through social, mobile, and connected devices. Desk.com is an out-of-the-box solution that
lets growing businesses offer personalized support on every channel. We have intuitive agent tools,
powerful reporting, and a streamlined mobile app that can help you offer faster, better customer
service.
Foundation The Salesforce Foundation has donated our product to more than 23,000 nonprofit
customers, transforming mission-based organizations throughout the world. Become an expert at
delivering products and services for Nonprofit and Higher Education customers by working in the
Salesforce Foundation market.
Heroku Build apps in dozens of modern programming languages including Ruby on Rails,
Node.js, Python, Java, and more and then move your app to the Web with a few simple clicks.
Heroku apps scale easily to meet demand, and you get full control, infinite capacity, and independent
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scaling for each component of an app. Since 2007, companies have created more than 4 million apps
on Heroku, and the platform provides companies from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises with a
faster, more effective way to create, deploy, and manage apps.
Pardot Pardot is a leading business-to-business marketing automation software provider. With a
marketing automation software-as-a-service application, Marketing and Sales departments can
create, deploy, and manage online marketing campaigns that increase revenue and maximize
efficiency. Pardot features a certified CRM integration with Salesforce, empowering marketers with
lead nurturing, lead scoring, and ROI reporting to generate and qualify sales leads, shorten sales
cycles, and demonstrate marketing accountability.
Work.com Manage sales performance with Work.com through better coaching, motivation, and
team alignment. Motivate and coach your sales team directly within Salesforce. Use coaching to help
more reps achieve quota every month. And recognize your top performers publicly, showcasing what
theyre doing to win deals. Track and measure progress against goals linked to Salesforce data.
Easily evaluate the performance of your teams whenever you choose after completing a month, a
quarter, a project, or a specific goal. Work.com lets you focus on selling, not on paperwork.

Partner Tier Assignments

For Existing Partners
Starting on February 1, 2015 and continuing through the end
of the month, Salesforce will undertake an initial Annual
Partner Evaluation during which it will calculate all existing
Partners PVS and assign each existing Partner to a program
tier based on the Partners then-current PVS. Throughout
FY16, if Salesforce validates that a Partner qualifies for
assignment to a higher Partner tier during a Quarterly Partner
Evaluation Period, Salesforce will notify the Partner of
assignment to the higher Partner tier. The benefits associated
with the higher Partner tier will apply immediately upon the
existing Partners receipt of such notice. Salesforce will only
assign qualifying existing Partners to higher Partner tiers
during a Quarterly Partner Evaluation Period.

The Salesforce
Partner Program is
constantly evolving
based on the needs
of the business.
Gary DiOrio, President
Salesforce Business Unit
CloudSherpas

For New Partners

Starting on February 1, 2015 and continuing throughout FY16, each new Partner will enter the Partner
Program as a Registered Partner until Salesforce notifies the new Partner of assignment to a higher
Partner tier based on Salesforces assessment of the new Partners PVS during a Quarterly Partner
Evaluation Period. The benefits associated with the higher Partner tier will apply immediately upon the
new Partners receipt of such notice.

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Calculating Your Partner Value Score (PVS)

Sub-Attribute

Sub-Attribute
Point Target

Sourced ACV

200 points

Co-Sell ACV

150 points

YoY ACV %

100 points

Technical Architect Certification

100 points

Sales Cloud Certification

75 points

Service Cloud Certification

75 points

Developer Certification

50 points

35 points

Fullforce Initiative

35 points

15 points

Emerging Products

15 points

CSAT 15%

150 points

CSAT Score (rolling 18 months)

150 points

Customer Stories 5%

50 points

Customer Stories (rolling 18 months)

50 points

Totals:

1,000 points

Category

Core Attribute

Core Attribute
Point Valuation

ACV 35%

350 points

ACV Growth 10%

100 points

ACV

Certifications 30%

300 points

Expertise
Specialization 5%

Customer
Success

1,000 points

Annual PVS Targets by Country

ACV

Expertise

(rolling 12 months)

