Overview
Who this is for
Partnerships is one of the highest-leverage growth motions at the right stage - and one of the most consistently mismanaged. The failure pattern is predictable: you sign a few technology partners, put logos on your website, get a couple of warm intros, and then the program stalls because there's no structure, no measurement, and no one accountable for partner-sourced revenue.
This engagement is for companies that have validated product-market fit and want to build partnerships as a serious growth channel. You need a partner program that generates measurable pipeline - not brand partnerships, not logo collection, not event sponsorships masquerading as channel strategy.
I built and scaled partner programs at Branch (mobile measurement), mParticle (CDP), and advised on partnership strategy at Ramp. The consistent lesson: the program design matters less than the enablement and the measurement. Most partner programs fail because partners don't know how to sell the product and the company can't tell which partners are actually driving revenue.
What's included
Scope of work
- Partner strategy - tier definition, ideal partner profile, prioritized target list, and mutual value proposition
- Program design - partner portal, onboarding flow, enablement materials, and co-marketing playbook structure
- Attribution framework - how to track partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline without double-counting
- Co-marketing playbooks - joint webinar templates, content collaboration frameworks, and go-to-market campaign structures
- Partner success metrics - leading and lagging indicators that tell you whether a partner relationship is working
- Partner recruitment - outreach templates, pitch narratives, and negotiation support for first-tier partner agreements
Process
How it works
1. Audit
Review of any existing partner relationships, current attribution, and how partnerships fits into your overall GTM motion. Surfaces what's working and what isn't.
2. Strategy
Define the partner program structure: tiers, criteria, incentives, and target partner types. Aligned to your business model and stage - not a generic partner pyramid.
3. Infrastructure
Build the operational layer: tracking setup, partner portal recommendation (or build), enablement materials, and co-marketing templates.
4. Launch and enablement
Recruit first-tier partners, run first co-marketing activities, and iterate on what generates actual pipeline vs. what generates activity.
5. Measurement and optimization
Monthly review of partner-sourced pipeline, partner health scores, and program efficiency. Identify which partners to invest in and which to deprioritize.