Friends with Benefits

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Can the future of B2B partnerships be built on a foundation of trust and data sharing? Join us as we kick off season two of the Friends with Benefits podcast with Bob Moore, co-founder of Crossbeam, who shares invaluable insights from his journey in redefining the partner tech landscape. Listen to Bob's compelling story of Crossbeam's inception, navigating the GDPR challenges of 2018, and tackling the daunting "cold start problem" to build a thriving platform connecting over 30,000 companies today. Bob's experience sheds light on what it takes to overcome industry skepticism and achieve success against the odds.

Our conversation dives into the importance of aligning partnerships with revenue teams, a crucial component for maximizing the potential of partner ecosystems. We unpack the common pitfalls partner leaders face and the necessity of securing buy-in from sales leadership. The role of RevOps in integrating systems and metrics is emphasized, along with the strategic evolution of partner teams as force multipliers in the business world. In this rapidly changing environment, adapting from transactional roles to more strategic ones is key for maintaining relevance and driving growth.

Join us on this insightful journey into the future of partnerships and strategic growth.

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Join hosts Jason and Sam for the first-ever LIVE recording of the Friends with Benefits podcast, from the inaugural Arcadia Leadership Experience (ALX). The Arcadia Leadership Experience combined experiences like glamping, fly fishing, and yoga with deep discussions on partnerships and personal growth. In this episode, they share insights from their closing keynote, exploring what it means to embody the values of Arcadia—harmony, intentionality, and greatness. Listen in as they discuss the importance of self-leadership, building authentic relationships, and the journey to personal and professional excellence. This episode is a heartfelt tribute to the power of community and the pursuit of greatness.

For more on the event visit: https://www.arcadialeadershipexperience.com/

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In the season 1 finale, we delve into the critical topic of men's mental health in honor of Men's Mental Health Awareness Month. Joined by our friend and advocate Cory Snyder, we explore the societal pressures men face and the stigma surrounding emotional vulnerability. Cory shares his personal journey of dealing with extreme stress and physical symptoms, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and seeking help. He discusses the challenges of balancing work, family, and personal well-being, and the often-overlooked financial stressors that contribute to mental health struggles. Cory also highlights the significance of creating intentional spaces for men to open up, such as his annual golf trip dedicated to mental health awareness. The conversation underscores the need for men to support each other and normalize emotional expression. This episode also marks the season finale, with a promise of more insightful discussions in the upcoming season.

Thinking about joining us in Montana this summer for the Arcadia Leadership Experience? We would love to have you! Details here: https://www.arcadialeadershipexperience.com/

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Alex Buckles joins us this week to take a deep dive into the complexities of co-selling in the tech and partnership space. Alex shares his six-year journey of solving the co-sell motion, emphasizing the importance of making it a predictable and repeatable process. Alex introduces the concept of a managed service to support sales reps, highlighting the role of co-sell alignment specialists. Our conversation also touches on the challenges of change management and the need for partner leaders to understand the sales cycle.

Additionally, Alex talks about his personal connection to autism advocacy through his son and his work with Pathways for Autism, aiming to create employment opportunities and innovations for the autistic community. 

Get the Forecastable white papers (they're so incredibly good): https://forecastable.com/b2b-sales-reps-a-guide-to-keeping-partners-from-wrecking-your-deals/ 

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This week we're chatting with a couple of legends, Michelle Eatherton and Dorothy Copeland, on their experiences and insights on building successful ecosystems in the tech space including AWS, IBM, Hubspot, and Stripe. Dorothy talks about her journey at AWS and Stripe, highlighting the importance of choosing the right partnerships and building the right culture while scaling. Michelle discusses her role in developing the AWS partner network and her current venture at Liminal, emphasizing a partner-first go-to-market strategy. Both guests delve into the challenges and strategies of balancing high-powered careers with personal lives, offering a candid look at the dynamics of work-life integration.

Dive deep with us as we explore:
- The genesis and evolution of AWS partner network 
- Strategies for building and scaling effective partner ecosystems.
- The art and science of partner development
- Personal insights on balancing high-impact careers with personal life.

Interested in joining us here in Bozeman, MT for the Arcadia Leadership Experience? 

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In this episode, Jason and Sam chat with Greg Portnoy, a prominent partner leader known for his influential LinkedIn presence and newly released PRM, Euler. Greg discusses the significant effort behind his LinkedIn content and the importance of building genuine, value-added relationships in the business world. He shares insights from his career in partnerships, emphasizing the need for authenticity, strategic alignment, and trust in fostering long-term business relationships. The conversation also delves into the challenges and strategies of managing partner programs, particularly with agencies, and the critical role of clear communication and expectations in partnership success. Greg's experiences highlight the nuanced dynamics of partnerships and the continuous effort required to maintain and grow professional networks effectively.

