Bold Journeys Podcast

In every company I’ve worked for, one of my key roles was to drive more partner-sourced revenue. This is the desire of every sale rep, manager and CRO. This episode highlights a huge success story in radically increasing business originated by partners. And you’re going to hear how they did it. 

I’m speaking with Timm Hoyt, the SVP of Worldwide Partners and Alliances at Sumo Logic. Timm shares his extensive experience in sales, marketing, and partnership leadership, providing invaluable insights into Sumo Logic’s transformation into a partner-led organization. Throughout the episode, Timm discusses the challenges and opportunities he encountered, the key metrics for measuring partner success, and the internal structural changes required to promote a partner-centric culture.

Get ready for actionable strategies for fostering effective partnerships and driving significant business growth through a partner-first approach. 

Here are ten steps you can take to unlock partner growth based on the lessons I learned from Timm:

Have you solved the mystery of how to partner successfully with Global System Integrators, commonly referred to as GSIs? If not, this episode is for you. It’s a replay of my interview with Raj Gupta, the head of global partnerships at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).  Raj shares his take on partnerships and the nuances of working effectively with TCS. His insights serve as a comprehensive guide for building successful partnerships with TCS and other GSIs.

Here are the top ten tips I learned from Raj’s experiences and insights:

Appreciate the Breadth and Scale of GSIs

Founded in 1968, TCS now has nearly 600,000 employees worldwide with close to $30 billion in annual revenues. TCS is the trusted advisor to more than 2,500 clients around the globe, with a 95% repeat business. 

Understand the Unique Nature of GSIs

TCS, like many other Global System Integrators (GSIs), should not be treated like resellers or boutique delivery shops. GSIs function more as brand ambassadors for their partners, leveraging their extensive relationships and industry expertise to amplify the value of partner technologies.

Focus on Long-Term Relationships

TCS has relationships spanning decades with their clients. To successfully partner with TCS and other GSIs, it’s crucial to align with this long-term vision rather than pursuing short-term gains. Building lasting partnerships based on shared goals and mutual trust is key.

Effective Use of Market Development Funds (MDF)

Raj advises that market development funds should be strategically used, primarily for joint events and creating solutions integrated with existing platforms. Providing GSIs with MDF can drive mindshare and foster collaborations that ultimately result in significant business growth.

Embrace Storytelling

Raj shares a compelling story about a young boy’s interaction with Alexa to illustrate the power of technology in everyday life. He stresses the importance of storytelling in conveying the value of your solutions to clients and partners, making complex concepts more relatable and compelling.

Align on Shared Goals and Objectives

It’s crucial for partners to work in sync with TCS’s internal teams and practices. Creating a joint business plan with clear objectives and regular accountability checks can help ensure both parties are aligned and working towards common goals.

Leverage TCS’s Ecosystem

TCS has a vast ecosystem of 220 strategic partners that they have been trimming down to focus on quality over quantity, ensuring that partnerships are strategic, scalable, and beneficial across different industry verticals. Vendors should consider how their solution integrates within the GSI’s ecosystem for maximum customer benefit. 

Importance of Partner Excellence Framework

Make sure you understand what’s important in a partnership to your GSIs. TCS uses a Partner Excellence Framework to evaluate and measure partner performance. Key metrics include stability, market presence, openness to collaboration, and the ability to provide significant extensions of funding and resources. 

Building Heart Share and Mind Share

Raj introduces the concept of heart-share (emotional trust) and mind share (cognitive recognition among stakeholders). The goal is to get the mindshare within the GSI organization and within their enterprise customer base. But Raj says that before the mindshare comes the heart-share. 

Consider Using Funded Heads

Having a dedicated person who works to build the heart-share and mindshare within the GSI organization around the globe can have a powerful impact. Raj has seen the pipeline build up very quickly with this approach. Going after the wallet share before gaining heart-share and mindshare can slow down and even break the opportunity.

Where do CEOs develop their appreciation for partnering? Why do some CEOs fully embrace partnering as a core business strategy while others take a fair-weather nice-to-have view? 

In this episode, you’ll meet a CEO who gets it. Jed Ayres, CEO of ControlUp, talks about his unique career path and insights on channel partnerships. Jed shares his experience transitioning from a reseller to leading a SaaS company, emphasizing the critical role of channel partners in scaling business operations.

This episode is a must-listen for every CEO who wants to better understand the power of partnering.

Here are my top 10 takeaways from my conversation with Jed:

Where do you go for advice on how to navigate the evolving technology and partner landscape? There’s a new player in town that offers some unique benefits for partners and partner managers.

For this episode, I sit down with MJ Shoer, Chief Community Officer, and Carolyn April, Head of Research at the new Global Technology Industry Association (GTIA). GTIA was formed by the spin-off of CompTIA.

MJ discusses the ongoing role of CompTIA and the focused mission of the newly created GTIA. April dives into highlights from the 2025 IT Industry Outlook report she developed. 

Here are my top 10 takeaways from my conversation with Carolyn and MJ:

Are you feeling the heat to justify your investment in partnering? Do you know what return on investment (ROI) you’re getting? Many partnering leaders are fighting for investment and having to answer difficult questions from their CFO and CEO to substantiate the value of partnering. 

I recently had the pleasure of meeting someone who has spent a lot of time with CFOs on this topic. Harald Horgen is a partnering strategist and CEO of The York Group. Harald shares his methodologies and critical aspects to consider when assessing the return on investment for business partnerships.

In this episode you’ll gain valuable insights into optimizing your partnerships, measuring their effectiveness, and driving growth. 

Here are 10 steps Harald shared that you can take to increase the return on your partnering investment: