Mark Le Dain

Testing the simpler partnership models first with a prospect can be an easy way to understand if a partner is helpful before allocating significant firm resources. If there are no positive signals in a pilot or from a less integrated partnership, then you need to have very compelling reasons for a larger and more complicated structure. This can save time and ultimately allow you to go deeper with the partners that make sense.

It becomes an organizational advantage if you start to view every partnership as a marketing opportunity for your company. Each partnership puts you in front of a different group of stakeholders, aligns a brand, builds up unique SEO, and onwards. Every partner in your ecosystem should be considered a growth partner (potential for shared clients, PR, etc.), as this lens will help you find names that both support your core business and provide a step change in marketing benefits.

It is easy to forget that data quality needs to include timeliness, as many partnerships use irrelevant data by the time it is received. Outdated data isn't helpful for decisions (and can even be counterproductive if it results in unnecessary actions).

It's important to remember that trying to create a new "feel" with a partnership underestimates the decades of work and investment that go into large brands. i.e. if you don't feel your partner's brand is exactly what you want, changing it for the partnership part likely isn't going to work.

It's critical to align partnership feedback loops with when you actually have data to inform those decisions/actions. Many teams will decide to toggle something in a partnership monthly but won't receive the data that informs the decision until the end of each quarter. That wastes people's time at best, and at worst, you won't understand what's driving changes.

One item often missed before negotiations is an internal check with all your stakeholders. As partnerships grow in size and scope, you may be surprised at what internal teams feel they need the partner for (data, awareness, shared vendor costs, etc.). Checking with all internal groups before the dissolution of the partnership will ensure you don't accidentally create gaps for groups you don't engage with often.