Salesforce ISV Partner Program: Changes in 2024
2024 comes with new changes for the Salesforce ISV Partner Program. I encourage every ISV in the Salesforce ecosystem to take 15 minutes to read through the changes in detail to understand how they apply to you.
In this blog, I’ll focus on the changes specifically for ISVs (in no particular order of importance).
An update to GTM resources from the Salesforce Partner Program
Accelerate has a new name
Partner GTM Courses, formerly Accelerate, is a free, guided learning journey to help you get to market and grow with Salesforce faster. You can explore an engaging mix of live sessions and curated self-service resources aimed at helping you navigate the ecosystem and fast-track your business for success. These sessions are designed for ISVs, Consultants, and Resellers in Marketing, Sales, or Alliances roles, Director level and above.
The AppExchange Marketing Program (AMP) has a new name
Now coined The Partner Co-Marketing Program, the former AMP offer allows partners looking to co-branded promotions and sponsored placement on AppExchange in a pay for play with Salesforce. These paid promotions are created with Salesforce marketing experts to drive strategic alignment.
Updates to the Trailblazer Scorecard and ISV Tiers
A number of updates were made to make it easier to move up the ranks in your partner standing with Salesforce. The AppExchange Partner Trailblazer Scorecard is used to put ISVs in tiers. More points are available for ACV (Annual Calculated Value) and AOV (Average Order Value), Technical Adoption and Customer Success.
The AppExchange ISV Tiers
- Base – Every ISV starts at Base. The points range from 0-249
- Ridge – Once you’ve collected more than 250 points, you unlock more support and engagement from the Salesforce team
- Crest – More than 500 unlocks even more benefits
- Summit – These are the top tier partners
How the Trailblazer Scorecard is calculated
A number of updates were made as part of the latest partner program for ISVs.
- The minimum number of reviews needed to score points toward your Trailblazer score has been reduced to 8 (from 10) for the year.
- A big update – the highest tier earned toward their ISV tier (base, ridge, etc) during any point of the current fiscal year will determine the tier for the next fiscal year. The tier you are assigned at the beginning of the year (effective March 1) is yours to keep for the duration of the fiscal year, unless you earn a higher tier during any of the subsequent quarterly evaluations. The highest tier you earn during the previous fiscal year, regardless of which quarter you earn it in, will be the tier you start with for the next fiscal year. If you do not earn a score high enough to maintain your existing tier during the fiscal year, you will be downgraded at the end of the fiscal year.
Included in the update deck are links with the latest PR Guidelines, Partner Learning Camp and more.
Important links for ISVs navigating the Salesforce Partner Program
How do I find my Trailblazer Score – Click Here
Salesforce Partner Program Benefits – Click Here
Technology Adoption Survey – Click Here
Salesforce Impact Survey (coming soon) – Click Here
Partner Learning Camp – Click Here
If you’re still not sure where to start or how to make the most impact in your FY’24 Salesforce partnership, Invisory is here to help. Contact us today.
Working with Salesforce System Integrators — Click Here
CRM Cloud Marketplaces — Click Here
How Invisory helps ISVs reach cloud marketplace success
The Invisory GTM cloud solution helps ISVs unlock their cloud marketplace potential across platforms like Salesforce, Azure, and AWS. Invisory’s one of a kind platform delivers actionable insights and key go-to-market deliverables to SaaS companies looking to stand out and maximize revenue in crowded marketplaces while reducing risk and accelerating results. For more information, contact info@invisory.co or follow us on LinkedIn.
FAQ
- What is a Salesforce ISV partner?
ISV (short for independent software vendor) partners in the Salesforce ecosystem list and sell applications, solutions, and consulting services on the AppExchange marketplace to current Salesforce customers. ISV partners become part of the larger Salesforce community and benefit from co-marketing opportunities, GTM resources, and more.
- How do I become an ISV Partner in Salesforce?
Joining the Salesforce Partner Community is straightforward. You will need to sign up, get a Salesforce username, complete the required fields, set your password, and complete onboarding. From there, you will be required to complete a more formal process. It can take several weeks for Salesforce to approve your application.
- Salesforce Partner Program Requirements
To be admitted to the Salesforce Partner Program as the “Base” level, you will need to complete the following steps:
- Review the Salesforce Partner PRogram Agreement (SPPA)
- Apply to join the Salesforce Partner Community
- Complete minimum requirements to prove compliance
- Complete additional requirement, including Salesforce certifications
- Pay the enrollment fee
AppExchange Partners will also need to complete the following:
- Build a solution
- Provide GTM resources as well as technical documentation
- Include the following app info: Name, Description, Price, Listing market
- Submit solution to security review
- Salesforce Partner Program Benefits
Key Salesforce Partner Program benefits include:
- Free marketing and GTM resources
- Technical consultations
- Regular enablement events and programs
- Access to world class customers on the AppExchange
- Access to diverse community of passionate technologists
- ISV developer tools
- Sales Cloud and Service Cloud enterprise licenses
- Co-marketing
- Salesforce Partner Program Costs
There is no cost to participate in the Salesforce Partner Program, but ISVs pay a % of what they sell back to Salesforce for being on the AppExchange. That amount is a range.
- How is attrition rate calculated as part of my Trailblazer score?
According to Salesforce, "There are 3 components to calculating the attrition rate metric score. The first component is calculating the beginning AOV. AOV is the annual recurring revenue you pay Salesforce. The beginning AOV is your AOV from one year ago. The second component is calculating your attrition. Attrition is the total dollar amount your beginning AOV has reduced over the past 12 months. The rate is calculated by comparing the total attrition to the beginning AOV. Once we have the rate, then the third and final component of the calculation is to take the rate to decide how many points you earn for the metric multiplied by the percent possible based on your current AOV. Additional details can be found on the AppExchange Attrition Rate deck."
Read more from Salesforce help articles (here).
- Do I need to submit a Technology Adoption Assessment response each quarter?
You must submit one survey response in FY24 before you can receive points. After you submit your first response, the number of points you earned from that submission will roll over to future quarters in FY24. However, if the technologies in your application change, we highly encourage you to submit a new response.
Partners can submit their survey any time during the Salesforce Fiscal Quarter. Points will be awarded towards the Trailblazer Score during the fiscal quarter in which the survey was received. If the survey was submitted on 04/30/23, this response will be counted towards the FY24 Q1 Trailblazer Score. If the survey was submitted on 05/01/23, this response will be counted towards the FY24 Q2 Trailblazer Score.
Read more from Salesforce help articles (here).
- How do I sign up for Pledge 1%?
If you are interested in signing up for Pledge 1%, please visit, https://info.pledge1percent.org/pledgenow. Please note, there is about a 1-month delay between when you finish the sign-up process with Pledge 1% and when you will see these points on your dashboard. If it has been longer than 1 month and you still do not see the points in your dashboard, please open up a case in Salesforce Help so that our team can investigate.
Read more from Salesforce help articles (here).
- What if my Trailblazer Score is incorrect?
Please submit a case if you believe that your Trailblazer Score may be incorrect. Please remember that if you are taking action during the quarter, additional points won't appear on your scorecard until after the evaluation period concludes and after you are notified (the first week of the second month of the quarter). The only exception to this is the Impact Pillar. If you provide a new or updated response to the Impact Pillar, you will see those points updated on your scorecard during the quarter.
Read more from Salesforce help articles (here).
