Are recurring commissions enough to make a SaaS partner program work?

We’re experimenting with a partner program for Trackly, our workforce management SaaS, and one question keeps coming up:

What actually makes someone refer a SaaS consistently?

Our model is straightforward:

• A partner introduces a business to Trackly
• If they become a customer, the partner gets 20% recurring revenue every month
• The commission continues for as long as that customer stays

But I’m realizing the commission might only be one part of the equation.

Partners also care about things like:

• How easy is it to make the introduction?
• Do they need to explain or sell the product themselves?
• How quickly does the referred company get onboarded?
• Is there enough value for them to confidently recommend it?

We’re currently testing this with HR consultants, agencies, recruiters, and other people already working with growing teams.

For founders who have built partner or referral programs:

What made your partners actually start referring customers consistently?

And if you work with businesses and would be interested in a 20% recurring revenue partnership, feel free to comment below. Happy to share how ours works.