2023 Changes to Untiered Partner Requirements
At Partner Kickoff 2023, HubSpot announced changes to our commission policy that include new guidelines for untiered partners. This is a summary of those changes. For more on Partner Kickoff announcements, please see the recap page and the commissions FAQs.
Before diving into what’s changing, let's cover what's not changing. There are no changes to tiering requirements or the tiering structure for gold, platinum, diamond, or elite partners. That means tier targets are not changing in 2023. Learn more about tier requirements here.
What’s changing for untiered partners, and how will it impact their business?
Going forward, all untiered partners will have two years from their start date to achieve gold tier status. If partners remain untiered at the two-year mark, partners will have the choice to move to the provider level of the program or leave the program and become a customer.
If a partner chooses to be moved to the provider level, any previously sold deals will be subject to the provider commissions policy, which is 20% for one year. For deals sold >12 months prior, commissions will end immediately upon moving to the provider level. For deals sold <12 months prior, commissions will be given a duration of twelve months from the original sold date. If a partner does not notify HubSpot that they would like to move to the provider level, they will automatically be converted to a customer.
Moving forward, any partners who have been in the partner program for more than two years must achieve and/or maintain gold status to remain at the partner level.
What does this mean for existing partners?
Current untiered partners who joined the program before January 17, 2021 will be removed from the partner level of the program if they do not achieve gold tier (or above) by July 15, 2023. Gold partners recently downgraded during the January 2023 recalibration are NOT impacted by the July removal process. This process will continue every six months during the tier recalibration process.
What does this mean for new partners?
All new partners who join the program going forward from Partner Kickoff 2023, will have two years to reach gold tier status. HubSpot will evaluate all partners older than two years old every six months during the tier recalibration process. During this process, the partners who have reached their two-year mark will be given six months’ notice to tier back up to gold by the next tier recalibration process. If these partners don’t achieve gold tier within those six months, they will be offered the choice to move to the provider level or exit the program.
Timeline & Scenarios
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Who is impacted and when?
| July 2023 Removal | January 2024 Removal |
|---|---|
|
Impacted: Untiered partners greater than two years old as of January 17, 2023 |
Impacted: Untiered partners greater than two years old as of July 19, 2023 (before downtiering takes place) |
|
Not Impacted - Untiered partners who reach their two-year mark between January 18 and July 15, 2023 - Gold+ partners greater than two years old that get downgraded to untiered during the January 2023 recalibration process - Gold+ partners that downgrade to untiered in July 2023 recalibration process |
Not Impacted - Untiered partners that hit their two-year mark between July 20, 2023 and Jan 2024 - Gold+ partners greater than two years old that get downgraded to untiered in July 2023 recalibration process - Gold+ partners greater than two years old that get downgraded to untiered in January 2024 process |
Actions You Can Take:
1. Meet with your CAM to address questions and review your current pipeline.
2. Review your Mutual Action Plan (MAP) and revise it to create short-term attainable goals to achieve gold. Check your portal to see how you’re tracking toward gold.
3. Visit the Get to Gold Resource Center, a carefully curated selection of the most impactful resources and tools to help you tier in the program.
More resources to help partners tier up:
• Need help with pitching HubSpot? Take the “Why Choose HubSpot” lesson
• Not sure where to start? Download the How to Build a Successful HubSpot Practice playbook
• Need a refresher on selling and servicing best practices and resources? Ask your CAM or CC about Onboarding Foundations for Partners to get back to the basics.
Here you'll find all the resources to empower you to achieve your growth goals and help you reach gold tier status. We've carefully selected these programs and tools based on what's been most impactful for our most successful partners.
FAQs
If a partner is moved to the provider level, or exits the program entirely due to the new tiering requirements, any commissions earned before July 15, 2022 will be terminated effective immediately on July 15, 2023 during the downtiering process. For deals sold between July 15, 2022 and July 15, 2023 the partner will receive a maximum of one year commission from the original sale date.
Our goal is to help all untiered partners who desire to stay in the partner level to tier up to gold before the July deadline. And when they do, all deals will be treated the same as all other partners. Meaning all deals sold prior to April 1, 2023 will be subject to the legacy policy, which is 20% commissions until April 1, 2025, and then a recurring 20% lifetime commission thereafter as long as the account is still managed. All deals sold after April 1, 2023 are eligible for 20% commission for three years from the sold date.
Yes. Starting at Partner Kickoff on February 15 and 16, 2023, all partners will have two years from their start date to reach gold; otherwise, they will have the choice to be moved to the provider level or out of the program. This will happen bi-annually in mid-July and mid-January during the annual recalibration process when we evaluate untiered partners who are older than two years old.
Tiers are recalibrated every six months to ensure that they accurately reflect partners selling and servicing track record with HubSpot. For each recalibration, HubSpot looks at the highest tier that partner has achieved in the previous six months, and credits the partner for that tier for the upcoming six months.
Partners can visit their Partner Dashboard to check their performance level.
As a reminder, the new points-based tier framework went into effect on July 18, 2022.
Yes. If a partner is located in a region where Onboarding Foundations is available, they will be required to purchase that and will receive 50% off if they've gone through professional onboarding previously. If not, they will be required to purchase traditional onboarding at a 50% discount. Once a partner rejoins the partner program, they must maintain the partner program entry requirement.
Partner program benefits that do not apply to provider-level participants and will be terminated upon downgrade include things like three-year revenue share, waiving onboarding, access to certifications and accreditations, and more. Please see a more detailed list here and reach out to your CAM or CC for more information.
*Partners who are participating in the ANZ seats pricing pilot currently have access to the no-cost Partner Seat to manage customer portals within the pilot. By downgrading to the provider level, you will lose access to the no-cost Partner Seat to manage accounts. If you'd like to retain this, you will need to remain in the solutions partner program. For questions reach out to your HubSpot contact.