Why Pilot Programs Are a Best Practice for B2B SaaS

As much as we think we really know our customers, running a pilot program for partners always makes sense. It’s an opportunity to see what brings the best return on investment for you, current and future partners.

In this article, we chatted with Nick Latus, VP of Network Success at PartnerStack to unpack:

• Why pilot programs are essential for B2B SaaS companies
• How B2B SaaS pilot programs help validate ideas, drive conversions, reduce risks and ensure a successful full-scale launch

Let’s get started.

What is a pilot program in B2B Saas?

A pilot program is when a new initiative is run by a company to test the viability, feasibility and the impact of a new product or service. It’s usually done on a small scale, and the results are then analyzed to factor into launching a full-scale implementation.

Latus explains that pilot programs can be an effective tactic for SaaS businesses to measure different business models and partners before fully committing to a new go-to-market strategy. “Sometimes it can be overwhelming for companies to expand into a new business category or to expand with a partner that they’ve never worked with before,” he says. “If it requires some type of technical integration, that can be overwhelming because then you have to bring other teams in. Testing can provide incremental lift and can open you up to new audiences.”

Pilot programs aren’t the same thing as free trials. A pilot program is an opportunity for you to test a new product or service, and has clearly defined goals. This requires coordination across teams like sales, customer success, product and rev ops to determine the features to be tested and measure success.

A free trial, on the other hand, is a chance for your customers to test a product, and it’s up to them to define what success looks like. Trials are often used by sales teams, with some support from customer success.

Even if you’ve decided to run a pilot program, there’s still some work to do before you launch. If you’re testing a new partnership strategy, you may want to start by: 

• Studying the business opportunity
• Looking at the competition
• Developing a plan 
• Getting stakeholder buy-in and the required budget
• Identifying your pool of testing partners

Once you’ve done the legwork, let’s look at why testing through pilot programs can help you win with your SaaS offering and how you can successfully set up a pilot program in 2026. 

Benefits of pilot programs for B2B SaaS

Validate your business opportunity, product and market fit

Pilot programs give companies time and data to assess if the product delivers on the projected ROI. That could include revenue generation, new market leads and customers and even cost savings. Reduce risk through small-scale testing with select users or partners to understand the reception before fully investing. 

There’s nothing worse than doing a full launch only to watch it flop spectacularly. Think of Google Glass or ScaleFactor (if you’re wondering “who?” — exactly). Pilot programs identify potential issues early and reduce the risk of a disappointing launch. By containing the number of participants for a set testing period, you can adjust messaging, audience, features and even the workflow. 

Strategically target customer segments

Testing allows SaaS companies to identify which customer profiles derive the most value from the product, guiding market segmentation and messaging strategies. Similarly, it can help partner managers identify which partner types are delivering the strongest ROI or test out new partner types. 

See more: 30 AI affiliate programs to join to maximize revenue.

Optimize your resource allocation before full-scale launch

By testing on a smaller scale, companies can evaluate resource requirements, including time and team capacity, before scaling. This helps in efficient deployment for a larger rollout. It also helps inform your pricing strategies, even if the initial test is conducted at low- or no-cost.

Latus says this is key when working with different types of partners. One example he shares is testing the commission rate or metrics for a rev share partner program. “Whether you’re paying them 15 or 40 per cent rev share, they’re going to drive consistent traffic, probably consistent conversions,” he says. “And you can even scale it up more.”

He recommends testing with commissions for other types of partner programs as well. “Technology partners require integration and they require a flat fee, plus maybe a rev share — but I can experiment with that.”

Read more: Why you should start a technology partner program.

How to run a successful pilot program in B2B SaaS

Set clear objectives and desired outcomes

It’s critical to set clear goals before starting a pilot program, Latus says, especially when working with partners. Having clearly defined goals ensures both parties are aligned on expectations, performance metrics and the overall value of the partnership, so there are no misunderstandings and you can get the most out of your test.