(lifetime)

Sourced ACV

Co-Sell
ACV

US

$2,500,000

$7,500,000

35%

25

25

50

CA

$250,000

$750,000

35%

10

BR

$300,000

$1,000,000

35%

10

ROLACA

$250,000

$750,000

35%

10

UK

$500,000

$1,250,000

35%

15

15

30

DE

$300,000

$1,000,000

35%

10

10

20

FR

$250,000

$750,000

35%

10

NL

$250,000

$750,000

35%

10

ROEMEA

$250,000

$750,000

35%

10

AU

$250,000

$750,000

35%

10

ROAPAC

$250,000

$750,000

35%

10

JP

$500,000

$1,500,000

35%

20

20

40

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Customer
Success
(rolling 18
months)

YoY
Technical Sales Service Developer Fullforce Emerging CSAT Customer
Sourced Architects Cloud Cloud
Products
Stories
Growth

8.4

10

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Program Fees
To support the ongoing administration of the enhanced Salesforce Partner Program and to provision the
program benefits, Salesforce will charge an annual program fee starting in FY16. All Salesforce
Consulting Partners will be required to meet the program requirements and pay the annual program fee
associated with their respective Partner tier.

Program Fees and PVS Requirements by Tier

Tier

Program Fee
Mature Markets

PVS Requirement

Emerging Markets &

Foundation Partners
Must achieve Platinum Tier in 2 or more Top 8
Countries (1 must be in the US)

Global Strategic*

$25,000

n/a

Platinum

$20,000

$15,000

Gold

$15,000

$11,250

Partner Value Score

450699

Silver

$5,000

$3,750

Partner Value Score

250449

$750

A minimum of 1 individual (holding 2 or more

certifications) or a minimum of 2 individuals
(holding at least 1 certification each) in Developer,
Sales Cloud, or Service Cloud.

Registered

$1,000

Must commit to Platinum Sponsorship at

Dreamforce
Partner Value Score
7001,000

*Inclusion in Global Strategic Tier is subject to Salesforce approval

Program Advancement
If a Partner pays an annual program fee based on an earlier assignment to a Partner tier and is then
assigned to a higher Partner tier, no additional annual program fees will be due until the next renewal. At
that point, the Partner must pay the annual program fee associated with the Partner tier to which
Salesforce assigns the Partner for the next annual term based on the Annual Partner Evaluation.

Accelerate Initiative Policy

The Accelerate Initiative allows eligible Silver or Gold Partners to upgrade to the next Higher Partner Tier
by paying the difference between the existing tier and the desired higher tier. This will allow the Partner to
st
participate in the Partner Program at that Higher Partner Tier until their renewal (March 1 ). Salesforce
will only review applications during the Annual Partner Evaluation (February) and the Q3 Partner
Evaluation Period (August).
To qualify for the Accelerate Initiative, partners must have met the following:
1. Ranked in the top 25th percentile of Gold or Silver tiers for a specific country. (For example, if
there are 20 Gold partners in the US, the top 5 partners would be eligible for the Accelerate
Initiative)
2. Application approved by leadership.

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Resources to Make You an Expert

The first step to becoming a successful Salesforce Consulting Partner is to learn our products. Salesforce
offers a variety of product training programs to help you deliver flawless customer deployments. Heres an
overview of the resources available to Salesforce Partners:

Salesforce Certification Salesforce offers the worlds first

cloud-computing certification program, supported by four
role-based tracks: Administrators, Developers, Cloud-specific
Consultants, and Technical Architects. For each tier,
candidates must follow a rigorous course of study as well as
pass a certification exam. Earning a credential from
Salesforce not only provides your team with the skills and
confidence to take full advantage of our technologies, but it is
used by customers and Salesforce alike to evaluate your
teams experience.

The new Partner

Community site not
only offers us a forum
to engage with other
partners, but its a
valuable resource that
will support our
continued success.

