Business Insider’s Post

People will push you as hard as they think they can even if that’s in the wrong direction.   Your execs might push you to prioritize quantity over quality partners.   Your partners might push you to carry the burden of the partnership.   Your GTM teams might push you to focus on the short-term impact of partnering versus the long-term impact.   Saying no is important.   But to say no, you need to understand what you’re saying yes to first.   1) Get clear on your strategy 2) Know how you’re going to drive wins 3) Communicate with your stakeholders --- Agree? Repost this to your network. ⭕ --- To anyone who's not yet a Nearbound Daily newsletter subscriber: The best in the industry always seem to be tapped into the latest industry principles, trends, and tactics leaving everyone else wondering how?! In your busiest moments, driving revenue is the only thing on your mind. You don't have time to keep your pulse on the market! Our team lives in-market so you can focus on revenue AND be tapped in. Sign up here: https://nearbound.com/

How do you standout with your partners when there are 100s of other partners also trying to get their attention? Put them first. One of my rockstar Partner Managers, Amy Everman, recently did some outreach to account executives at one of our newest partnerships to schedule some account mapping sessions. During one of the meetings she was able to get, she asked them why they responded to her email. His response was because the outreach was focused on how we can help him. He said he liked her perspective on partnerships and how her priorities focused on introducing him to our team, seeing where we could make introductions or share intel on his target accounts. Not only did he share details on his own target account list so we could see where the overlaps are to help each other, he also went out of his way to mention her during his team meeting and introduced her to several more account executives via email - and now we have a weeks worth of account mapping sessions on the books! Focus on what you can give first. That's how you show the value of being a partner. You'll get plenty in return. #partnerships

In the era of channel partnerships, organizations like Microsoft had a first mover advantage by having others champion their narrative. Fast forward, and we're seeing a critical shift. No one tells your story better than you do. Reflecting on this, it’s not about having others simply relay your message. Modern partnerships should enhance mutual capabilities, enabling both parties to thrive independently while achieving shared goals. Consider the distributor model – they don't just push products to make margin. They integrate offerings to elevate their services, creating more value. The real question for today's partnerships isn't 'How can my partner help sell my product?' but 'How can my product help my partner excel in their own right?' This perspective shift from a 'better together' narrative to a 'better because of each other' approach could redefine partnership strategies for many.

Looking to supercharge your Channel partnerships?  Channel partner marketing could be the key ingredient to expanding your market reach and boosting your sales.   But it is not as easy as it looks.   Many businesses face hurdles while executing the program, such as misaligned partners, inconsistent branding, and communication and collaboration gaps.   Sounds familiar?  Dive into our latest blog and get critical insights into:   ➡ The crucial KPIs to gauge your channel partner marketing success   ➡ Common pitfalls you should sidestep   ➡ 6 Steps to build a winning channel partner marketing program   ➡ How tech giants like Microsoft are achieving it  Ready to harness the power of partnerships? Check out the link in the comments! #ChannelPartnerMarketing #ChannelPartnerships #ChannelSuccess 

We're shaking things up at LeftLeads, and we have a feeling you'll love the direction we're headed. Stay tuned for a major announcement that'll change the scene. #cybersecuritymarketing #itservices #MSPMarketing #TechLeaders #techindustry #techcommunity

Ravi is spot on. Successful and impactful Partnerships aren’t built in a day just like Rome. Most of us know and understand that there’s a lot of pressure on sales reps to deliver and drive revenue. The channel can be a force mulptier if you spend time, energy, and effort developing relationships/partnerships. I’ve worked and do work with amazing people and sales professionals that have a wonderful reputation in the channel (yes, I’m aware that I’m lucky). It’s not rocket science but every now and again I have to remind people that partnerships are a two way street. In a world where partners are bombarded by hundreds if not thousands of vendors wanting their time, my advice to vendor reps is to bring value to the partners and don’t come with your hands out. We are all in the business to help clients solve their pressing challenges that result to positive business outcomes and we do it better and faster through positive business relationships/partnerships.

The #1 reason most co-sell initiatives fail: 98% of partnership leaders believe AEs need to change their ways to work with partners. Stop telling your AEs that what they do sucks, that their strategies are outdated, and that the future lies in partnerships. Instead, PROVE IT. As Partnership Leaders, our role is to facilitate seamless collaboration with partners and eliminate any barriers. We're tasked with orchestrating the process and leveraging data. So stop telling your AEs to monitor yet another field or widget in Salesforce. Stop telling them they must find time for partners. Proactively help them! Have you ever offered to assist an AE with a challenging deal by saying, "Hey, I noticed your deal is stuck - I know someone who can help. Interested in an intro?" and they turned you down? Very, very rarely. Same here. Find ways to do this at scale (or reach out if you'd like to chat).

Ecosystem partners are not channel partners. 🤐 Channel partners are transactional. You build channel partnerships to tap into immediate sales and distribution expansion. Ecosystem partners are non-transactional. You build ecosystem partnerships to uncover long-term strategic value across the buyer’s journey (marketing, sales, success). 👏 Partner pros make the mistake of trying to fit ecosystem partners into a channel hole because the transacting channel is familiar. The transacting channel has been around for 40+ years; there are playbooks on the transacting channel. Whereas, the non-transacting channel is less than a decade old; everyone's still experimenting and figuring it out. 👉 Don’t make this mistake! #partnerships #ecosystems #nearbound

You could do a trillion things to elevate your partner program, but it’s tough to know where to start.. Here are eight tips and tactics you can adopt right now to level up your partner program, drive partner-sourced revenue earlier, and become an indispensable partnership leader. 1: Establish Partner Attribution Methods Early On  2: Encourage Your Partners to Co-Sell by Assigning Them to Partner Tiers 3: Look to Your OKRs as Future-Goals  4: Stop Focusing on the Partners Who Aren’t Delivering  5: Enable Your Top Partners to Drive More Success (and Enable Other Partners to Level Up)  6 Identify Partnership Evangelists on Your Sales Team 7 Analyze Data Over Time to Identify Trends, and Tie Leading Indicators of Success to Revenue  8 Establish Frameworks for Identifying the Most Promising Co-Selling Opportunities With Partners read more on this here > https://lnkd.in/dJ_-8GS2

Partners can be better supported by fostering open communication, offering tailored resources and training, and recognizing their contributions. Leveraging technology for efficient collaboration and ensuring alignment on goals and values strengthens partnerships. This list comprehensively covers many of the pitfalls that can undermine the effectiveness of a partner program. I've added additional pitfalls to avoid. Inadequate Training and Support Failure to Leverage Partner Ecosystems Neglecting Partner Feedback Inconsistent Reward Structures Overlooking Cultural and Regional Differences Lack of Scalability Insufficient Differentiation Partnerships become strategic when they align with both parties' long-term goals, leverages complementary strengths, and creates mutual benefits that wouldn't be achievable independently. It involves shared risks, resources, and rewards, focusing on achieving a competitive advantage and value creation beyond financial gains.