“You might just want traffic. Others may prioritize new customers, transactions or leads, while partners might focus on attracting people who’ve explored competitors but haven’t shopped with you yet,” Latus says, adding that even the smallest-scale tests require alignment on objectives.

“You can assess the quality of leads against total volume and ROI. If it meets your benchmarks, continue the campaign — or work with the partner to refine it.”

Establish common KPIs

Measure, measure and measure some more against the goals or KPIs you set for the campaign. Latus says data tells a story. “It tells a story of what worked, what didn’t and what comes next.” After pilot completion, the data should be reviewed based on the goals set for the program. 

If the data validates your KPIs, then it’s an indication to continue the launch process. If it didn’t meet the set success criteria, then the data can also tell you why. Here are some questions to reflect on:

• Was there a problem with the messaging? 
• Did the new product offering appeal to customers? 
• What kind of customer feedback or partner feedback did you get? 
• Did you achieve your goals of leads or conversions? 

Once you have insights, move on to the next step.

Iterate and improve

Latus says three months is a good baseline for a campaign, as it provides enough data to validate the ROI on a product. 

“A quarter is the best way to collect as much data to give you informed decisions,” he says. “I think in the B2B space, if you look at a two- or three-week campaign, you’re not going to collect enough data.”

“The first month to six weeks we start scaling up, we start seeing traffic come through. The back half of that, we start seeing the type of leads that are coming through and assess the quality. Then you can say, ‘this is something we want to repeat’ or ‘well, we tested it out. It was a good learning.’”

That way, development can be iterative, improving the product offering or program, aligning with market demands and improving your go-to-market strategies. 

When asked how often a campaign should be tweaked during the testing period, Latus says the first thing to do is be transparent about the goals. After that, the group should check in on a regular cadence, such as every week. That planning means the group should be aligned on how much adjusting is too much. 

“At some point, both parties have to agree that this is the type of quality and quantity of the traffic we're going to get for this campaign,” he says.

The SaaS landscape moves quickly, but that’s no reason to skip testing. Pilot programs aren’t just a strategy — they’re a necessity because they do all the heavy lifting before you go to market. They validate business opportunities, mitigate risks, optimize resources and refine market targeting while delivering actionable insights that drive better decision-making. 

By committing to clear goals, consistent measurement and iterative improvements, you can unlock new opportunities, optimize ROI and position your SaaS offering and partnership strategy for sustainable success. In a world of constant change, thoughtful testing ensures you stay ahead, delivering value to your partners and customers alike. The potential rewards make taking three months to test worth it.

You might also like: 5 key indicators of a high-quality partner network.

B2B SaaS pilot program FAQs

How long should a B2B SaaS pilot program run?

A pilot program in B2B SaaS should run about three months. A two- or three-week campaign isn’t long enough to collect data to validate the ROI of a product or service. Anything longer than three months risks dragging out the process of analyzing data, iterating and launching a full-scale implementation (or not, depending on the data).

What KPIs define a successful pilot program?

Success criteria depend on the pilot. Some programs aim to increase traffic, while others prioritize new customers, transactions or leads. If you’re running a B2B SaaS pilot program with a partner, they may want to focus on attracting people who have researched competitors but haven’t explored your product yet.

What’s the difference between a pilot program and a free trial?

A B2B SaaS pilot program is essentially an experiment your company runs to test the viability, feasibility and impact of a new product or service. Often a pilot program is run to test out new business models or partners before committing to a new go-to-market strategy. To be successful, pilot programs need clearly defined KPIs.

A free trial is when you let someone use your product or service before purchasing. In this case, it’s up to potential customers to define what success looks like. Free trials work best with low-touch products, so they’re not necessarily a good way to test new features when you’re not sure how users will react.

How do pilot programs de-risk enterprise deals?

Pilot programs can be a helpful way to tweak your product or service to meet the complex needs of an enterprise client. If you haven’t landed many enterprise deals before, a pilot program can also be a great way to validate expansion into a new market. Plus, pilots build trust, showing partners and potential customers that you’re open to feedback and make decisions based on data.