We believe certification is so indispensable to your

customers success that we make it a requirement of the
Partner Program. Salesforce Consulting Partners are
Barney Haywood, Head
required to have a minimum number of certifications based
Alliances & Strategic Accounts
on membership tier. You can find details on the specific
Redkite
criteria by tier in the Program Requirements section of this
document.
Technical Architect Vouchers We provide Global Strategic and Platinum Partners with vouchers
to support their attainment of Salesforce Technical Architect Certification.
Training delivery options From online to instructor-led, Salesforce training delivery options give
you the flexibility to build a training plan that meets the specific learning needs of your organization:
Online product training Your team members and new consultants can get up to speed
through our self-paced online courses, eliminating costly travel and time away from billable
customer engagements. Courses are organized by role so your consultants can easily locate the
appropriate training for their particular needs.

To help you save money and administer training for your team, we offer subscription-based
Premier Training, which provides unlimited access to our large catalog of self-paced online
courses as well as discounts on instructor-led courses.
Public, instructor-led courses Offered in a classroom setting, these courses are led by
Salesforce experts who guide you through hands-on exercises and share examples from a wide
range of successful implementation projects. You can start with fundamentals such as
Administrative and Implementation Essentials or jump to the coursework that best fits your
knowledge and experience. Instructor-led courses are offered throughout the year. You can find
the current schedule in the online Salesforce course catalog: http://www.salesforce.com/servicestraining/training_certification/course_catalog.jsp

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Private, instructor-led courses If you want to train a group of consultants or developers, you
can save money and effort by having Salesforce conduct a private training course at your
workplace. For more information and scheduling, contact your Partner Account Manager.
Salesforce University for Partners (previously known as Partner Academy) Take up to a 2-day
session that combines presentations from Partner Productivity Managers, solution experts, and local
Sales teams. Practice sessions are targeted for business development professionals focused on
Salesforce best practices, staff development, and sales effectiveness. The Technical Certification
Workshops focus on preparation for cloud-specific certifications or the Technical Architect
Certification.
New! Generate additional revenue with Salesforce Training Beginning in February 2015,
Salesforce is excited to offer Salesforce Consulting Partners another opportunity to build their
business and increase their deal sizes. Partners can now offer Salesforce University training directly
to their customers and profit. Delivered by Salesforce Certified Trainers, Salesforce University
courses let Partners offer flexible training options without having to staff instructors or manage
training events.
New! Volume discounts on Certifications Salesforce Consulting Partners can take advantage of
discounts on professional certifications and maintenance exams. Partners can purchase new,
discounted exam vouchers that are simpler and easier to use with multiple certification exams and
feature an extended expiration date of 2 years.
New! Discount on classroom regional product live bootcamp Salesforce Consulting Partners
enjoy priority access to live, regional product bootcamps at discount pricing. Designed to shorten time
to readiness for Partner employees, these bootcamps are packed with updates, skills training, demos,
tools, and other resources to accelerate sales. Bootcamp participants also get access to video
versions of bootcamp sessions.
New! Case study webinar series Salesforce Consulting Partners can nominate their customers for
video-based case study profiles. Featuring the Partners engagement and highlighting the customers
success, these videos are created by the Salesforce StoryForce team, ensuring high quality and
creativity.
Staying current with Salesforce We provide three releases a year, which means our cloud app is
constantly evolving. New training is available free online with every release. Members of our Partner
Community can also participate in periodic product briefings to keep up to date. These sessions cover
changes and enhancements to our entire product portfolio, providing exclusive insights that can be
critical to your continued success as a Salesforce Partner.

Resources to Foster Collaboration

The cloud shifts the focus from installation to customer adoption and satisfaction, requiring ongoing
engagement and tight collaboration between vendors and Partners. As a Salesforce Consulting Partner,
you have access to a broad range of tools, insights, and best practices to support you through the
different phases of a customer project.

Monthly webinar series Produced by our Productivity and Partner Programs teams, this
interactive series covers topics related to implementation and Partner selling success.
Partner Welcome Kit Available on the Partner Community, the Welcome Kit offers a set of
resources to help you get started with the Salesforce Consulting Partner Program.

