PartnerRecruit’s Post

When Sales and Partnerships Collide: A Recipe for Disaster I recently spoke with the former Head of Partnerships at a Series B company. He shared a story that's a stark reminder of how misaligned incentives can derail a promising partnerships program. Here's what happened: In a bid to scale quickly, the company put their Head of Sales in charge of partnerships. The sales team, driven by quotas and commissions, prioritized deals that delivered immediate revenue. Presales support and enablement for partners were neglected, partner leads went cold, and attribution conflicts arose when deals were closed. This led to direct competition with the partnerships team, whose focus was on building long-term, strategic relationships. Partner commissions dwindled, key partners jumped ship (taking their customers with them to competitors), and the internal partnerships team disintegrated. The result? Two years of lost ground and fractured relationships. Key Takeaways: -Sales-led partnerships can work but only if there's a deep understanding of how partnerships differ from traditional sales. -Internal alignment is crucial. If sales and partnerships teams are at odds, it's the partnerships engine that will suffer. Good sales leaders get this. They know how to foster collaboration and create win-win scenarios. This company missed a golden opportunity, but their experience is a valuable lesson for all of us. We will have to think long term and work on building partnerships that deliver mutual value, not just short-term wins. #partnerships #sales

We aim to disrupt the conventional 80/20 rule of partnerships, where the majority of partner revenue originates from a mere 20% of your partners (figures backed up by IDC) By prioritising effective recruitment and seamless onboarding from the outset, you can significantly mitigate the risk of partnerships faltering before they get off the ground. A well-structured partnership ecosystem can yield substantial benefits, but it's important to get it right first time.

Is your partner ecosystem a deal graveyard? Do you ever look around at all the conversations that were supposed to happen, all the leads that were meant to come in, and all the deals that were meant to close, and wonder ‘What on earth happened?’ Meanwhile, you get ghosted. Your partner is slow to return your emails or your calls, and if you do ever get hold of them, they fob you off with something about being ‘swamped’, or about the ‘shifting priorities’ of their business, or a vague excuse about how tough the market is. If partnerships are going to be effective, they need regular communication and proactive discussion, even if the pipeline isn’t looking good. Better to face it and work it out together than avoid the difficult conversation. Maybe there’s more to it, though. Maybe they got overexcited at the beginning of the relationship and oversold the dream. Perhaps you didn’t onboard them the right way and they are not aligned with goals and strategy. Maybe they’re just not the right partner. Getting the recruitment and onboarding right means you are far more likely to have true partnerships, and less likely to have ghosts. If the power of partnerships compels you, we can help exorcise the demons of a poorly executed partner engagement. Drop us a message if you want to get things back on track. #partnerships #alliances #partnerecosystem #CRO #SalesVP #ROI #growyourbusiness

The recipe for thriving partnerships 🤝 To build partnerships that last, you need three core ingredients: 🔹 Commitment: From initial outreach to those essential follow-ups, keeping multiple teams across companies aligned requires dedication. The partner manager is the “connector,” ensuring everything moves forward and stays on track. 🔹 Aligned objectives & expectations: Clear goals and open communication are essential. Standard referral programs might be common, but they're not one-size-fits-all. Partners need to see the value—and that often means taking time to align on expectations. For resellers, a deeper negotiation phase can make all the difference, resulting in a win-win for both sides. 🔹 Relationship building: People partner with people they trust. A strong, positive relationship is the foundation. Whether you're a startup or an established brand, following these fundamentals will help you build partnerships that deliver real, measurable results. 💥 Curious how Bond Agency can support you as your Outsourced Partner Manager? We'd love to chat! #Partnerships #StartupGrowth #BusinessStrategy #B2B #SaaS #RelationshipBuilding #Leadership

Partner Operations isn't just a role; it's a strategic imperative applicable to any sales or success team. Growth is not scalable or sustainable without the right operational foundation to support and scale alongside it. As someone who's navigated the complexities of partnerships firsthand, I've seen how prioritizing operational excellence can drive unparalleled success. If you're ready to elevate your partnership game and drive sustainable growth, let's connect. #PartnershipSuccess #OperationalExcellence 💼

