Do you know the latest partnership lingo?
Whether you’re new to the world of partnerships or you’re a seasoned pro, keeping up with evolving terminology — both what’s trending and what’s falling out of use — can feel like a moving target. As the partnership space continues to expand in 2025, so does the list of industry-specific terms and acronyms you need to know to navigate the B2B SaaS world confidently.
Not sure where to start? Don’t worry — we’ve got you covered. To get you up to speed, here are some key partnership terms people are searching for in 2025 and what they mean.
Ideal customer profile (ICP)
An ideal customer profile or ICP defines the target audience for partnerships by identifying the “who” of an organization's most valuable potential customers — painting a picture of the type of customer who is the best fit.
An ICP goes beyond just demographics and behaviors — it also considers factors like the customer’s needs, the tools they use and how they make decisions.
Why it matters: A clear ICP for partnerships helps ensure a company’s efforts are specific, focused and more likely to succeed.
Partner program
A partner program (also known as a partnership program) connects a company with different types of partners. Think: referral, co-sell, B2B influencer and affiliate partners.
A partner program creates a business relationship where both sides benefit. The company gains access to new markets, wider reach and more revenue. Partners can earn money through commissions, revenue shares or bonuses, along with other benefits. For example, these benefits could include exclusive access to products or services, co-marketing opportunities or recognition for their work.
Why it matters: Creating a well-structured partner program helps companies build a strong ecosystem of engaged partners — which can drive revenue growth, boost brand awareness, foster customer loyalty and more.
Affiliate program
An affiliate program is a marketing strategy where businesses or, more often, individuals — known as affiliate partners — promote a company’s products or services in exchange for a commission when they generate new business.
Simply put, affiliate partners use unique, tracked links or codes to drive traffic to the company’s website. If their referrals lead to a conversion, like a sale or signup, they earn a partner commission.
Why it matters: Affiliate programs are a cost-effective, performance-driven way for brands, whether B2B or B2C, to reach audiences and acquire new customers.
Affiliate partner
An affiliate partner is an individual or company that promotes a vendor’s websites, products or services through unique, tracked links. The partner earns a commission when traffic from those links leads to a conversion (such as a sale or signup)
Why it matters: Affiliate partners — often influencers, content creators or email marketers — use their influence with their audiences to promote a company’s products, build brand awareness and attract new customers.
Affiliate link
An affiliate link is a unique referral link given to an affiliate partner through a partner program. Basically, when a user clicks on the link, the interaction is tracked, allowing the partner to receive credit — and the commission — for any resulting sale or conversion.
Why it matters: Affiliate links incentivize partners and help partner programs accurately track, measure and reward the efforts of affiliate partners — ensuring fair compensation and supporting program growth.
Channel partners
A channel partner is a person or company that helps sell or distribute a vendor’s products or services through co-marketing and sales efforts. These efforts can include reseller programs, retail partnerships, wholesale distribution or brokerages.
Why it matters: Channel partner programs help businesses simplify sales and marketing, reduce customer acquisition costs and reach new markets. This drives sustainable growth and profitability — all without the need to build these networks themselves.
Strategic partnerships
Also known as alliances or joint ventures, strategic partnerships are collaborations between two or more businesses for mutual benefit.
These partnerships can involve co-developing products and services, co-marketing efforts and sharing resources, expertise and customer bases — all with the shared goal of creating a win-win relationship for everyone involved.
Why it matters: Strategic partnerships allow businesses to leverage each other’s strengths and resources for mutual benefit. In the B2B SaaS market, these partnerships can amplify market reach, tap into new audiences and build brand trust.
Alliance
Also known as a strategic alliance or strategic partnership, a business alliance is when two or more companies form a collaborative relationship and formally agree to work together to pursue mutually beneficial goals. These partnerships can take various forms, including joint ventures, equity strategic alliances or non-equity strategic alliances.
Why it matters: Alliances open up opportunities that are harder to achieve alone. They can drive growth and reduce costs by allowing companies to share resources, expand market reach and capitalize on each other’s expertise.
Commission rate
In partnerships, a commission rate is a percentage or fixed dollar amount paid to an affiliate partner in exchange for completing a specific action, such as generating a sale or qualified lead.
Why it matters: Commission rates are the strongest incentive for attracting and motivating effective affiliate partners who contribute to the program's success.
Earnings per click (EPC)
In affiliate marketing, earnings per click or EPC measures the average revenue earned each time someone clicks on a unique affiliate link.
Why it matters: Tracking EPC helps companies see how well their affiliate campaigns are performing. It lets companies identify top-performing partners, improve their strategies and motivate affiliates to do more.
Gross merchandise value (GMV)
In business, gross merchandise value or GMV measures the total monetary value of all goods or services sold by a company. In partnerships, GMV tracks the total sales value before deductions like fees and commissions.
Why it matters: By tracking the total value generated through partnerships, businesses can better assess their partnership ecosystem’s overall health, revenue generation and business impact.
Referral link
A referral link is a unique, trackable URL that partners in a referral program use when they refer customers. Using referral links, companies can attribute the leads or sales generated through that specific link back to the referring partner.
Why it matters: Referral links are mutually beneficial for both partners and vendors. They help companies accurately credit partners for their contributions — which builds trust and incentivizes continued participation in the program.
Partner relationship management (PRM)
Partner relationship management or PRM is a software system that helps businesses manage and grow their partnerships from start to finish. Modern PRM software provides the tools to efficiently handle different types of partnerships, such as affiliate, referral, technology, alliance, influencer and service partners.
Why it matters: PRM software is beneficial to all participants in a partnership program. Partners use PRM software to engage in lead generation, drive traffic and run co-marketing efforts. Partner managers use it to oversee and support partner relationships, fostering smooth collaboration and sustainable growth.
Want to learn more? Visit the PartnerStack Glossary to dive deeper into all the terms you’ll hear in the world of partnerships.
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