With globalization and the rapid advancement in technology, companies are growing at a faster rate than ever before.
But the companies ahead of the pack know that partnership is the key needle mover for growth in the future.
A company that knows how to partner can excel in any industry.
In this episode, Mark Brigman, CEO and Lead Partnerships Coach at Partnernomics, joins Ecosystem Aces and discusses how his company helps businesses implement a winning partnership methodology.
Mark shares:
- Why he founded Partnernomics
- Why every Ecosystem needs an orchestrator
- The Importance of Partnership Culture
Building a Partnership Culture
Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Your world-class ecosystem strategy and technology won’t matter if your company doesn’t commit to them. Making a shift from direct sales to co-selling takes a lot of dedication and buy-in. To achieve the ROI you’re looking for, your company will need to commit to your partnering plan for at least 1-2 years. This change won’t be welcomed by all of your team, so managing the pushback as your company transitions to a partner-led company is not something you can neglect.
Culture is set by leaders. Whatever your C-suite believes is best is what your company will do. If your company’s leaders believe in partnership, then that culture will permeate throughout the organization. But if your company’s leaders think that partnerships are just a more convenient or lower-cost way of doing business, your partnering program will fail. Stepping off on the right foot and making sure your leaders are emotionally and financially committed to building an ecosystem is a prerequisite for success.
The Ecosystem Orchestrator
Partnering is no longer a one-to-one proposition, co-selling requires multiple partners working collaboratively in an ecosystem. But with so many competing interests and different goals, someone has to cast a vision for the ecosystem to align around. The role has become commonly known as “the orchestrator” but Mark likens the role to an air traffic controller.
This company is responsible for directing partners into positions where they can succeed, keeping engagement high, and employing the right technology to successfully operationalize the ecosystem.
The technology for partnerships is more advanced than ever. Making people understand this reality is the difficult part. The orchestrator needs to enable and train partners with this technology to keep the entire ecosystem on the same page.
Creating a Methodology for Partnerships
Sales teams can choose from a number of available sales plans and methodologies but there hasn’t been the same advanced playbook for partnerships -- until now.
After spending 12 years honing his strategic partnership experience at Sprint, Mark has distilled his best insights to create a standardized partnering plan. At Partnernomics, Mark helps companies adopt this playbook and take their ecosystem to the next level.
Partnering is always evolving but Partnernomics focuses on the fundamentals. Because of this, one customer of Partnernomics has taken this methodology and implemented it into 4 different companies. Regardless of your company’s maturity or goals, a coherent ecosystem plan is imperative to achieving partnership success.
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Links & Resources
- Learn more about how WorkSpan helps customers accelerate their ecosystem flywheel through Co-selling, Co-innovating, Co-investing, and Co-marketing.
- Join the WorkSpan Community to engage with other partner ecosystem leaders on best practices, news, events, jobs, and other tips to advance your career in partnering.
- Find insightful articles on how to lead and get the most out of your partner ecosystem on the WorkSpan blog.
- Download the Best Practices Guide for Ecosystem Business Management
- Download the Ultimate Guide for Partner Incentives and Market Development Funds
- To contact the host, Chip Rodgers, with topic ideas, suggest a guest, or join the conversation about modern partnering, he can be reached on Twitter, LinkedIn, or send Chip an email at: chip@workspan.com