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Monthly office hours We invite all Partners to attend bi-monthly office hour sessions with a
Salesforce panel of experts across Programs, Operations, Marketing, Sales, and Support to get
answers to your burning questions.
Partner Forum Join Salesforce executives, product leaders, and other experts from the Consulting
Partner Community for a full-day program designed to inspire customer transformation and
Salesforce innovation. Participation is limited to individuals with at least one of the following
certifications: Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, or Advanced Developer.
Monthly partner onboarding webinars Partners can participate in monthly webinars to help with
the onboarding process. Learn how to navigate the Partner Community, register a project, publish a
listing on the AppExchange, and more.
Sales kits by product Whether your focus is Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, the Force.com platform,
or Chatter, youll find first-call decks, demos, datasheets, white papers, FAQs, a list of top discovery
questions, and much more on the Partner Community.
Developer Force Get started with Force.com, the leading cloud-computing platform for custom
application development. As a Salesforce Consulting Partner, you can join Developer Force and gain
access to a free Developer Edition environment plus self-guided tutorials, toolkits, and downloadable
reference books on Force.com fundamentals and advanced techniques.
Community discussion boards Discuss your concerns and connect with the community. We offer
technically oriented boards around Force.com development, including specific technologies such as
Force.com code (Apex), Force.com pages (Visualforce), Force.com sites, Java, .NET, and much
more. We also offer general boards that cover a range of topics, including Salesforce best practices,
desktop integration, and product discussions.
Test and demo orgs Test new technologies, create customized demos, and develop proofs of
concept for your prospects and customers. All editions are available from the Partner Community.
New! Free Support Case Packs These packs are based on a flexible use as needed model and
include a set number of cases depending on your program tier:
Global Strategic

20 case packs

Platinum

15 case packs

Gold

10 case packs

Silver

5 case packs

Registered

2 case packs

With Support Case Packs, youll receive a faster initial response of 18 hours (depending on the case
severity level) plus Developer Support and a Priority Queue to route cases directly to Tier 2 and 24/7
toll-free phone support.
New! Discount on Partner Premier If Partner is interested in purchasing the Partner Premier
Success plan, you will get a 10% discount off the $24,000 fee.
Formal technical support Includes Salesforce Basic Support as well as access to our new Partner
Premier Success Plan:
Basic Partner Support This free service includes:
Unlimited application and Partner Program-related support
Online case submission with 2-day initial response time for all case types and severities
Proactive alerts and outage communication

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Partner Premier Success Plan Includes the above, plus:

Immediate access to our expert technical resources.
Continuous coverage Support is available 24/7 via toll-free phone or the Partner
Community for Severity 1 cases.
Fast response time Response is within 1 hour for Severity 1 cases logged via the Partner
Community.
An assigned Partner Premier Support representative serves as a single point of contact and
provides proactive case management and technical best practices.
Premier Developer Support offers error-related troubleshooting and code reviews plus best
practices to help you build apps on the Force.com platform.
Notifications Receive advance notice of planned maintenance and downtimes.
Partner Premier Success review A review of your cases, escalations, and resource usage
ensures youre taking full advantage of your Partner Premier subscription.
For access to this Partner Premier Success Plan benefit or help with technical and Partner
Program issues, simply log in to the Partner Community and submit a case. If youre onsite with a
Premier customer, you can also log a case on your customers behalf.

