Oh, snap!
Yeah, this is gonna be big.
Especially if you don't feel like your partner program can compete with the giants of the industry.
Don't commit the deadly sins of partnerships
Let's face it, building a successful partner program isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. As with all things worth doing it takes hard work.
And if you haven't seen the story you won't recognize a mistake as it's happening to correct course before it gets worse.
Rob Rebholz narrowed down the 9 sins that hold back your partner potential the most in his excellent article. They are:
- Not knowing your Ideal Partner Profile
- Short-term thinking murders long-haul relationships
- Failure to Understand your Partners’ Businesses
- No shared goals and commitments
- Lead Mania strangles healthy partnerships
- Never looking beyond your fellow man[anagers]
- Neglecting to build one-on-one relationships
- Expecting tech to solve all your problems
- Careless hiring and people development
With how fast this space is growing, it's encouraging to see people sharing so that we don't have to all make the same mistakes along the way!
The buzz on ecosystems is here to stay
Impartner and The Lexington Group just released a report titled Trajectory: Ecosystems – The New Partner Imperative. In it they explain why we're on this partner path, almost as if it's biological.
They answer what led us to this moment, how to adjust to the changing tide, and most importantly why this is better for customers.
The full report includes contributors like Jay McBain, Chris Samila, Allan Adler, Cassandra Gholston, and our very own Jared Fuller.
But for now, I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes by Allan Adler in the report:
Organizations that treat partners and communities as siloed appendages will not survive. To pull this off, they need an ecosystem chief at CEO level with the power to mandate alignment.

Meme of the Day

Fuel Metcalf's Law
Each new node in the partnerships network adds value to every other. Share the PhD and exponentially increase the value!