As much as we think we really know our customers, testing a new 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 pilot testing helps reduce risks, gather feedback 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 analyzed and factor into launching a full-scale implementation.
Latus explains that this 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.”
There’s still some work to do before you conduct your pilot program testing. 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 leg work, 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 2025.
Benefits of testing and learning
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 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: The top performing partner programs in the PartnerStack Network.
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.”
How to conduct a successful pilot program in B2B SaaS
Set clear objectives and desired outcomes
Before starting a pilot program, Latus emphasizes the importance of setting clear goals, especially when collaborating 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.” He stresses aligning on objectives, even for small-scale tests.
“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 the program has run its course, 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, then the data can also tell you why.
- Was there a problem with the messaging?
- Did the new product offering appeal to customers?
- What kind of feedback did your customers or partners provide?
- 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, 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. 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.
