Your Partnering Playbook – Start Here

For your type of business or product, how do you progress your partnering plans?

With short videos and questions about your product and partnering activities, the following pages take you to key considerations and actions for you to progress on your Partnering Journey.

Your focus and actions change depending on your company’s stage on the partnering journey.

Select which one best represents your status and click the Next button.

Partners don’t expect you to have thought through all the details that make up a Partner Program.

There’s no need, or help, in creating your website partner page to show partner company types, or partner tiers.

What is a Partner Program for you right now, to suit your most immediate business needs? What partner program elements should you prioritise?

Click the Next button, when you’re ready to answer some questions.

What is a typical deal for your business, and the mix between licences and services?

You may have a broad range in your deal sizes, and you may start small and grow your business with a customer.

Select an average or median deal size.

Understanding your deal size and shape helps in determining what partner company type and partner proposition.

Is SaaS Different for Sales Channels?

In the next few videos, we’re breaking down the important elements when working with partners.

Whether you have an on-prem, cloud/hosted, software+device, a platform, middleware or infrastructure solution,
how can partnering work for you?

Regardless of your licencing model, initial licence fee + annual maintenance, or a recurring licence model,
what do you need to consider in working with partners?

View video “Is SaaS Different for Sales Channels?” and Click Next Button

SaaS and Sales Channels Scenarios

To discuss some different example solution types and business models, and how they partner.

View video and Click Next Button

Business Process and Growth Bottlenecks

Taking a step back, what do you want to achieve through partners?

What is your primary growth bottleneck?
What do you want more of today?
What capabilities, if you had them, would address your primary growth bottleneck?

The video is asking you to consider the capabilities required to address your primary growth bottleneck.

View video and Click Next Button

You only have one primary growth bottleneck, so you can only choose one.

It’s very easy to answer, “Insufficient Leads”.
Consider why you have insufficient leads. What capability are you missing that is causing this bottleneck?

Select one and Click Next Button

How do your chosen target partner company types align to the customer journey in the problem you solve for your customers?

What types of companies engage with your target customers at each stage of the customer journey, how do you fit in and maybe help these companies, as potential partners?
If your solution has multiple use-cases, then you maybe have different customer journeys, and partner types to consider.

View video then Click Next Button

How does each different company type typically work as partners?

What can each company type do for you?

What motivates each company type to partner with you?

Partners are part of your business process, what capabilities do you want to delegate?

Are you embedded with your partners, or are you operating superficially as referral partners by maintaining relationships with the partners’ customer-facing staff?

Answer the questions and then Click the Next Button to go to the next video

Your Partner Proposition is much more than revenue share.

What are the key elements you can help your partners with?

Different company types operate on different business models,
and require different partner propositions.

View video then Click Next Button

What is Your Partner Proposition?

Based on the target partner type you selected in an earlier question,
what are you offering your partner?

Do you think, feel or have evidence for that you have a compelling partner proposition?

A test: if an unknown company contacted you with a similar partner proposition,
what would you consider interesting, and would you change your plans to partner with them?

Answer the questions and then Click the Next Button to go to the next video

Addressing Your Partners' Bottlenecks

How do you want to work with partners?

What capabilities are you delegating?
How do you onboard them?
How do you support them on an ongoing basis?

How much effort and investment are you expecting from them in getting started with your solution?
And is it worth their while? (see Partner Proposition)

View video then Click Next Button

Outline any other challenges you have with partners:

Depending on the stage you are on the partnering journey,
you will have different challenges.

What are your partnering challenges?

If we missed anything in the options shown,
please add additional information in the text box provided.

Your partnering plans need to be aligned to your business objectives.

What is your top priority through partners in the coming 12 months?

And finally, to understand your current partnering activity, capacity, investment, and capability,
how many staff members are in your partnering team?

Answer the questions and then Click the Next Button to go to the final step,
and then get your personalised Partnering Considerations and Actions.