What brought you into the world of partnerships and partner-led growth?

I was recruited as the first sales rep by an online accounting startup named Keobiz in 2016. I created the partnership channel and grew a 1,09 M€ ARR with an ecosystem of 80 partners and 250 affiliates. The firm acquired 15.000 B2B customers and worked closely with companies, such as Uber, Shine, Qonto, BNP Paribas, Amazon, Deliveroo, Sedomicilier.fr and many more. 

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned working with SaaS partnerships?

I learned that setting up a partnership is not the most difficult job. The real challenge starts when you want to foster tight relationships and keep your partner engaged, then worked closely with him to exploit the partnership’ full potential within a win-win-win relationship.Long story short I believe trust, time and efforts need to be invested to build a successful collaboration between tech / SaaS companies.

How do you see the role of partnerships evolving in SaaS?

With higher competition and market concentration, I see partnerships becoming more and more central in CEO and investors’ strategies. Products being more complex and integrated, Partnerships has many advantages: it's a cheaper way to acquire and retain customer thanks to product, it’s a safe way to lock potential leads in the mid / long term, it’s usually more cost efficient than other channels and, if well executed, it can keep the competition away, creating barriers to entry. I’m happy to be part of this fast evolving ecosystem and to participate in raising the partnership's voice towards startup and scale-up C-levels.

Can you share an example of a partnership strategy that worked exceptionally well?

Sure, when I was head of partnership for Keobiz, I decided to create a strategic alliance with Legalstart. Both our companies were playing in the same space - company creation and online accounting. Keobiz was selling a product with a higher LTV, thus was able to invest more time in reaching and signing leads. We found a win-win-win deal with Legalstart where Keobiz would pay a premium for unqualified leads needing tailored advice.. There was of course a competitive risk, but with a lot of diplomacy, advocacy and trust, we realized Keobiz business had a lot of barriers to entry, which resulted in a split of leads regarding their needs. A lot of effort was put into streamlining the process and offering a fluid experience for the end user, which attracted more than 1500 clients. 

What’s the most common mistake SaaS companies make with partnerships?

To my mind, companies tend to invest too little time and efforts to create the correct lean framework, and unfortunately they bet on short term rewards. As a result, at the first bump, companies are reluctant to invest even more into the partnerships and could potentially leave on the table a lot of time unrewarded opportunities. Instead, when placing the right effort at the right time and scrutinizing signs of success to capitalize on it with the right method, using an iterative approach, companies will maximize their chances to reach success. 

How do you measure success in partner-led growth?

First I would focus on tracking the following KPI’s:  #leads, % of qualified leads / leads, #days to reach leads, #touchpoints to quote, % of quotes / leads, € average quote, € partnerships LTV compared to global LTV, # NPS clients, € commission generate, % growth sales and clients.For qualitative indicators, I look at the responsiveness of the partner, how much he knows and understands my company, his will to pivot, our ability to set up common goals and his ability to stand up to its word.

What’s one SaaS partnership trend that excites you right now?

I recently discovered the power of ads co-biding. Using two partners’ brands to advertise on Google ads can indeed create a whole new type of opportunity. The campaign I ran attracted a whole new audience, without cannibalizing brand A and creating a new chunk of business from brand B, which came as a surprise for both parties. 

What’s the best partnership you’ve ever witnessed (business or non-business)?

Google and its 95% partnership-led business. Agencies were even prioritized with direct B2B prices being overpriced by Google on purpose to direct SME’s towards agencies, guaranteeing more and smarted ads spendings.