Is Gold Losing Its Shine?
- Maciej Danielski
- Aug 28
- 2 min read
Remember when being a Gold Partner felt like the holy grail?
You’d splash it on your website, put it in sales decks, and customers instantly nodded with approval.
Here’s the thing; in 2025 “Gold” isn’t always golden anymore.
Vendors are moving away from precious metal tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) and leaning into points-based systems that track skills, customer success, and actual performance. It’s less about prestige and more about proof.
And honestly? It’s a shift that I started noticing in 2022/23, through many of my own conversations with Vendor Partner Teams in Sales, Marketing and Operations, in particular.
Why the Change?
The traditional tier model was simple and familiar, but it often rewarded history, not impact. Once you hit “Gold,” you could coast there for years.
The C-suite never stopped asking questions like these 👇
Points and scorecards flip the script and help answer these questions without running reports from multiple systems and producing a half-guessed, shiny powerpoint presentation.
They measure what you’ve done lately (pipeline generation, new customers, certifications, renewals).
They reward capability and outcomes over pure revenue.
They make advancement or demotion transparent and fair and set a level playing field.
It’s a model that keeps partners sharp and aligned with customer value.
Who’s Leading the Way
👉 Microsoft retired Silver/Gold competencies and now uses Solutions Partner designations. Partners earn a Partner Capability Score (0–100) based on performance, skilling, and customer success. You need 70+ points to qualify.
👉 Salesforce swapped metals for mountain peaks: Base → Ridge → Crest → Summit. Advancement comes via a Trailblazer/Partner Value Score across multiple criteria.
Metals Still Shine… But Points Run the Show
Some vendors are keeping the familiar labels, but the mechanics underneath have changed.
✨ HubSpot still has Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Elite — but partners climb tiers by earning points from Sold/Sourced and Managed revenue.
What This Means for the Channel
Here’s the bottom line:
🚀 Performance → Prestige | Partners can’t just hang onto a shiny badge; they have to earn it continuously.
📖 Transparency rules | Everyone knows what’s required to level up.
🤸 Agility matters | Vendors can tweak criteria reasonably often to stay aligned with strategy.
🏆 Customers win | Metrics now tie directly to adoption, satisfaction, and business outcomes.
My Humble Take
I’ve worked with enough vendors and their partner programs to see the pain of “set it and forget it” tiers. They look good on paper but rarely keep pace with customer expectations or partner performance; and don’t make it easy to answer the C-suite questions.
Points systems are a big step forward. They:
✅ Create a level playing field
✅ Keep programs current
✅ Align partner success with customer success
In other words, we’re moving from a world where vendors handed out medals… to one where they keep score. And that’s a good thing.