Resources to grow your business

Building awareness for your company, marketing your services, differentiating yourself from the
competition, and generating leads: these are the building blocks of every successful organization. Being a
Salesforce Consulting Partner helps position you as committed to driving customer innovation with the
experience to back it up. We can help with the following:

New! Onboarding resources New Partners have access to the Partner Onboarding team and a
range of resources specifically designed to help you get a successful start as a Salesforce Partner.
New! Marketing Concierge Go-To-Market (GTM) Directors are the first point of contact for
Platinum Partners. These Partners can also take advantage of Salesforce marketing expertise
through our concierge service by submitting business and marketing questions and ideas via email to
marketingconcierge@salesforce.com. Our team members will respond within 2 business days.
New! Marketing Kits All Salesforce Consulting Partners can download our growing portfolio of
demand generation planning tools, best practices guides, and creative templates from the Partner
Community.
New! Eligibility for Marketing Co-Funding (MDF) The Partner Marketing Co-Funding Program is
designed to fuel your Salesforce-based marketing activities. Each quarter, a pool of marketing funds
is allocated by the GTM team to support the execution of Partner-led marketing activities that
generate demand for Salesforce products.
Joint Go-to-Market (GTM) Planning Global Strategic and Platinum Partners work directly with
their dedicated Partner Account Managers or GTM Directors to develop a set of key objectives based
on their business needs and action plans to accomplish these objectives.
GTM plans are intended to be living documents that are co-developed, agreed upon, and reviewed
together on an ongoing basis. Key benefits of GTM plans include:
Common understanding of the Salesforce Partners business potential
Clear expectations of the partnership, success criteria, and respective roles and responsibilities
across the value chain

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Expedient and rigorous assessments of which initiatives will provide the best return on resource
investment
Improved resource utilization that leverages combined resources
Analysis of the Partners capabilities to determine the best partnering strategy
Integration and coordination of activities to promote the partnership internally to the Salesforce
Sales and Customers for Life organizations and externally to prospects and customers
Alignment of Partner and Salesforce messaging and communications to existing and potential
customers
To begin working on your GTM plan, contact your Partner Account Manager or GTM Director.
Salesforce content syndication As a Consulting Partner, you can provide a way for your website
visitors to learn more about Salesforce, and well repay you with qualified leads. Simply embed a
Salesforce free trial button (with the code we provide) anywhere on your site. When anyone coming
from your site activates a trial, well send you an email with a link to the new lead along with follow-up
instructions on how to qualify the lead for credit. Well even add the lead to your Partner Community
lead view.

This is a true win-win-win scenario: Your prospects get valuable content from Salesforce. In true
cloud-computing fashion, we manage the copy, images, and lead buttons so you dont have to (you
can even choose from multiple languages). And with Salesforce content syndication, you gain
recognition as a Salesforce Partner, along with a list of qualified leads.
The AppExchange services and solutions marketplace As a Salesforce Consulting Partner, you
can market and deliver your services and solutions via the AppExchange to the largest cloudcomputing customer audience more than 100,000 customers and counting. Listings include an
overview and details of your services, optional pricing, and customer reviews that evaluate quality,
cost, and adherence to schedule; experience, number of Salesforce-certified professionals, and
additional satisfaction metrics; and a profile you can use to augment your listing with demos, white
papers, and customer success stories.
Event sponsorships Sponsorships give you access to high-value, lead-generation opportunities
and more attention from our Sales and Marketing teams, the Developer Community, and press and
analysts. Youll find a central clearinghouse for reserving targeted sponsorships of conferences,
gatherings, and Web properties in the Market section of the Partner Community.
And more The Go-to-Market section of the Partner Community offers a host of marketing tools and
resources to help you generate awareness and drive demand for your products and services. Youll
also find PR templates, logos, and usage guidelines that help you align with the Salesforce brand and
promote your relationship with our company.

Resources to manage your business

Our account, lead, opportunities, and project management resources will not only help you stay
organized, but give your organization hands-on experience with cloud-based CRM.

