Vartopia is a partner lead sharing and deal registration system designed to maximize the value of GitLab partner program for channel partners. Partner lead sharing is part of the Prospect Module, while deal registration is part of the New Registrations and Registration Module.
Channel Partners can work with the Channel Marketing team to create campaigns that will be shared to the Vartopia module. The campaign types include Joint GitLab and Partner Events, Self-Managed Free Trials, and MDF funded campaigns. The flow starts from Marketo > Salesforce > LeanData > Vartopia.
The partner lead is:
Partner Queue via LeanData,In order for the Partner to be able to see and action the lead in Vartopia, the SFDC record must have the following fields updated. Vartopia calls SFDC every hour looking for updates to the SFDC record.
Vartopia Partner Account not equal to NULL (set by Marketo)Prospect Share Status = Sending to Partner (set by LeanData)Partner Prospect Status = Qualifying (set by LeanData)Once synced sucessfully between systems, the Vartopia Transaction Id in SFDC will update from Vartopia. If this ID is missing, the lead did not sync correctly. Make sure that the fields above are correctly populated, and if they are not, reach out to Vartopia support.
When assigned a lead in Vartopia, the admin will receive an email alert with information about the lead and SLAs attached to it. The Vartopia Prospect Id (ex. L-555555) is a unique lead number identified populated by SFDC that shows in Vartopia and SFDC. We can use this as a non-PII identifier in both systems.
Watch this video for step by step instructions where partners can view, accept, reject, re-assign and convert leads to deal registration.
The account in SFDC must be set to Vartopia Partner Account: Vartopia Access = Yes in order to be passed leads. If that field is marked false, a SFDC error will occur when Vartopia Partner Account tries to be set. If this error occurs, the lead will not sync from marketo to SFDC, or if they are already existing in SFDC, that field will not be populated.
We intend to launch the first phase of the recall process for partner leads in the “Prospects” module in the GitLab Partner Portal on April 18, 2023. The recall process is built to be able to pull back leads that are not being actioned.
Only partner leads acquired from fully paid initiatives generated by GitLab Inc. through joint events are subject to recall. We will not recall leads from MDF campaigns and self-managed free trials.
As part of the first of three phases, partner leads older than 30 days with a Prospect Share Status = Pending implying the Channel Partner has not accepted nor rejected the lead, will be recalled.
In the final phase, GitLab Inc. will allow Channel Partners a period of 5 days, starting from the day the lead is assigned in the Prospect module, to accept the lead by updating the Prospect Share Status. After accepting, Channel Partners will have a period of 10 days starting from the date the lead was accepted to revise the Partner Prospect Status before the lead is re-routed back to GitLab Inc for follow up.
Reminder: This only applies to leads acquired from joint events.
CRM Partner ID can not be updated or should be removed. The only exception to this rule are leads who participate in an MDF campaign.Q: What is Vartopia and how does it fit in the Channel Partner Lead Flow?
A: Vartopia is a lead-sharing module that allows the marketing team to share leads with Channel Partners. This platform is being actively used throughout multiple initiatives including MDF campaigns, joint events and self-managed free trials. When a partner lead is passed to a Channel Partner, the leads will become visible in Vartopia where the partner can choose to accept and action the lead or reject.
Note, Channel Partners do not know what Vartopia is, they can access Vartopia, as “Prospects” in Impartner Partner Portal.
Q: Why is this important to CAMs? Why do I need to work with the Channel Partner to see this through?
A: As a CAM, you should be aware of the joint-marketing campaigns that the Channel Partners are involved in to drive channel pipeline. These campaigns are ran and funded by the Field Marketing team, and leads acquired from are subject to recall. CAMs need to work with Channel Partner to ensure they update their leads' Prospect Share Status to Accepted otherwise the Channel Partner will lose their leads.
Q: Do I, as the CAM, have access to Vartopia?
A: Vartopia is not available to administrator nor manufacturer, that being said, only Channel Partners will have access, and CAMs can not get access to Vartopia. You will be able to find the leads share to Partners via these Salesforce reports:
Q: What’s the purpose of the recall process?
