Patience, Honesty and Partnerships

While the saying in the above image is about as cliche in the BJJ world as the saying "you never lose, you either win or you learn" (I'm sure that one will make its way into a later post) it's also 100% true.  The truth is, being a white belt in BJJ, kinda sucks.  Anyone with any color on their belt is probably destroying you without a ton of effort, even the most basic moves feel like trying to solve a quantum physics equation, and your gas tank drains faster than a water through a spaghetti strainer. The good news, at least for those who persist, is that this period of sucking doesn't last long.

The base of understanding you begin to build off each one of those times where things don’t go your way, as well as the ability to persist and stay patient, through periods where progression feels like it’s come to a standstill, creates the foundation upon which you build your BJJ “game.”

In much the same way, building a successful partner program isn’t something that happens quickly or without some periods of stagnation and, yes, occasionally, it’s going to suck.

Virtually everyone who might be inclined to read this is likely to be familiar with Scott Brinker and his notorious Lumascape/eye-chart/"seriously, there's no way it can keep growing!" graphics that attempts to map the entirety of the martech universe.  This year's edition includes close to seven-thousand, different technologies which represent about a 40% year-over-year increase from 2017, and over a 450% increase since Mr. Brinker first started tracking martech in 2011!

Besides the obvious conclusion that there's an absurd number of players in this space, the other conclusion that we can clearly draw is that it's increasingly difficult for any, single martech company to separate itself from the pack.  This is especially true as we experience what is tantamount to an epidemic of "message creep" whereby dozens of companies, all with unique value propositions, all start to sound the same.

Since there are only so many problems that need to be solved, and a limited number of ways in which one can utter the terms "account-based marketing", "predictive analytics", "intent data", etc., it becomes nearly impossible to develop a marketing strategy that will break through the clutter, differentiate your company from the pack and get buyers to take notice without a lot of additional help.

While it's certainly possible, and there have been quite a few companies that have accomplished just that, they've typically done so at great expense and, in my opinion, have sacrificed resources that could have gone towards product refinement and enhancement all in the name of “evangelism.”  Eventually, when the message takes hold but the product lags, the main beneficiaries here are the inevitable competitors that follow draft off the concepts, adopt the message, and develop a product that’s simply better.

What this means is companies can no longer rely on marketing alone to get their messages into the hands of the right people at the right time and that's where having the proper partner strategy in place becomes critical. 

In this cluttered, and increasingly noisy, world of martech, I would argue that the partner organization has evolved into a critical, strategic hub that sits firmly at the nexus of product, marketing, and sales, enabling all but never, fully assimilating into any. 

Traditionally, the role of "partnerships" has been to create revenue generating channels through which a company's product or service can be sold.  These channels, and this role, naturally rolled up to the head of revenue (SVP of sales, CRO, etc.) and were primarily measured by their ability to deliver direct revenue to the bottom line. While direct revenue generation remains a critical component of any partner organization, I would like to assert that it is just one part and, depending on the company, it may not even be the most important part.

So, what then do I believe is the role of the partner organization?  We'll explore this topic much more in depth as the weeks go on, and I'll endeavor to bring in individuals who can shed light on this topic from a variety of angles (sales, marketing, product, leadership, and, yes, BJJ), but, for today, I'll try to summarize my concept of the partner role inside the burgeoning martech company. 

Simply put, and to reiterate a prior point, the partner group must enable success for the rest of the organization.  This occurs by aligning interests with complementary businesses; identifying opportunities to amplify messaging through strong relationships with adjacent organizations; recognizing other solutions and technologies where integration and product development might occur; developing relationships with larger organizations and penetrating their sales, customer success, and marketing divisions; and keeping a finger on the pulse of the industry to understand current trends and, essentially, be your organization's martech TMZ.

While the ultimate measure of success for virtually any role today is revenue, it's important to realize that partner revenue comes in many forms and, therefore, the way organizations measure the success of their partner team will vary greatly from one company to the next.  Whether revenue is direct, indirect, influenced, part of a new product line brought to market with another company or derived from channels sales, it's all being enabled by partnerships.

We'll explore some of those success metrics in later posts but, for now, I'll leave you with this: a firm understanding of your company's priorities, strengths, and weaknesses will be vital in determining where to focus and how to measure the performance of your partner organization. 

Structuring a successful partner organization is a lot like progressing through the ranks of BJJ: when you start out as a lowly white belt, you're nervous, excited, a little bit scared, you don't know what to expect and you probably suck (there are a few naturally talented freaks out there but let’s not talk about them because nobody likes them anyway).  But, if you go in with patience, knowing that you're on a journey of progression, where long-term goals (i.e. getting that next belt!) are clearly defined but the short-term objectives can change overnight (wait, you're telling me there are thirty-two other ways to do this same choke?), you'll be well positioned to execute a successful partner strategy. 


Key Takeaways:

• Have an honest understanding of your company’s strengths and weaknesses in order to set realistic goals for the partner program.
• Realize partnerships are based on relationships and trust and both take time to achieve so be patient.
• If executed properly, the partner group’s primary function is to enable the success of other teams, particularly product, marketing, and sales.
• In the messy arena of martech, strong partnerships are key to getting your message to break through the noise.