New! Access to the Partner Community The Partner Community is your go-to resource for the
latest partner information or technical and sales enablement resources and to engage with other
Partners.
New! Access to the Partner Digital Sales Aid (PSA) A content delivery app that works via a
browser or mobile device, the PSA provides access to the same sales content available to the

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Salesforce Sales team. The PSA helps you quickly find content to build presentations and gather
information for your customer and prospect meetings.
Partner newsletter Receive regular updates on the Partner Program, tips from Salesforce experts,
insights from peers, info about networking events, and educational opportunities via the Partner
newsletter. Keep your personal information up to date in the Partner Community so you can stay in
the know and dont miss a single edition of the Salesforce Partner Newsflash.
Salesforce Certification management The certifications attained by your organization are
essential marketing tools to promote your skills and Salesforce expertise. Your individual team
members can easily link their completed certifications to your partner account through Webassessor,
our certification exam provider. The number of certified professionals on your staff will be displayed to
prospects and customers via your AppExchange listings.
My Leads This feature lets you submit, view, and edit leads and be eligible to earn a percentage of
the revenue for referred accounts.
My Opportunities Qualified leads are converted to new opportunities, which we tag as Partnersourced and assign to an Account Executive, who will discuss the opportunity with you. My
Opportunities will keep you both on the same page: tracking current status, the active AE, your role in
the sale, and, once the opportunity is won, the dollar amount.
Customer satisfaction surveys Monitoring customer satisfaction lets you evaluate your projects
success and provides insight into your customers assessment of the value you delivered. As you
complete a customer project and enter the project end date in the Partner Community, youre
required to send out a satisfaction survey. Your project status will not change to Completed until
your customer returns the survey. Survey results will appear within your AppExchange listings to help
potential customers evaluate your services. We also use this information internally to evaluate your
performance during our formal partner reviews.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Program Changes for Fiscal Year 2016
Q: What were the main changes made to the program for FY16?
A: The major changes for FY16 are:

A new tiering process based on a holistic view of Partner value contribution

Expanded program benefits to support Partner success
Enhanced Partner enablement programs and resources
Introduction of annual program fees

Measurement Process
Q: How are Partners measured against program requirements?
A: Partners are measured against the program based on a weighted scoring model called Partner Value
Score (PVS). The PVS model provides a holistic approach to measuring Partners based upon their total
value contribution.
The FY15 measurement process will retire on February 1, 2015, and Partners will no longer be required
to achieve 100% of the criteria to qualify for each tier. With the PVS model, Salesforce now will be able
recognize our Partners for any contribution they make in each category.
Q: What is the Partner Value Score?
A: Salesforces Partner Value Score (or PVS) measures a Partners contribution over the course of a
rolling, prior 12-month period against Salesforce-set Fiscal Year targets in the following Partner Program
metrics: ACV, Expertise, and Customer Success.
Q: Im an existing Salesforce Partner. What happens to my current status on February 1?
A: On February 1, 2015, well retire the existing programs measurement process and will conduct the
Annual Partner Evaluation Period where well implement the new Partner Value Score (PVS) model. The
Annual Partner Evaluation Period will last throughout the month of February, during which Salesforce
calculates each Partners PVS based on contributions from the prior Fiscal Year. Upon completion of its
evaluation of each Partner, Salesforce will assign the Partner to the Partner tier for which it qualifies for
the current Fiscal Year based on the Partners PVS. A Partners assignment to a Partner tier as part of
the Annual Partner Evaluation will apply for the remainder of the Fiscal Year unless Salesforce later
elevates the Partner to a higher Partner tier after a follow-on Quarterly Partner Evaluation
Q: How does a Partner advance through the program tiers?
A: If a Partner pays an Annual Program Fee based on its earlier assignment to one Partner tier and is
then assigned to a higher Partner tier during a Quarterly Partner Evaluation Period, no additional annual
program fees will be due until the next renewal. They will advance to a higher tier at no additional charge.
Q: Can I be demoted to a lower tier?
A: Only during the Annual Partner Evaluation Period can a partner be demoted into a lower tier. Partners
will not be demoted into a lower tier during a Quarterly Partner Evaluation Period.
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Q: Do existing Partners need to take any action to stay in the program for FY16?
A: No. There is no action required from Partners at this time. On March 1, all partners will receive their tier
assignments and instructions on how to pay the program fee.
Q: Can I advance to the next tier outside of the Quarterly Evaluation Period?
A: No. Partners can only advance during the Partner Quarterly Evaluation Period. Partners achieving the
minimum PVS for the higher tier at any point during the quarter will need to wait until the beginning of the
next quarter for their tier to be updated.
Q: How will I know if I qualified for advancement?
A: We will issue a notification letters to all Partners that qualified for advancement shortly after the
Quarterly Partner Evaluation Period has closed.

