ApproveThis manages your Channlworks Integration approvals.

Why Pair Approval Management with Alliance Management?

Let's cut through the buzzwords: Channlworks helps you manage partner relationships. ApproveThis helps you get decisions made. Together, they turn your sales alliances from "we'll circle back on that" to "approved - let's move." For companies juggling multiple partnerships and complex deal approvals, this integration through Zapier acts like caffeine for your revenue engine.

The Nuts and Bolts (Without the Boring Manual)

ApproveThis handles the decision-making chaos with:

• Multi-step approval chains that actually make sense for sales ops
• Real-time tracking that stops the "did you approve that?" email chains
• Conditional logic that routes requests based on deal size or partner tier

Channlworks brings:

• Centralized partner/lead tracking
• MDF (Marketing Development Funds) management that doesn't make finance teams cry
• Pipeline visibility across alliances

Use Cases That Actually Matter

1. Killing Lead Approval Bottlenecks

Scenario: Your biz dev team lands a hot lead through a channel partner. Normally, this would trigger a game of approval ping-pong between sales, legal, and partner management. With the integration:

How it works: New Channlworks lead → Auto-create ApproveThis request with deal details → Legal/Finance approve directly from email → Approved lead auto-promotes in Channlworks.

Real impact: A medical device company using this flow cut partner deal approval time from 72 hours to 4 hours. Their partners stopped threatening to work with competitors.

2. MDF Approvals That Don't Require a PhD

Scenario: Partner requests $50K in marketing funds. Normally requires 3 departments, 14 emails, and a spreadsheet version 7. Now:

How it works: MDF request in Channlworks → Auto-generates ApproveThis case with budget impact calc → Threshold rules auto-approve small requests → Large sums get CFO eyes → Approved funds sync back to Channlworks with spend guidelines.

Real impact: A software vendor reduced MDF processing costs by 60% while cutting misuse - because approvers actually saw the terms before rubber-stamping.

3. Keeping Partner Deals from Falling Through the Cracks

Scenario: Your alliance team closes a co-sell opportunity. Without integration, this might get stuck waiting for legal vetting while the partner gets cold feet.

How it works: New opportunity in Channlworks → Triggers approval workflow with attached SOW → Legal team reviews via email (no login required) → Approved deals auto-update CRM status → Denied deals trigger renegotiation alerts.

Real impact: An industrial supplier prevented $2M in at-risk deals last quarter by surfacing stuck approvals faster.

Setup That Doesn't Require IT Intervention

Here's how to connect the dots in under 15 minutes:

1. Create your Zapier account (if you don't have one)
2. Choose your trigger: "New Lead in Channlworks" or "MDF Request"
3. Set action as "Create Approval Request in ApproveThis"
4. Map critical fields: Deal size → Approval threshold rules, Partner tier → Approval group
5. Test with a real request (pro tip: use your CEO's latest pet project)

Why Your Teams Will Stop Complaining

For Sales Ops:

Finally get visibility into which partner deals are stuck and why. Built-in escalation rules mean you're not playing mediator between VPs every afternoon.

For Finance:

Approval thresholds mean you only see requests over $X. Calculated fields show real-time budget impact without manual spreadsheets.

For Channel Managers:

External partners can kick off requests through Channlworks without getting access to your internal systems. Approval status updates automatically in the portal they already use.

For Legal:

Email-based approvals mean they can review terms from their phone between meetings. Vacation delegation stops deals from dying because someone's at Burning Man.

The Niche Features You'll Actually Use

Beyond basic approvals, this combo lets you:

Auto-approve repeat partners: If Partner X always gets $25K MDF with standard terms, set it to auto-approve below that threshold. Saves 5 approval cycles/month minimum.

Dynamic approval paths: Deals under $100K go straight to regional manager. Over that? Auto-add CFO and Legal based on Channlworks deal size field.

Approval analytics that matter: See which partner types get most rejections, average approval time per region, common hold-up points in legal review.

When to Consider Other Options

This integration works best if:

- You have 5+ channel partners or resellers
- Deal sizes vary enough to require different approval levels
- MDF/spiffs are part of your partner strategy
- You've outgrown "just CC the VP" approval methods

If you're a 10-person shop using Channlworks for basic CRM? Maybe overkill. For 100+ employee companies scaling partnerships? Mandatory.

Making It Stick in Your Org

Implementation tips from actual customers (not verbatims, because lawyers):

Start with one process: Pick either lead approvals or MDF. Get it working before expanding.

Leverage Calculated Fields: Auto-calculate partner ROI score or MDF utilization rate to inform approvers.

Use Approval Groups Wisely: Create groups like "EMEA Legal" instead of individual names - reduces rework when someone leaves.

What You're Really Solving

This isn't about software - it's about:

- Losing fewer deals to approval delays
- Keeping partners happy with faster decisions
- Stopping finance from micromanaging every small request
- Giving sales ops actual data to optimize processes

A manufacturing client put it best (not a direct quote): After implementing, their channel partners rated them "easiest to work with" - a first in 15 years. Deals closed 22% faster.

Next Steps That Don't Suck

If you've read this far, you either:

A) Need this solution yesterday
B) Are evaluating options for Q3
C) Still think Excel approval trackers are fine (bless your heart)

For group A: Start a free trial and use our pre-built Channlworks Zap templates.

For group B: Book a 15-minute demo showing real client workflows.

Group C: We'll be here when you're ready to join 2024.