Top performing partners the MVPs of a company's partner ecosystem by consistently crushing goals and driving significantly more revenue than the rest. These high performers are typically the minority and follow the 80/20 rule, where a small percentage of partners generate a majority share of revenue. What sets them apart is a combination of expertise, market savvy, and drive.

A top performing partner understands customer needs and has an uncanny ability to match those needs to vendor solutions. Companies that recognize and nurture partners often see incredible gains in revenue growth. Tailored support, educational resources and lucrative commissions are all examples of ways companies work to create the best partner experience possible for their top performers.

To find these partners, the best approach is to start by analyzing partner metrics. Partner-sourced revenue, average deal size, and time-to-close are metrics that will help identify the minority of partners that are making the majority of the impact. By digging into the data, companies can find their most valuable partners and then build initiatives around them to scale revenue. [See 80/20 rule]