🚀 Building new partnerships! 🚀 Today, I visited a potential new customer and it was truly inspiring to see the unique challenges and goals the business is aiming to achieve. Nothing beats meeting new customers helping understand how we can best support their growth and deliver solutions that truly make a difference. 🌟 Excited about the future possibilities and looking forward to transforming these conversations into long-term partnerships! Crossling #BusinessDevelopment #CustomerVisits #Partnerships #GrowthMindset #Networking

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗕𝟮𝗕 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹 💡 Over the past 15+ years, I've seen it all - countless partnerships that thrive and many that fall short. While it's easy to focus on the wins, the 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 often offer the most valuable lessons for growth. Here are a few key reasons partnerships fail (and how to avoid them): 𝟭. 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 - I've found that nearly 100% of failed partnerships were negotiated by teams who lacked true partnership expertise. Why? Because forming, managing, and scaling partnerships requires a unique set of skills - skills that go beyond sales or product knowledge. Partnership management is a discipline in itself. ⚖️ 𝟮. 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 - It's tempting to rush toward closing a deal, but ignoring misalignment between partners can create long-term friction. Just like in personal relationships, ignoring the red flags early on leads to bigger issues later. Are both sides equally committed to delivering on promises? 🤔 𝟯. 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 - A partnership doesn't end once the ink dries. Effective management post-signing is essential for success. Partnerships require continuous nurturing, regular check-ins, and proactive problem-solving. It's not a "set it and forget it" situation. 🔄 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗢𝗻:   • Are partnerships being treated as a side project or are they given dedicated focus?   • Are you being honest with your partner about the effort required to make the collaboration successful?   • Do you have the right team in place to manage the partnership long-term? If any of these challenges resonate with you, Evolve Growth Partners can help you navigate and optimize your B2B partnerships. Let's connect! Reach out today to explore how we can build stronger, more successful partnerships together. 🚀 #B2BPartnerships #BusinessGrowth #StrategicPartnerships #PartnershipManagement #Growth

The Real Reason Your #Partnerships Aren’t Paying Off. Partnerships go far beyond simply signing agreements and waiting for results. They demand a deep alignment with every facet of your business—from product development to marketing and customer success. The reality is, without dedicating the necessary resources, ensuring cross-team alignment, and giving partnerships the time they need to flourish, success becomes an uphill battle. Before diving into partnerships, pause and ask yourself: Is my team fully prepared to invest and commit? Partnerships aren’t a quick fix—they’re a powerful strategy that delivers results with the right investment. And when done right, the rewards are undeniable: sustainable growth, stronger customer loyalty, and a significant boost to your bottom line. #partnerships #growth #businessdevelopment

How do you measure the ROI of partnerships? It always comes down to the numbers—because at the end of the day, we’re not just here for the hugs! Check out this insightful article to kickstart your week or to help you refocus this Monday morning. #Partnership #Goals

The first VP of Partnerships I ever worked for had one hard and fast rule. This rule made him one of the most successful partnership leaders I’ve ever met (and it has nothing to do with “add value”): The rule? His first hire was ALWAYS Partner Operations. Most folks are surprised by this, but his focus on process and data are what made his programs so scalable and successful. In the case of Bronto, where I worked for him, our 5-person partner team was generating 65% of the new business against a 60 person sales team. This is the power of great partner ops. It is the only thing that truly allows you to measure, scale, and optimize your partner program. This is ultimately the why I decided to build EULER. Because most partnerships teams don’t have partner ops. They struggle to keep their heads above water juggling 15-20 jobs each week. And there has been no way to operationalize, track, measure, and optimize all of this for scalable success. When we started building Euler we affectionately called it “partner ops in a box”. It has been developed on the back of a decade of pain points, hurdles, obstacles, and frustrations. The first end-to-end, partnerships management platform that’s so easy to use even a partnerships team of 1 can quickly stand up, operationalize, and grow their partner program. One system to manage, track, measure, and optimize your entire partner lifecycle from A to Z. From partner contracting, to onboarding, enablement, activation, incentivization, and growth EULER creates ease, automation, and scalability across your entire partner experience (PX). Built with details that only a former partner manager would think of (e.g. spiff management, deal collaboration, and more). If you’re invested in scaling your partnerships revenue, we can help you get there much faster. We’ve booked over 50 demo’s since our launch last week. Come see why partnerships teams are GIDDY about EULER. #partnerships