Incentivizer® Glossary

Core Channel Incentive Terms

100% Channel

A sales model where all revenue is generated through indirect partners rather than a direct sales team.

Channel Ecosystem

The full network of vendors, distributors, and partners involved in taking a product or service to market.

Channel Incentive(s)

Incentives designed to influence the behavior of third-party sales partners rather than direct employees.

Channel Incentive Program

A structured set of rules, behaviors, rewards, and timelines used to motivate channel partners toward defined commercial goals.

Distribution Channel

The route a product or service takes from vendor to end customer through third-party partners.

Incentive(s)

A reward-based mechanism used to encourage specific actions or outcomes, such as registering deals, completing enablement, or closing sales.

Quarterly Incentive Program (QIP)

A time-bound incentive program aligned to quarterly sales or growth objectives.

Channel Roles & Partner Types

Distributor

An organization that purchases products or services from a vendor and resells them to partners, resellers, or retailers, often providing logistics, credit, and enablement support.

Independent Software Vendor (ISV)

A company that develops and sells software products, either directly to customers or through channel partners.

Managed Service Provider (MSP)

A partner that delivers ongoing services such as management, support, or optimisation of products or systems on behalf of customers.

Reseller

A partner that sells a vendor’s products or services to end customers, often adding local sales, support, or industry expertise.

Systems Integrator (SI)

A partner that designs, implements, and integrates complex solutions using one or more vendor products or services.

Vendor

The organization that creates or owns the product or service being sold through direct or indirect sales channels.

Incentive Design & Mechanics

Activity-Based Incentive

An incentive tied to completing defined tasks such as training, deal registration, or marketing execution.

Always-On Incentive

A continuously running incentive program without a fixed end date.

Behavior-Based Incentive

An incentive that rewards specific actions rather than revenue alone.

Capped Incentive

An incentive with a maximum payout limit per participant or program.

Closed Deal Incentive

An incentive paid when a registered opportunity successfully closes.

Deal Registration Incentive

A reward for formally registering a sales opportunity.

Enablement Incentive

An incentive that rewards learning, certification, or knowledge acquisition.

Multiplier

A mechanism that increases reward value when predefined conditions are met, such as higher deal value or faster close.

Net New

A deal that is new to the vendor and not previously associated with an existing customer.

New Logo

A first-time customer for the vendor.

Non-Revenue Incentive

An incentive that does not require a sale to occur, often used to drive early-stage or enabling behaviors.

Pipeline Incentive

An incentive designed to increase deal creation earlier in the sales cycle.

Referral Incentive

A reward for introducing a qualified lead or opportunity.

Sales Accelerator

An incentive structure where reward value increases as deal size, velocity, or performance thresholds are exceeded.

Target Behavior

The specific action an incentive is designed to encourage.

Threshold

The minimum requirement that must be met before a reward becomes payable.

Tiered Incentive

An incentive structure where rewards increase as higher performance levels are achieved.

Contra Budget

A vendor-funded budget allocated to support partner marketing or sales activity, typically as a percentage of revenue, used to offset co-marketing costs.

Eligibility Gate

A prerequisite condition a partner must meet before they can participate in an incentive, such as completing training or holding a specific accreditation.

Incentive Window

The defined period during which deals must be registered or tasks completed to qualify for a reward.

Influence Registration

A mechanism that allows non-transacting partners such as ISVs or consultants to register their role in influencing a deal and receive a reward upon closure.

Stacking

When a participant qualifies for rewards across multiple concurrent incentives for the same or related activity.

Claims, Validation & Incentive Governance

Approval Workflow

The steps required to approve or reject a claim.

Audit Trail

A record of actions taken within an incentive program.

Claim

A submission by a participant requesting validation of a completed action.

Claim Deadline

The final date by which a participant must submit a claim for a completed activity or outcome.

Claim Queue

A list of submitted claims awaiting review, validation, approval, or rejection.

Claim Validation

The process of reviewing and verifying submitted claims.

Claim Window

The defined period during which participants are allowed to submit claims after completing a qualifying activity.

Duplicate Claim

A claim that has already been submitted or rewarded for the same activity, deal, or outcome.

Eligibility

The status of whether a participant, activity, or outcome qualifies to take part in an incentive program.

Eligibility Criteria

The specific conditions that must be met for a participant, activity, or claim to qualify.

Fraud Prevention

Controls designed to reduce misuse, false claims, or duplicate submissions.

Proof of Performance (POP)

Evidence submitted to support a claim, such as screenshots or invoices.

Promotion Period

The defined timeframe during which an incentive program is active.

Rejection Reason

The explanation provided when a submitted claim is declined.

Bulk Approval

The process of approving multiple claims simultaneously, typically via CSV import, rather than individually.

Claim Window

The period after a qualifying event during which a participant must submit a claim to be eligible for a reward.

Rewards & Fulfillment

Breakage

Rewards that are earned but never redeemed.

Digital Reward

An electronically delivered reward, such as an e‑gift card.

Instant Reward

A reward issued immediately upon approval.

Reward

The benefit given in exchange for qualifying behavior.

Reward Catalogue

A selection of rewards vendors can choose from, offering participants a greater choice.

Reward Fulfillment

The process of delivering rewards to participants. With Incentivizer Digital Rewards are fulfilled through the platform.

Reward Wallet

A pre-funded budget held on the platform from which rewards are drawn and issued as claims are approved.

Spot Prize

An unplanned or discretionary reward issued outside the standard claim process, typically to recognize exceptional performance.

Incentive Reporting, Attribution & ROI

Attribution

The method used to link outcomes back to incentive activity.

Claim Approval Rate

The percentage of submitted claims that are approved, used as a measure of program eligibility clarity and participant quality.

Engagement Rate

The proportion of eligible participants who actively submit at least one claim or complete at least one task within a program.

Incentive ROI

The measurable return generated from incentive spend.

Participation Rate

The percentage of invited partners who participate.

Incentive Platforms & Program Management

Channel Incentive Platform

Software, like Incentivizer, is used to design, run, and measure channel incentives.

Incentive Program Management (CIPM)

The operational management of channel incentive programs, including setup, validation, fulfillment, and optimisation.

Participant Journey

The end-to-end experience a participant goes through from invitation to reward fulfillment.

Program Governance

The framework of rules, controls, and oversight is used to ensure that an incentive program is run fairly and compliantly.