Incentivizer® Glossary
A clear, practical glossary to demystify channel incentives and close common knowledge gaps.
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 behaviour of third-party sales partners rather than direct employees.
Channel Incentive Program
A structured set of rules, behaviours, 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 organisation 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 organisation 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.
Behaviour-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 behaviours.
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 Behaviour
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.
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.
Rewards & Fulfilment
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 behaviour.
Reward Catalogue
A selection of rewards vendors can choose from, offering participants a greater choice.
Reward Fulfilment
The process of delivering rewards to participants. With Incentivizer Digital Rewards are fulfilled through the platform.
Incentive Reporting, Attribution & ROI
Attribution
The method used to link outcomes back to incentive activity.
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, fulfilment, and optimisation.
Participant Journey
The end-to-end experience a participant goes through from invitation to reward fulfilment.
Program Governance
The framework of rules, controls, and oversight is used to ensure that an incentive program is run fairly and compliantly.