Selling Together #4: The Dark Side of Working with Partners

Happy Wednesday!

In 5 minutes MAX you’ll get:

→ Why we might want to rethink that old "sell me this pen" exercise

→ Amy Volas's thoughts on the darker side of the partnership-sales relationship

→ Why the little fish needs to partner up

Please do NOT sell me this pen

It’s not just being able to sell that matters. Great sellers must seek alignment too.

If you're just selling something to someone because you can, then you are at major risk…Sure you can sell me something. But if fundamentally, we're not aligned, or you've cut corners, or you're using language that you think I want to hear, or you're mirroring me, or whatever it is… When the going gets tough, you're the first thing that I cut.
- Amy Volas, Founder & CEO at Avenue Talent Partners

What's really happening behind the scenes?

From an outsider's perspective, partnerships can appear glamorous, like walking on clouds.

But it's important to pause and ask, "What's really going on behind the scenes?"

Instead of solely relying on external products or "success stories" as a measure of truth, it's necessary to consider how all the pieces fit together.

Amy brought up the less glamorous side of sales-partnership relationships, raising some unanswered questions such as:

  • Who should get credit?
  • What are the rules of engagement?
  • What incentives are appropriate?

I'll be honest, I don't have all the answers, so I'm counting on my community for some help.

What do you think about this? Tag me on LinkedIn.

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The little fish needs to partner up

Adam Schoenfeld, CEO at Keyplay.io and analyst at PeerSignal pointed out on LinkedIn that buyers are paying more attention to the value of new tech products, especially tools that solve necessary and painful marketing problems. Partnerships and ecosystem tech are the first category of Martech that he's bullish on.

In an era where buyers choose between a suite of tools from a trusted behemoth or a new point solution, the big fish will eat the little fish unless the little fish partners up. Strong ecosystems and the stories that make them will be the only way to win against the large suite solutions.

Find impactful partners and start making friends. Reach out to partner teams and ask how to be a value add and ecosystem seller.

Until next time!

-Jessie Shipman

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