This template is part of the revenue allocation corrections guide. Pair it with the warm introduction brief for the covering note, or use the client opportunity brief generator when the record type is different.
What a revenue brief must never contain
Finance records are more sensitive than most, so start with exclusions.
- No customer names or contract amounts. Customer agreements commonly restrict disclosure, and counsel has not yet read them.
- No SSP tables or price points. They show how the company prices; even a range can be sensitive.
- No exports, screenshots or logins to the billing system, revenue tool or ledger.
- No accounting opinions. Whether a modification was treated correctly is not the partner's question.
What remains is metadata: systems, years, counts, owners, dates and one open question.
Template fields
Copy the table and fill in the middle column with the head of revenue accounting.
| Field | What to write | Who usually answers |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Product, customers, years operating | Head of revenue accounting |
| Headcount | Full-time employees at peak, contractors excluded | HR or finance |
| Standard applied | Topic 606, IFRS 15 or both | Controller |
| Business task | The correction the team handles, in one sentence | Head of revenue accounting |
| Record classes | Contract schedules, amendments, calculation versions, SSP tables, adjustment memos, journal detail | Head of revenue accounting |
| Systems | Billing system, revenue tool, ledger, memo store | Revenue systems lead |
| Coverage | Years of contracts; year versioning began | Revenue systems lead |
| Volume | Modified contracts per year, from the amendment report | Head of revenue accounting |
| Linking keys | Whether contract and version IDs run through every system | Revenue systems lead |
| Open question | The gap nobody has yet checked | Head of revenue accounting |
| Access date | Documented end of the old tool's license, if any | Controller, procurement |
| Ownership note | Company records versus customer documents versus audit file | Controller, counsel |
| Authorized contact | Officer who can approve a licensing discussion | Head of revenue accounting |
Name the standard even though it seems obvious to the finance team. Under the U.S. rules, the split across deliverables is fixed when the deal is signed; under the international rules, a mid-term change can count as a separate agreement or as ending the old one and starting a new one, depending on the facts. In both cases the reasoning sits in the versions and memos, so the CFO knows at a glance which files matter.
Filled-in brief for a fictional software company (Illustrative)
All values are invented. This is the target level of detail, not a real company or opportunity.
| Field | Illustrative entry |
|---|---|
| Company | B2B workflow software, sold on annual and multi-year subscriptions, 12 years operating |
| Headcount | About 260 full-time employees at peak (HR) |
| Standard applied | Topic 606 |
| Business task | Reallocating revenue when a contract adds a bundled service after signing |
| Record classes | Contract schedules and amendments, calculation versions, SSP tables, approved adjustment memos, journal detail |
| Systems | Billing system, revenue module being replaced at year end, general ledger, shared drive for memos |
| Coverage | About six years of contracts; versioned calculations from year two |
| Volume | Roughly 300 modified contracts a year (amendment report, head of revenue accounting) |
| Linking keys | Contract ID in all systems; version number in the revenue module only |
| Open question | Whether memos from year one, stored in a shared drive, can be tied to their versions |
| Access date | Old module license ends on the date in the signed renewal notice |
| Ownership note | Versions, SSP tables and memos are the company's; contracts are customer agreements; audit file excluded |
| Authorized contact | CEO, with counsel; head of revenue accounting convenes |
The linking keys line tells the reader most. A version number that exists only in the old module is at risk when the module goes; NetSuite, to take one product, closes and locks the earlier arrangement when it merges a change going forward, so the before picture lives on only if locked items are carried into the replacement tool. The system map for these records explains each key.
NetSuiteLines a CFO will push back on
- Volume without a source. "About 300" needs "amendment report" beside it.
- An administrator as contact. Access to the revenue tool is not authority; the decision tree on who can license these records identifies the officer.
- Customer documents counted as owned. Contracts are listed separately for counsel.
- Urgency the company did not set. Only a documented license end belongs in the access date line.
If the company is valuing data in an acquisition rather than licensing it, purchase price allocation for data is the closer topic. The wider record family is on finance and accounting workflows.
Eligibility check and the unknowns
The company needs 50+ full-time employees at peak (contractors excluded), a documented operating history, rights to license the records and an authorized contact. Companies in the U.S., Canada and the EU qualify, as do companies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, Latin America, the UAE and Saudi Arabia when at least 90% of the data is in English. Partners sign the Channel Partner Agreement before submitting; the first valid introduction within the 90-day window is credited when the company submits a verified application.
Unknown until SourceX reviews it: buyer interest, what counsel concludes about customer terms, what must be aggregated or removed, the offer and any reward. The brief should say so in one line rather than imply any outcome.
Next step
Refer a company. Earn up to $100,000. Default reward: 25% of Actual Supplier Payout, capped at $100,000 cumulatively per referred company. Eligibility and payment conditions apply, and a signed Schedule A or addendum can differ. A lead, meeting or signature alone does not trigger payment.
When the head of revenue accounting has checked every line and the CEO agrees to a short call, register as a partner, confirm the company on who qualifies and keep the program terms next to the brief when you submit it.