Program Eligibility
Q: Does the Registered Tier require 2 certified individuals or 2 certifications? Can a company with
1 employee with 2 certifications qualify to be a Registered Partner?
A: The Registered Tier requires a minimum of 1 individual (holding 2 or more certifications) or a minimum
of 2 individuals (holding at least 1 certification each). The certifications that count toward the requirement
are Developer, Sales Cloud, or Service Cloud.
Q: For the higher tiers under the Expertise category, is the new requirement still the number of
certified individuals or is it the total number of certifications?
A: We changed this requirement to now reflect certifications by cloud: Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and
Developer.
Q: Does the Consulting Program include Nonprofits and Higher Education ACV contributions?
A: Yes. Any nonprofit or higher education ACV contributions count toward the Partners overall value
contribution.
Q: If I want to enroll in the Accelerate Initiative, whom do I contact?
A: A Partner can contact the GTM Director, Partner Account Manager, Onboarding Team contact, or
submit a case on the Partner Community to request information on how to enroll in the Accelerate
Initiative. Additional fees and qualification requirements apply.
Q: How will you determine qualification for the Emerging Products category?
A: Partners that can demonstrate expertise and are validated by each Emerging Product program owner
will achieve the points associated with this category.
Q: Will Pardot certifications count toward the program?
A: Pardot certifications will not count toward the certification requirements in the Certifications category.
However, this certification along with a complete client implementation will fulfill the Emerging Product
category requirement.

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Program Fees and Payment Terms

Q: What are the annual program fees?
A: The annual program fees associated with a Partners participation in the Partner Program in a given
Partner tier for an Annual Term are as follows, based on the location of the Partners
headquarters/primary registered place of business:

Partner Tier

Annual Program Fee Covering the Annual Term

For Partners:
(i) Headquartered in an Emerging Market
For Partners Headquartered in
Country; and
a Mature Market Country
(ii) Foundation Partners (regardless of
location)

Global Strategic

$25,000

n/a

Platinum

$20,000

$15,000

Gold

$15,000

$11,250

Silver

$5,000

$3,750

Registered

$1,000

$750

Q: What is my annual program term?

A: The Annual Term is the period of any Partners participation in the Partner Program starting on
(i) the date of Salesforces receipt of an existing Partners or any renewing Partners timely payment of
the Annual Program Fee associated with the Partner tier to which Salesforce has assigned the Partner
following the first or subsequent Annual Partner Evaluation, or
(ii) for new Partners, the date of the new Partners admission to the Partner Program, provided that
Salesforce receives timely payment of the Annual Program Fee associated with the Partner tier to which
Salesforce initially assigns the Partner (in most cases, this will be the Registered Partner Program Tier),
prorated for the remainder of the then-current Annual Term, and ending for all Partners on the last day of
the following February (that is, February 28, or February 29 in leap years).
Q: How do I pay the program fee?
A: General payment policies are below:
1. On or by March 1, 2015, Salesforce will notify existing Partners of their assignment to a program tier
for FY 2016 and will direct partners to the Partner Program Enrollment Process Page for Payment
instructions.
2. Existing Partners have until April 30, 2015 to complete the Partner Program Enrollment Process to
remain in the program.

