In the rapidly evolving eCommerce landscape, maintaining a robust pipeline is essential for Shopify partners looking to maximize their success in the Shopify ecosystem. This guide explores the best practices for qualifying, submitting, and managing Shopify leads effectively.

Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes

Qualifying Shopify Plus Leads
Difference Between a Lead and a Referral
Types of Referrals
Merchant Fit Indicators
Submitting Shopify Referrals
When is the Right Time to Submit a Referral?
What Information is Required When Submitting a Referral?
Once You Submit Your Referral
How to Submit Your Referrals
Managing and Tracking Your Leads
Resubmission of Disqualified Referrals
Lead Statuses Explained
Best Practices for Managing Leads and Referrals
When to Submit Your Leads
Actively Work with Sales
Tee-up Discovery
Dashboard Submission
Timely Responses
Co-sell with Shopify

Qualifying Shopify Plus Leads

Identifying the right leads is crucial to your success. Qualifying Shopify Plus leads involves understanding their potential and readiness for Shopify’s offerings.

Difference Between a Lead and a Referral

A lead is a potential contact who has expressed interest in Shopify, often through marketing engagement. In contrast, a referral is a lead that you, as a Shopify partner, have pre-qualified and submitted through your Partner Dashboard. Referrals are considered highly valuable as they show a strong likelihood of conversion.

Types of Referrals

There are two primary types of referrals:

Shopify Originated Referrals: These are leads already in Shopify’s system. If a partner submits one of these, the lead remains with Shopify’s marketing or sales team but is updated to include the partner.
Partner Originated Referrals: These leads are new and classified as “net-new” referrals, providing fresh opportunities for engagement.

Merchant Fit Indicators

Strong candidates for Shopify Plus typically exhibit the following indicators:

$800K or more in revenue
Aggressive growth plans into new markets
Desire to scale, automate, and optimize their business
A presence in multiple countries
Looking for partnership beyond just platform
Omni-channel sales strategies
A business need to migrate eCommerce platforms within the next year
A budget that supports Shopify Plus and re-platforming costs
Active or planned online sales

Submitting Shopify Referrals

When is the Right Time to Submit a Referral?

The ideal time to submit a referral is when the merchant is ready to evaluate Shopify and engage with sales. It’s essential to strike a balance between submitting referrals early and ensuring the lead is ready to progress.

What Information is Required When Submitting a Referral?

When submitting a referral, include the following key information:

Merchant's region for contract signing
Confirmed annual budget for the platform
Timeline for migration to Shopify
Total annual revenue (both online and offline)

We recommend checking the box “Work with Shopify Sales” during submission to indicate collaboration.

Once You Submit Your Referral

After submission, a Shopify Sales Development Representative (SDR) will review the referral. If you don't hear from them within a week, feel free to contact Partner Support. Timely responses are crucial, as delays may lead to disqualification of the referral.

How to Submit Your Referrals

Shopify partners should submit referrals via the Referrals section in the Partner Dashboard. Ensure all team members are logged under the same Partner ID for tracking purposes.

Managing and Tracking Your Leads

What Happens Once You Submit a Referral?

Here’s how leads are processed post-submission:

Lead Qualification: The lead enters the qualification phase, and the Shopify SDR will collaborate with you.
Pre-Qualified: The lead is converted into a pre-qualified opportunity and assigned to a Shopify Account Executive (AE).
Envision: Following a discovery call, the lead transitions into the envision phase, indicating they are now part of the Shopify sales cycle.

Resubmission of Disqualified Referrals

If your referral is disqualified, it can be resubmitted once the prospect is ready to engage again.

Lead Statuses Explained

In your partner dashboard, you can track the status of your leads. Common statuses include:

Submitted: The lead has been received.
In Progress: The lead is in contact with the Shopify Sales team.
Awarded: The partner will earn a commission on the lead.
Ineligible: The lead does not qualify for a payout.

Best Practices for Managing Leads and Referrals

To enhance your referral success, keep these best practices in mind:

When to Submit Your Leads

Submit when the merchant is ready to discuss with sales.
Focus on “hot leads” that are prepared to enter the sales cycle.

Actively Work with Sales

Engage with Shopify SDRs to qualify leads and ensure a smooth transition into the sales cycle.

Tee-up Discovery

Provide necessary next steps and information to transition the lead effectively.

Dashboard Submission

Always submit referrals through the Partner Dashboard and ensure they are linked to your unique Partner ID.

Timely Responses

Respond promptly to outreach from Shopify. You have 90 days from submission to qualify the referral further.

Co-sell with Shopify

Maintain collaboration and mutual planning with Shopify sales teams for successful co-selling.

Conclusion

Managing your Shopify pipeline as a partner requires diligence, organization, and a proactive approach. By following these guidelines, you can enhance your ability to qualify, submit, and manage leads effectively, ultimately driving growth and success within the Shopify ecosystem.

Go further

In the rapidly evolving eCommerce landscape, maintaining a robust pipeline is essential for Shopify partners looking to maximize their success in the Shopify ecosystem. This guide explores the best practices for qualifying, submitting, and managing Shopify leads effectively.

Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes

Qualifying Shopify Plus Leads
Difference Between a Lead and a Referral
Types of Referrals
Merchant Fit Indicators
Submitting Shopify Referrals
When is the Right Time to Submit a Referral?
What Information is Required When Submitting a Referral?
Once You Submit Your Referral
How to Submit Your Referrals
Managing and Tracking Your Leads
Resubmission of Disqualified Referrals
Lead Statuses Explained
Best Practices for Managing Leads and Referrals
When to Submit Your Leads
Actively Work with Sales
Tee-up Discovery
Dashboard Submission
Timely Responses
Co-sell with Shopify

Qualifying Shopify Plus Leads

Identifying the right leads is crucial to your success. Qualifying Shopify Plus leads involves understanding their potential and readiness for Shopify’s offerings.

