The Metrics That Matter
Alliance OKRs Every CRO Should Track
If you want Alliances to accelerate revenue—not just relationships—you must measure them the same way you measure Sales: pipeline quality, velocity, and bookings.
Here’s a practical CRO-level OKR framework that high-performing companies use.
1. Partner-Sourced & Partner-Influenced Pipeline
Why CROs Care
Pipeline attribution shows whether Alliances are actually creating demand, not just supporting it.
Metrics to Track
- Partner-Sourced Pipeline ($) Opportunities initiated by a partner
- Partner-Influenced Pipeline (%) Deals where a partner materially accelerated or expanded the opportunity
- % of Total Pipeline Partner-Engaged
CRO Benchmark Guidance
- Early stage: 15–25%
- Mature ecosystem: 30–50%+
If Alliances don’t materially show up in pipeline reviews, they aren’t embedded in GTM execution.
2. Qualified Opportunity Conversion (MQL → SQL → Closed Won)
Why CROs Care
Partners should increase signal, not noise.
Metrics to Track
- Partner-sourced MQL → SQL conversion
- Partner-sourced SQL → Closed Won rate
- Disqualified partner leads (%)
CRO Insight
Partner-sourced opportunities should convert 1.5–2× higher than direct outbound.
If partner deals convert worse than direct sales, your alliance motion is broken.
3. Sales Cycle Velocity (Partner vs Direct)
Why CROs Care
Time kills deals—and revenue predictability.
Metrics to Track
- Average sales cycle (partner-led vs direct)
- Days saved to first executive meeting
- Time to technical validation
CRO Insight
Partner-led deals should close 20–40% faster due to:
- Pre-existing trust
- Known use cases
- Established delivery confidence
4. Deal Size & Expansion Impact
Why CROs Care
CROs don’t just want more deals—they want better deals.
Metrics to Track
- Average deal size (partner vs direct)
- Multi-product or multi-use-case penetration
- Expansion ARR from partner-led accounts
CRO Insight
The strongest Alliance motions:
- Increase ACV
- Improve land-and-expand rates
- Drive higher LTV
5. Win Rate by Partner & Motion
Why CROs Care
Not all partners deserve equal investment.
Metrics to Track
- Win rate by partner
- Win rate by use case / industry
- Win rate by co-sell motion (referral, resale, services-led, embedded)
CRO Action
Double down on:
- Top 10–20% of partners
- Repeatable motions
- Clear ICP alignment
De-prioritize the rest.
6. Revenue Attribution & Bookings
Why CROs Care
Alliances must connect directly to closed revenue.
Metrics to Track
- Partner-sourced ARR
- Partner-influenced ARR
- % of total bookings with partner involvement
- Revenue per active partner
If Alliances can’t clearly show revenue contribution, they’ll always be seen as a “nice to have.”
7. Rep Adoption & Sales Alignment
Why CROs Care
If Sales doesn’t pull partners in, the ecosystem won’t scale.
Metrics to Track
- % of reps actively engaging partners
- Partner-assisted deals per rep
- Time to partner engagement in deal lifecycle
CRO Insight
Healthy ecosystems are rep-driven, not alliance-pushed.
8. Ecosystem ROI & Focus
Why CROs Care
More partners ≠ more revenue.
Metrics to Track
- Active revenue-producing partners
- Pipeline & revenue per partner
- Cost of alliance programs vs revenue impact
CRO Discipline
Fewer, deeper, monetized partnerships always outperform broad, unfocused ecosystems.
The CRO Bottom Line
Alliances should be managed like a revenue channel, not a relationship function.
If you track:
- Pipeline quality
- Velocity
- Win rates
- Bookings
- Expansion
…your Alliance team becomes one of the most capital-efficient growth levers in the business.
If you don’t—Alliances will always feel strategic, but never essential.