A: The recall process allows for GitLab Inc. to pull back leads from joint events that aren’t actioned by Channel Partners. This will also encourage Channel Partners to work on the leads as they come in. Only partner leads acquired from fully paid initiatives generated by GitLab Inc. through joint events are subject to recall. We will not recall leads from MDF campaigns and self-managed free trials.
Q: Who does the partner recall process affect impact?
A: The partner recall process affect Channel Partners as their leads will be removed from Vartopia, more specifically resellers who participate in joint-marketing campaign with GitLab Inc. This should not be a surprise to Channel Partners as this process is mentioned in their SLAs. Remind your Channel Partner to review their leads and update their Prospect Share Status should they wish to keep the leads in their own possession.
Q: Which partner leads are applicable to recall?
A: Only partner leads acquired from fully paid initiatives generated by GitLab Inc. through joint events are subject to recall. We will not recall leads from MDF campaigns and self-managed free trials.
Q: How do you know when a lead has been recalled?
A: A partner lead is recalled when their Prospect Share Status = Recall. After the lead is removed from Vartopia, Prospect Share Status will equal to NULL and [Vartopia] Recall Date will be populated with a date/time.
Q: What is the Prospect Share Status?
A: The Prospect Share Status governs the sharing of the lead and the receipt of the lead by the partner. The prospect share status has statuses that are set by both the manufacturer and the partner. See the definition of each status.
Q: What is the Partner Prospect Status?
A: The Partner Prospect Status is updated by the partner and identifies the status of the lead as the partner works it through the sales process. See the definition of each status.
Q: What resources are available to track the leads that are recalled?
A: We are a few reports you can review including:
Q: What will happen when the leads get recalled?
A: The lead will be assigned to the Recycle Queue, enrolled in the nurture and their status will be changed to Recycle.
Q: When will the other phases be launched?
A: There is presently no firm date on the other phases. We are open to feedback on changes to improve this recall process.
Q: What does the final phase look like?
A: As stated in the Partner SLAs, GitLab Inc. will allow Channel Partners a period of 5 days, starting from the day the lead is assigned in Vartopia, to accept the lead by updating the Prospect Share Status. After accepting, Channel Partners will have a period of 10 days starting from the date the lead was accepted to revise the Partner Prospect Status before the lead is re-routed back to GitLab Inc for follow up.
To retrieve information on a specific lead or contact, you can review the Partner Lead Sharing Information in Salesforce where the Vartopia Partner Account, Prospect Share Status, Partner Prospect Status and more can be found.
This SFDC field in the partner account MUST be filled in or else the records will be passed to no one.
When a prospect is ready to be shared with a partner there are 2 fields related to the sharing process.
The Prospect Share Status governs the sharing of the lead and the receipt of the lead by the partner. The prospect share status has statuses that are set by both the manufacturer and the partner.
The Partner Prospect Status is updated by the partner and identifies the status of the lead as the partner works it though the sales process.
Vartopia Partner Account is a lookup field based on the Account ID (18) in Salesforce. This field shows the partner account in which the lead is associated with via Vartopia.
Prospect Share Status = Pending.Prospect Share Status = Accepted.Prospect Share Status = Recall.Note: The timestamps were introduced on December 15, 2022. Any status updated prior to December 15, 2022 will not have a timestamp.
Creating scheduled reports that sends to channel partners' inbox at the start of the week is the best way to stay on top of leads.
Follow the steps to create a report that summarizes new leads that are assigned to Partner Prospect Admin.
PendingQualifyingQ: As an employee at GitLab, how do I get access to Vartopia?
A: Vartopia is a platform strictly for Channel Partners. An administrative account is not a feature that is currently available as part of their solution.
Q: What notifications are active for Channel Partners?
A: Presently real-time self-managed free trial notification are the only active notifications. The notification sends to the Partner Prospect Admin via Salesforce. We recommend the Channel Partner to create scheduled reports to review the new leads.
Q: What type of channel partners can use Vartopia?
A: Vartopia is meant for resellers. We can't pass leads to distributors.
Q: How do you know if a partner lead has been synced to Vartopia?
A: When a lead is synced to Vartopia, Vartopia will created for Vartopia Transaction ID.
Q: How do you tell apart a partner lead from a regular lead?
A: Partner Managed = True for partner leads.