Partner Certification — Assessment Guide
This guide explains how Smartflow partner certification works, what the open-book scenario assessment involves, how scoring is applied, and what happens after you pass.
Certification Overview
Smartflow partner certification validates that a partner representative can:
- Accurately describe what Smartflow does and who it is for
- Position Smartflow correctly against the status quo (manual process)
- Identify prospect fit based on a profile
- Run a co-presented demo with Smartflow support
- Handle common objections without over-claiming
- Complete a discovery conversation and deal registration correctly
Certification is required before any product demo, proposal, or pilot engagement with a prospect.
How to Get Certified
| Step | Action | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Complete Modules 1–4 via the partner portal | ~6 hours (self-paced) |
| 2 | Complete live demo session for Module 2 (Demo Skills) | 30–45 minutes |
| 3 | Complete role-play session for Module 3 (Objection Handling) | 20–30 minutes |
| 4 | Submit the open-book scenario assessment (Module 5) | 60–90 minutes |
| 5 | Receive results within 5 business days | — |
| 6 | On passing: receive certificate, unlock portal access | — |
The Open-Book Scenario Assessment
The scenario assessment is Module 5 of the training curriculum. It is the final requirement for certification.
Format: Written response. Open-book — you may access all partner enablement materials while completing the assessment.
Access: The assessment is delivered via the partner portal. You will have 90 minutes from the time you open it.
Important: Open-book does not mean copy-paste. Evaluators are assessing your judgment and reasoning, not your ability to reproduce documentation verbatim.
Assessment Structure
You will be given a prospect profile containing:
- Bank name and size
- Geography and regulatory context
- Stated pain points (one or two)
- Current process (manual, OCR trial, etc.)
- Internal stakeholders named
- A question or objection the prospect raised in a first meeting
You must complete five tasks based on the profile.
Task 1 — Fit Score (20 points)
Score the prospect as High, Medium, or Low fit for Smartflow.
Support your score with 3–5 evidence-based bullet points drawn from the profile. Reference specific signals: loan volume, current process, regulatory context, stakeholder roles.
Scoring criteria:
- Correct fit score relative to evaluator benchmark: 10 points
- Quality of evidence cited: up to 10 points (2 points per strong, relevant bullet)
Task 2 — Use Case Selection (20 points)
Identify 1–3 Smartflow use cases most relevant to this prospect. For each, explain in 2–3 sentences why it is relevant based on the profile.
Note roadmap status accurately (Q1/Q2/Q3 2026 or available now) where relevant.
Scoring criteria:
- Correct primary use case identified: 10 points
- Secondary use case(s) relevant and justified: up to 5 points
- Roadmap status stated correctly for all use cases mentioned: 5 points
Task 3 — Opening Talk Track (20 points)
Write the first 2–3 minutes of your opening conversation with the named stakeholder in the profile.
Your talk track must:
- Lead with the prospect's problem, not Smartflow's features
- Reference at least one quantified impact (time, accuracy, FTE, or cost)
- Introduce Smartflow as the solution only after establishing the problem
- Close the opening with an invitation to go deeper (a question or a proposed next step)
Scoring criteria:
- Leads with problem, not product: 5 points
- Includes at least one quantified impact: 5 points
- Natural, human-sounding language (not bullet-list reading): 5 points
- Closes with a specific next step or probe question: 5 points
Task 4 — Objection Response (20 points)
Respond to the objection stated in the prospect profile. Your response must:
- Acknowledge the concern without dismissing it
- Reframe or address the underlying concern with evidence
- Not over-claim (no accuracy above 95%, no capability not in the approved materials)
- End with a concrete next step to keep the conversation moving
Scoring criteria:
- Acknowledges concern: 5 points
- Evidence-based reframe: 8 points
- No over-claiming: 5 points (penalty: −10 points for any over-claim)
- Closes with next step: 2 points
Task 5 — Next Step (20 points)
State the specific next step you would propose at the end of a first meeting with this prospect.
A valid next step must include:
- What will happen (e.g., live extraction session, scoping call, security architecture review)
- Who will be involved (roles from both sides)
- When (specific timeframe — not "when you're ready")
Vague next steps ("I'll follow up", "let's stay in touch") receive zero points.
Scoring criteria:
- Specific action defined: 8 points
- Correct stakeholders identified: 6 points
- Timeframe included: 6 points
Passing Score
Overall passing score: 80% (80 points out of 100)
There is no minimum score per task, but evaluators may flag a critical failure in any single task (e.g., a material over-claim in Task 4) that results in an overall fail regardless of total score.
Results and Feedback
Results are returned within 5 business days of assessment submission.
Partners who pass receive:
- A score breakdown by task
- A digital certificate (PDF) valid for 12 months
- Partner portal access upgrade
- Listing in the Smartflow partner directory
Partners who fail receive:
- A score breakdown with specific feedback per task
- Guidance on which modules to revisit before retaking
Retakes
- First fail: Partner may retake Module 5 once without repeating other modules.
- Second fail: Partner must complete Module 3 (Positioning and Objection Handling) again before resubmitting Module 5.
- There is no limit on total retakes, but a waiting period of 7 days applies between submissions.
Module Checkpoints (Prerequisites)
Module 5 is unlocked only after:
- Module 1 checkpoint: 80%+ on multiple-choice quiz ✅
- Module 2 checkpoint: Passed live demo evaluation ✅
- Module 3 checkpoint: Passed role-play evaluation ✅
- Module 4 checkpoint: 80%+ on scoping worksheet ✅
Contact [email protected] if you believe a prerequisite was completed but not recorded in the portal.
Questions
For questions about the assessment process or certification status:
Email: [email protected]
Subject: Certification — [Your Name] — [Partner Firm]
Response SLA: 2 business days
See training-curriculum.md for the full five-module curriculum and learning objectives.