Difference Between a Lead and a Referral

A lead is a potential contact who has expressed interest in Shopify, often through marketing engagement. In contrast, a referral is a lead that you, as a Shopify partner, have pre-qualified and submitted through your Partner Dashboard. Referrals are considered highly valuable as they show a strong likelihood of conversion.

Types of Referrals

There are two primary types of referrals:

Shopify Originated Referrals: These are leads already in Shopify’s system. If a partner submits one of these, the lead remains with Shopify’s marketing or sales team but is updated to include the partner.
Partner Originated Referrals: These leads are new and classified as “net-new” referrals, providing fresh opportunities for engagement.

Merchant Fit Indicators

Strong candidates for Shopify Plus typically exhibit the following indicators:

$800K or more in revenue
Aggressive growth plans into new markets
Desire to scale, automate, and optimize their business
A presence in multiple countries
Looking for partnership beyond just platform
Omni-channel sales strategies
A business need to migrate eCommerce platforms within the next year
A budget that supports Shopify Plus and re-platforming costs
Active or planned online sales

Submitting Shopify Referrals

When is the Right Time to Submit a Referral?

The ideal time to submit a referral is when the merchant is ready to evaluate Shopify and engage with sales. It’s essential to strike a balance between submitting referrals early and ensuring the lead is ready to progress.

What Information is Required When Submitting a Referral?

When submitting a referral, include the following key information:

Merchant's region for contract signing
Confirmed annual budget for the platform
Timeline for migration to Shopify
Total annual revenue (both online and offline)

We recommend checking the box “Work with Shopify Sales” during submission to indicate collaboration.

Once You Submit Your Referral

After submission, a Shopify Sales Development Representative (SDR) will review the referral. If you don't hear from them within a week, feel free to contact Partner Support. Timely responses are crucial, as delays may lead to disqualification of the referral.

How to Submit Your Referrals

Shopify partners should submit referrals via the Referrals section in the Partner Dashboard. Ensure all team members are logged under the same Partner ID for tracking purposes.

Managing and Tracking Your Leads

What Happens Once You Submit a Referral?

Here’s how leads are processed post-submission:

Lead Qualification: The lead enters the qualification phase, and the Shopify SDR will collaborate with you.
Pre-Qualified: The lead is converted into a pre-qualified opportunity and assigned to a Shopify Account Executive (AE).
Envision: Following a discovery call, the lead transitions into the envision phase, indicating they are now part of the Shopify sales cycle.

Resubmission of Disqualified Referrals

If your referral is disqualified, it can be resubmitted once the prospect is ready to engage again.

Lead Statuses Explained

In your partner dashboard, you can track the status of your leads. Common statuses include:

Submitted: The lead has been received.
In Progress: The lead is in contact with the Shopify Sales team.
Awarded: The partner will earn a commission on the lead.
Ineligible: The lead does not qualify for a payout.

Best Practices for Managing Leads and Referrals

To enhance your referral success, keep these best practices in mind:

When to Submit Your Leads

Submit when the merchant is ready to discuss with sales.
Focus on “hot leads” that are prepared to enter the sales cycle.

Actively Work with Sales

Engage with Shopify SDRs to qualify leads and ensure a smooth transition into the sales cycle.

Tee-up Discovery

Provide necessary next steps and information to transition the lead effectively.

Dashboard Submission

Always submit referrals through the Partner Dashboard and ensure they are linked to your unique Partner ID.

Timely Responses

Respond promptly to outreach from Shopify. You have 90 days from submission to qualify the referral further.

Co-sell with Shopify

Maintain collaboration and mutual planning with Shopify sales teams for successful co-selling.

Conclusion

Managing your Shopify pipeline as a partner requires diligence, organization, and a proactive approach. By following these guidelines, you can enhance your ability to qualify, submit, and manage leads effectively, ultimately driving growth and success within the Shopify ecosystem.

Managing Your Shopify Pipeline as a Partner

Managing Your Shopify Pipeline as a Partner

Managing Your Shopify Pipeline as a Partner

Table of Contents

Qualifying Shopify Plus Leads

Difference Between a Lead and a Referral

Types of Referrals

Merchant Fit Indicators

Submitting Shopify Referrals

When is the Right Time to Submit a Referral?

What Information is Required When Submitting a Referral?

Once You Submit Your Referral

How to Submit Your Referrals

Managing and Tracking Your Leads

What Happens Once You Submit a Referral?

Resubmission of Disqualified Referrals

Lead Statuses Explained

Best Practices for Managing Leads and Referrals

When to Submit Your Leads

Actively Work with Sales

Tee-up Discovery

Dashboard Submission

Timely Responses

Co-sell with Shopify

Conclusion

Go further

Table of Contents

Qualifying Shopify Plus Leads

Difference Between a Lead and a Referral

Types of Referrals

Merchant Fit Indicators

Submitting Shopify Referrals

When is the Right Time to Submit a Referral?

What Information is Required When Submitting a Referral?

Once You Submit Your Referral

How to Submit Your Referrals

Managing and Tracking Your Leads

What Happens Once You Submit a Referral?

Resubmission of Disqualified Referrals

Lead Statuses Explained

Best Practices for Managing Leads and Referrals

When to Submit Your Leads

Actively Work with Sales

Tee-up Discovery

Dashboard Submission

Timely Responses

Co-sell with Shopify

Conclusion

Go further

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