If you’re on a B2B revenue team—sales, partnerships, or marketing—you’ve probably heard promises about “account intelligence” or “ecosystem-led growth.” But does any of that actually move the needle, or is it just more software bloat? This guide is a no-nonsense, real-world look at Reveal, a tool that claims to make partner data actually useful for go-to-market (GTM) teams. We’ll cover what Reveal does well, where it falls short, and how to actually use it if you want results (not just another login to forget).
What Is Reveal, Really?
At its core, Reveal is a platform that helps B2B companies use their partner ecosystem data to find new deals, warm up cold opportunities, and get intros with less hassle. Think of it as a fancy, automated way to see which accounts your partners already know, so you can stop sending awkward cold emails and start getting warm leads.
Here’s what Reveal actually offers: - Account mapping: See which of your partners already have relationships with your target accounts. - Partner collaboration: Request intros or info from partners directly in the platform. - Ecosystem analytics: Track partner influence on pipeline and revenue.
Is it revolutionary? Not really. But it does automate a lot of what GTM teams used to do with spreadsheets and guesswork.
Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Care About Reveal?
Reveal shines for: - Revenue teams at B2B SaaS companies with active partner programs. - Partnerships teams that want to prove value to sales leadership. - Sales teams looking for warmer ways in, not just cold prospect lists.
Skip it if: - You’re a tiny shop with a handful of customers and no real partner network. - Your “partners” are just logos on a slide, not folks you actually collaborate with. - You don’t have buy-in from both sales and partnerships—Reveal is not magic, and adoption matters.
How Reveal Works in Practice
Let’s break down how Reveal fits into a real sales or partnerships workflow.
1. Setting Up: The Unsexy But Crucial Step
What you’ll need: - Connections to your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) - Willing partners who’ll connect their data, too
What could trip you up: - Data privacy hesitation—some partners get twitchy about sharing account data, even though Reveal claims it’s secure and “blind” (no contact info is shared). - CRM chaos—if your data is a mess, Reveal will just reflect that mess back at you.
Pro tip: Don’t try to onboard 30 partners at once. Start with 2–3 who actually trust you, work out the kinks, and build some quick wins.
2. Account Mapping: The Main Event
Once you’re connected, Reveal runs a match between your accounts and your partners’. You get a dashboard showing: - Overlap accounts: Where you and a partner are both working the same company. - Open opportunities: Your deals that overlap with theirs. - Partner influence: How often partners are involved in your pipeline.
What’s useful: - You quickly see which partners can help you get into target accounts. - Instead of random “Hey, can you intro me to Acme Corp?” emails, you can see exactly who’s best placed to help.
What’s not: - The match is only as good as the underlying CRM data. If your team isn’t diligent about updating accounts, you’ll miss overlaps. - You still need to ask for help—Reveal doesn’t automatically get partners to intro you (wouldn’t that be nice).
3. Collaborating with Partners: From Data to Action
Reveal lets you request intros, share notes, and even co-sell on specific accounts. This is where the value shows up—or doesn’t.
Real-world use cases: - Getting warm intros: Salesperson sees Acme Corp is a mutual account with Partner X. They request an intro right in Reveal, instead of digging through LinkedIn or sending “Do you know anyone at Acme?” emails. - Unsticking stalled deals: A deal is stuck; you see that a partner has a current relationship. Ask for background, context, or a backchannel nudge. - Prioritizing accounts: Focus effort where you have the most mutual influence, rather than spreading yourself thin.
What works: - Direct, auditable requests keep things moving and avoid “lost in Slack” moments. - Transparent notifications let both sides see who’s asking, who’s helping, and what the status is.
What’s clunky: - If your partners aren’t equally invested, requests may go ignored. Reveal can’t force people to help. - Some teams complain about notification overload, especially if everyone goes request-happy on day one.
4. Reporting and Attribution: Proving Partner Value
Sales leaders always ask, “What’s partnerships actually doing for revenue?” Reveal gives some honest numbers, like: - How many deals partners influenced - Which partners are driving the most intros or deal support - Influence by quarter, rep, or vertical
What’s helpful: - Real, exportable data you can bring to QBRs or board meetings. - Cuts through “I feel like partnerships is helping” hand-waving.
What’s not: - Attribution is tricky. If three partners touch a deal, who gets credit? Reveal can show the touches, but the narrative still needs human context. - Not every “influence” actually matters—some partners are just rubber-stamping deals they barely touch.
What Reveal Doesn’t Do (and What to Ignore)
Let’s be clear: Reveal isn’t going to double your pipeline overnight. It doesn’t replace the need for relationship-building or good selling. Here’s what not to expect: - Automatic intros: Someone still has to click “accept.” - Perfect data: Garbage in, garbage out. - Universal adoption: If your salespeople or partners don’t use it, it’s just another SaaS bill. - Instant ROI: It takes a few months (and a few cycles of give-and-take) to see if Reveal’s helping.
Ignore the hype about “ecosystem-led growth” transforming your company after one quarter. Like any tool, Reveal’s as good as the effort your team and your partners put into it.
Real World Use Cases
Here’s what actual revenue teams are (and aren’t) doing with Reveal:
What works: - Quarterly account mapping sessions: Partnerships and sales meet to pick 10–20 key accounts, check Reveal, and make specific asks of partners. - Stuck deal rescue: AE reviews pipeline in Reveal before the end of quarter, finds a partner with ties to a slow-moving deal, and gets a nudge that helps close it. - Marketing co-hosted events: Marketing teams use Reveal to see which partners can invite the most relevant accounts to a webinar or dinner.
What doesn’t: - Spray-and-pray intro requests: Flooding partners with generic intro asks burns goodwill and gets ignored. - One-sided usage: If only your side cares, you’ll get little value. - Using Reveal as a CRM substitute: It’s not built for full pipeline management—keep using your main CRM for that.
Honest Pros and Cons
Pros - Actually automates something that used to be manual and annoying. - Solid reporting for partnership attribution. - Takes the awkwardness out of asking partners for help.
Cons - Only as good as your data and your partners’ engagement. - Onboarding can be painful if your CRM is a mess. - Harder to show value if your partner ecosystem is immature or disengaged.
Tips for Getting Real Value (and Avoiding Headaches)
- Start small, prove value: Pick a few committed partners and a handful of reps to pilot before rolling out to everyone.
- Clean your CRM first: Bad data kills Reveal’s usefulness.
- Set clear rules: Don’t let reps spam partners with requests—set guidelines.
- Make it a habit: Build Reveal check-ins into existing processes (pipeline reviews, QBRs, etc.).
- Track actual results: Don’t just count “influenced deals.” Did the partner help close it, or is it just noise?
Keep It Simple — And Iterate
Reveal isn’t a magic wand. But if you’re willing to do some setup, keep your data clean, and treat your partners like actual humans (not just a resource to tap), you can get real value out of it. Don’t overcomplicate things. Start with a small use case, iron out the kinks, and build from there. The software should make your life easier—not just add another “ecosystem” buzzword to your stack.