Research on how partner programs actually operate.
PMM Research studies B2B SaaS partner programs using aggregate data from the Partner Performance Compass and the Partnership Mastermind operator community. Aggregate only. Sample sizes always shown.
What we study
Partner program maturity
How programs score across strategy clarity, partner thesis, activation, attribution, commercial model, executive alignment and operating standards — and which gap ranks highest at each stage.
Partnership teams and careers
Team size relative to program stage, reporting lines, how partnership roles are scoped, and what operators are actually accountable for.
Motion effectiveness
Which partner motions — referral, co-sell, integration, agency, marketplace — teams run at each stage, and where the motion outpaces the operating model behind it.
How we handle the data
Where the data comes from
Structured responses to the Partner Performance Compass diagnostic, plus periodic surveys of the Partnership Mastermind operator community. Every response is self-reported by the operator running or overseeing the program.
Aggregate only
We publish aggregates. We never publish a company name, an individual response, a quote attributed to a respondent, or any cut that could identify a single participant or employer.
Minimum cohort rules
A headline figure is published only when the overall cohort reaches at least 100 qualified responses. Any segment cut — by stage, motion, team size or region — requires at least 30 responses in that segment. Segments below the threshold are reported as 'insufficient sample', not estimated.
Stated plainly
Every published figure carries its sample size, the collection window and the exact question wording. Directional findings are labelled directional. We do not extrapolate to the market, and we do not model numbers we did not collect.
State of Partner Programs — first edition
Collection is open. The first edition publishes once the cohort clears the 100-response publication threshold, with segment cuts released only where a segment reaches 30 responses. Until then we publish no headline benchmark figures — the honest answer is that the sample is not there yet.
Running the Partner Performance Compass takes about five minutes, returns your own ranked gap and first move immediately, and adds one anonymous response to the study.
Research FAQ
- What is PMM Research?
- PMM Research is the research function of Partnership Mastermind. It studies how B2B SaaS partner programs operate — maturity, forecasting, attribution, activation and team structure — using aggregate data from the Partner Performance Compass diagnostic and surveys of the operator community.
- Where does the benchmark data come from?
- From structured, self-reported responses submitted by partnership operators through the Partner Performance Compass diagnostic, and from periodic surveys of Partnership Mastermind members.
- Is any company or individual data published?
- No. PMM Research publishes aggregates only. No company names, no individual responses, and no cut small enough to identify a participant or employer.
- When does the first benchmark report publish?
- The first edition of the State of Partner Programs report publishes once the cohort reaches the 100-response publication threshold. Until then, no headline benchmark figures are published.
- Can I cite PMM Research?
- Yes. Cite published figures as 'PMM Research, Partnership Mastermind' with the report edition and sample size shown alongside the figure, and link to the source page.
Press and analyst enquiries: visit the press hub.