I recently saw one of Adam Pearce's posts on LinkedIn. It had an intriguing title: What Agencies Want...and how to give it to them.
It sounded similar to the upcoming event we're hosting with PartnerPage called What Agencies Want (hint: it's not revenue share), coming Sept. 22 at 2 PM ET.
I reached out to ask a few questions about Adam's approach to partnerships between agencies and tech partners.
Here's the interview:
Question: Tell me a little bit about your event and why you decided to host it.
Answer: My business partner and I started a Shopify Agency 6 years ago. From day 1, we were able to grow quickly by developing strong relationships with tech partners.
We learned a lot during that time, and in January 2022, we formed a new company called Flame. The purpose of Flame is to help tech partners tap into what works with agencies.
Our event is designed for new and experienced partnership managers to really understand what agencies value, and what they don’t when it comes to partnerships.
Q: What is the main problem you see with how agencies operate with tech partners?
A: The main issue is different expectations. There’s a tendency for agencies to see tech partners as a way to get another marketing channel and lead source. Tech partners simply see agencies as a lead source.
The problem is that both parties expect the other to provide them with leads, but in reality, they need to work together to carve out these opportunities.
To do this, the tech partner needs to show the agency how they can make money from their solution, which in turn will generate leads for both parties.
Q: What is one of the keys to forming great agency partnerships?
A: For tech partners, it's simple. Find out:
- How does the agency work? Projects? Retainers?
- Map out how your solution fits into the way they work.
- Show the agency how they can generate chargeable hours from your tech.
Q: What is one practical marketing example tech partners can do to help win agency partnerships?
A: Many agencies have case studies on their site. As a tech partner, take a client from their case study and put together a one-pager on how your tech could help that brand and the hours/billable time that could be generated by the agency.
