Why does the sales channel default to Partner when I open a lead?

The sales channel of a lead indicates whether the lead is being handled directly by an internal salesperson (Direct), or indirectly (Partner) by an outside partner, such as a distributor or a reseller.

Depending on your configuration and business need, you can use different sales methods based on the sales channel value. For example, your sales channel defaults to Partner if your sales administrator has assigned you with either the MKL_CONVERT_SALES_LEAD_PRIV or the MKL_SELECT_SALES_LEAD_PRIMARY_PARTNER_PRIV functional privileges, or both.

In addition, your sales administrator can assign rules or create a groovy script to default the value of the Sales Channel without any modifications to privileges.