What brought you into the world of partnerships and partner-led growth? I experienced the impact of implementing cloud technology back in 2015, and I knew I wanted to work in SaaS to be able to deliver that impact myself. Although I am not a typical sales person, (too nice, I guess?) I do love meeting new people and creating meaningful relationships. And when I started working in SaaS, the role of Partnership Manager was just surfacing, still usually requiring the person to be a jack-of-all trades, but they were all trades I happened to like!
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned working with SaaS partnerships? Keep chasing! Finding the right time, person and reason can be very hard, but if you are convinced of the added value for both parties, you need to be like a bulldog. A person blocking you? Find someone else. Business case not convincing enough? Do more studies. Not the right time? Come back in 3 months. The impact of a good partnership is huge, so the right partners are worth the investment.
How do you see the role of partnerships evolving in SaaS? There is no longer 1 partnership manager that does it all. Partnerships require a variety of skills and companies who do it well, hire a team consisting of people that fulfil those skills separately.
Can you share an example of a partnership strategy that worked exceptionally well? White label integration partnerships tend to work really well when the expectations and goals for both parties are aligned.
What’s the most common mistake SaaS companies make with partnerships? Expecting the partner delivers you results without serious investment. You need to give first in order to receive later. The sooner your partners realize they cannot achieve the same results without you, the better. So give them all the support and opportunities they require and forge a fantastic relationship.
How do you measure success in partner-led growth? This can be in various ways: Leads, revenue, growth, access to new markets, awareness, and much more. Everyone has different objectives. That is why we always start from scratch, and go back to the most important question for everyone who’s investing in partnerships “What do you expect from partnerships?”
What’s one SaaS partnership trend that excites you right now? Through platforms such as Crossbeam, companies seem to be less scared to share more information that used to be considered confidential. Coming back to my point earlier, you need to give first in order to receive. Why not compare your prospects with your partner? If you have a proper alignment and contracts in place, you should be covered to use your internal data to enable growth with your partners.
What’s the best partnership you’ve ever witnessed (business or non-business)? The 69 year long marriage of my grandparents! Married when they were just teenagers during the WW2, raising 11 kids, and they stuck together till the end. Imagine the different needs both had over the course of all these years. For me that embodies the perfect partnership: It’s a fluid thing that changes and evolves over time. We all grow and change over time. So after finding the partner that meets your original needs, adjusting your objectives along the course of the relationship is the key to the perfect partnership.
