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How to apply for Partner

Expertise
Partner Advantage portal instructions
Last updated: November 2021
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Pre-application checklist

The company must:

❏ Obtain Partner or Premier Level
❏ Have at least two active certifications (Service partners), or two active credentials
(Sell partners), or one approved product integration (Build Partners)

Visit your Partner Advantage profile to check if your company meets the requirements.
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Login to Partner Advantage

portal 3

1
1. Click Program
2. Select Partner Expertise 4
3. Click desired view of
available Expertise 2
4. Select desired Expertise, see
slide 5 for details on sub-
expertise
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5. Click Apply for the

desired
Expertise
6. Fill in all the required 6
fields 7
(in the “Expertise Country”
field, please select the location
of the customer evidence that
you will attach to the
application)
7. Include an explanation of how
the customer evidence you will Hit “Save” to
attach the
attach supports the Expertise customer
application. 8
evidence
8. Click Save to continue
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Some areas of Expertise contain sub-expertise

options. When applying for a sub-expertise:
1. Click on a desired Expertise then
click sub-expertise (in the
example, “Other Cloud
Technologies: is selected, then
“Alibaba Cloud”)
2. On the sub-expertise page, click
Apply
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9. Add Customer
Success
Evidence
a. See the next page on 9
how to add new
b. Or attach any existing
evidences

Note: if you select “ADD NEW”, the Customer evidence will first need to be reviewed and approved by Google before the
expertise application review can move forward. Whenever possible, we recommend to first create your customer evidence and,
once approved, start your Expertise application and select the “USE EXISTING” button.
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How to add Customer 1

Success Stories 2b

1. After you have selected “Add New”

from the previous screen, a New
2a
Customer Success Story creation
option will appear
2. Populate the required fields for story
creation
a. Select each of the story
Preferences
b. Progress through required
fields until each section shows
Complete
3. Submit the completed story for review
and approval
3

An approved Customer Success Story should Learn more

Success
Customer Stories
Success Playbo
Stories
be applied to Expertise using the Use ok
Existing steps on the previous slide.
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5
4. Click Submit
5. Review the pop-up 4
message to confirm if the
application has been
submitted.

This will submit the application for the

selected Expertise and you should hear
back from Partner Program Support
within a few business days.
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Expertise approval process

Pre-work & Prerequisite Specialist Review (select Final Decision

submission Business Review Expertise only)

0 1 2 3

Partner to ensure they meet Google led Google led Google led
prerequisites: ● Partner level check ● Customer Success Story ● Final decision
● Partner or Premier level ● Certification/credentials/product assessment (must be related to ● Partner notification
● 2 active integration check the selected Expertise)
certifications/credentials/1 ● Customer Success Story check
approved product Partner led
integration (based on your Partner led ● Provide more information if
engagement model) ● Provide more information if needed needed
● 1 approved Customer
Success Story

SLA: 3-5 business days

IMPORTANT: Some Expertise designations SLA: 3-5 business days
may have additional requirements, so carefully
read the Description and Requirements field
upon application.
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Ensuring a successful application

Before you submit your Expertise application, be sure to:

1. Meet the certification requirements outlined in the application (typically, 2 active certifications if you’re a Service
partner, 2 active sales credentials if you’re a Sell partner, or 1 approved product integration if you’re a Build partner, but
some Expertise may have specific requirements)
2. Attach an approved Customer Success Story
a. If you create a new Customer Success Story during the Expertise application process, it will need to be approved
before our team can move forward with the Expertise application review. Whenever possible, we recommend
using an existing (and already approved) Customer Success Story for your application.
3. In the application, leverage the “Explain how evidence supports Expertise” field with as much detail as possible about
why the Customer Success Story you’re attaching proves your experience in the Expertise area. List all the products and
solutions that you’ve used or, if you’re applying for an Industry Expertise, provide information about the customer to
show they operate in the industry mapped to the Expertise. Whenever possible, link to additional documentation that
can help the reviewer make their assessment.
4. If your application was declined because the approver needs more information, once ready please add the requested
information in the “Explain how evidence supports Expertise” field and re-submit your application.
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Useful tips
1. If you use an existing story for your application, make sure it’s in the “Approved” status to speed up the review process
2. You may use the same Customer Success Story to apply for multiple Expertise (if applicable), and later apply for a
Specialization
a. For example, if you have demonstrated success with Google Meet for a bank or other financial institution, you can apply for the “Google Meet” Expertise and
“Financial Services” designations. The Customer Success Story may be later used for applying for the “Work Transformation” Specialization.
3. If you have multiple Customer Success Stories (but achieved in different countries) for the same Expertise designation, please
open a separate application for each approved story.
a. For example, if you have demonstrated success with Google Meet in Spain, France and Italy, you can achieve 3 “Google Meet” Expertise designations, one
for each country. NOTE: when you apply for the same Expertise in a different country, they system may send an automated warning - you can ignore that.
4. If you have issues attaching your Customer Success Story, copy-paste the full title of the story in the search box
5. Make sure the content of the Customer Success Story attached matches with the Expertise description
a. For example, if you apply for ‘Microsoft on Google Cloud’ ensure you include information that supports the fact that you did work on Microsoft products
6. If your Expertise is about to expire, renew by creating a new application
a. You can’t renew an existing record
b. Be sure to include a new Customer Success Story for your renewal application