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3. All Partners Partner Program participation annual renewal date will be March 1, and if renewed, will
extend the Partners participation in the Partner Program through the end of the following February.
Q: If I am a partner in more than 1 country, do I need to pay program fees twice?
A: No. Partners will only need to pay for their highest-ranking tier; for example, if a Partner achieved the
Platinum Tier in the US and the Gold Tier in France, the Partner will only need to pay the Platinum
program fee.
Q: If I dont want to pay for inclusion in a higher tier, do I have to advance?
A: No. Partners can choose to remain in a lower tier if they dont want to advance in the program. They
will only receive the benefits associated with the tier for which they pay the program fee.
Q: Can I be upgraded through the Accelerate Initiative outside of the Annual Partner Evaluation
and the Q3 Partner Evaluation?
A: No. We will only advance Accelerate partners twice a year during the above partner evaluations.
Q: How will I know if I qualify for the Accelerate Initiative?
A: Partners will be able to apply to be an Accelerate Partner via the Partner Community starting on March
st
1 . If application is approved, we will notify the partner and provide payment instructions.
Q: How much does it cost to be an Accelerate Partner?
A: If you are a Silver Partner, the cost to advance to Gold will be $10,000 (the difference from Silver and
Gold). If you are a Gold Partner, the cost to advance to Platinum is $5,000 (the difference from Gold to
Platinum). This is a one-time non-refundable fee and is owed in addition to the annual program fee
already paid.

Program Benefits
Q: Are discounts still available to Partners for training and certification?
A: Yes. Partners are entitled to new discounts based upon their partner tier and their higher reseller tier if
they elect to become a Salesforce Authorized Training Reseller. Specific partner discount details will be
available in the Partner Community. Accelerate Initiative participants will receive the discount tier they are
entitled to in the higher Partner tier.
Q. Do my training purchases count toward ACV when calculating my Partner Value Score?
A: Yes. Salesforce recognizes Partners commitment to internal training by including the value of training
purchases in the PVS calculation.
Q. Are all certifications discounted?
A: No. Some advanced level certifications require additional evaluation models and are not discounted.
Q. Are discounts available on certification preparation programs?
A: Yes. Salesforce University now offers 1-day, certification preparation focused classes at a discount to
Partners. These classes are available through both virtual and in-person formats.

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Participation in the Salesforce Authorized Training Reseller Program

Q. Can Partners now resell Salesforce Authorized Training?
A: Yes. All Partners can now sign up to resell Salesforce Authorized Training.
Q. Is there any limit to how much revenue a Partner can make reselling training?
A: No. Partners can boost their revenue with high-volume training sales regardless of their Partner tier.
Q. Does a Partner need a training team to become a reseller?
A: No. Working with the Partner, Salesforce University instructors can handle the setup and delivery of
the training.
Q. Where will the training take place?
A: Training can occur at the customers location, at a local training center, or at the Partners location.
Q. Does the Partner Value Score take into consideration the training a Partner resells?
A: Yes. Partners that resell Salesforce Authorized Training will see the value of the training added to their
ACV to calculate their Partner Value Score.

Partner Premier Support

Q: If I already have Partner Premier Success and I will start paying the Consulting Partner
Program fees, which include a certain number of cases based on my program tier, do I get any
discounts?
A: Unfortunately, you will not get a discount on the Consulting Partner Program fee; however, upon
renewal of your Partner Premier Success, Salesforce will apply a discount.
Q: What should I do if my company uses all our cases before our contract expires?
A: You can contact your Partner Account Manager who can help you purchase an additional pack of 5,
10, or 20 cases for an additional fee or you can purchase Partner Premier Support at a discounted fee.
Q: Will I receive a welcome packet on how to use the Partner Tech Support Case Pack?
A: Yes. Included in your Consulting Partner Program will be a section on how to leverage your Tech
Support Case Pack, including tech support global access phone support, SLAs, support case routing,
escalation path, and more.
Q: Will I be notified when I can start using my Tech Support cases?
A: Yes. Once your Consulting Partner Program order is activated, you can start using your cases.
Q: Will I be notified if I have used all my cases?
A: Yes. Upon hitting the limit of cases youre entitled to, youll receive an email notification that youve
reached the limit and any future cases logged will be downgraded to Partner Standard Support.

General Assistance
Q: If I dont have a Partner Account Manager (PAM), whom can I contact if I have a question?

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A: For general help, you can send an email to our Onboarding Team at pamdesk@salesforce.com.

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