If you’re looking for a new PRM built for YOU. Check out EULER. A PRM built WITH partnership leaders. Automated enough to create bandwidth. Flexible enough to address different partnership models. Integrated enough to meet everyone where they work. From Series A startups to $200M ARR enterprises, EULER is helping partner teams of all sizes scale revenue with ease.

Check out eulerapp.com to learn more

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In this episode, Jason and Sam chat with Katie Lambert, Director of Partner Marketing and Enablement at HubSpot. The conversation delves into the multifaceted role of partner marketing, exploring its ambiguous nature and diverse responsibilities. Katie shares insights on how her team manages partner communications, events, and co-marketing efforts, emphasizing the importance of creating a shared vocabulary and understanding within the partner ecosystem. The discussion also covers the strategic aspects of partner marketing, such as aligning partner interests with company goals and the significance of executive engagement in nurturing partner relationships. Katie's approach highlights the importance of treating partners as extensions of the company, ensuring they are well-informed and engaged, which she believes is key to fostering successful partnerships and driving mutual growth.

Episode Highlights:

➕Katie's Unique Approach to Partner Marketing

➕Keys to Creating a Successful Partner Program

➕The Power of Community in Partnerships

➕Hubspot’s vision for the Future

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Sam Jacobs, CEO of Pavilion and author of Kind Folks Finish First, discusses the importance of kindness and building strong relationships in business. He shares his personal journey of prioritizing values and principles in his career and how it has shaped his approach to partnerships.  He also addresses the challenges of balancing kindness with business considerations and navigating situations where kindness may be perceived as a weakness. The conversation highlights the importance of self-reflection, defining values, and finding strength in staying true to one's principles. Sam shares his personal journey of self-discovery and finding his purpose. He emphasizes the importance of knowing what you stand for and aligning your values with your actions.  He highlights the significance of accepting and embracing your whole self in building meaningful relationships. 

Key Takeaways:

• Why Kindness and building strong relationships are essential in business.
• Sam's key principles for successful partnerships.
• Instilling values and principles in teams.
• Self-reflection and defining values 
• Strength comes from feeling emotions without letting them dictate one's happiness or peace. 
• Know what you stand for and align your values with your actions.
• Accept and embrace your whole self in building meaningful relationships.
• Put in the work and continuously practice self-love and self-awareness.
• Create the time and space to provide value and support to others.

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In this episode, Jason, Sam, and Mac Redding discuss the concept of go-to-network (GTN) and how it can revolutionize sales and marketing strategies. Mac explains that GTN is about building a network of champions to pull the market to you, rather than pushing your product or service onto the market. In this conversation, Mac discusses the misalignment between words and actions in leadership, the need for a shift in traditional sales playbooks, and the importance of building networks and activating them. He emphasizes the value of authenticity in building a personal brand and the need for collaboration and breaking echo chambers. The conversation concludes with a fun dinosaur fact.

Takeaways

✚ Go-to-network (GTN) is about building a network of people to pull the market to you, rather than pushing your product or service onto the market.
✚ Implementing a successful GTN strategy requires a mindset shift and creating space for relationship building.
✚ Leadership support and intentional space for learning and understanding the target audience are crucial for a successful GTN strategy. 
✚ Traditional sales playbooks may no longer be effective in the current market landscape.
✚ Building networks and activating them can lead to valuable partnerships and business opportunities.
✚ Authenticity is key in building a personal brand, and it is important to be intentional and genuine in online interactions.

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Emir Elliott-Lindo shares his insights and experiences in the field of partnerships. He emphasizes the importance of building relationships, trust, and credibility in partnerships. Emir also discusses the significance of cross-pollination and strategic relationships in driving success. He highlights the non-negotiables and institutional beliefs that lead to successful partnerships, including treating everyone well and delivering on commitments. Emir also introduces his company, Big Friends, and explains the concept of having big friends in an ecosystem. He emphasizes the need for governance and steering committees and the importance of engaging with key stakeholders, including the CFO. Finally, Emir discusses the impact and integration that can be achieved through partnerships with strategic partners. In this conversation, Emir Elliott-Lindo shares insights on aligning key performance indicators (KPIs) with partnerships and the importance of understanding an organization's KPIs. He emphasizes the need to show KPIs in steering committees and highlights certified resources and integrations as important KPIs. Emir also discusses the growing focus on retention as the new acquisition and provides advice on working with global systems integrators (GSIs). He suggests starting with regional systems integrators and boutiques before approaching larger GSIs. Additionally, Emir shares tips on assessing readiness for GSIs, articulating messaging for SIs, and getting the attention of GSIs. Finally, he discusses building teams and mentoring in partnerships.

Takeaways

• Building relationships, trust, and credibility are essential in partnerships.
• Cross-pollination and strategic relationships can drive success.
• Treating everyone well and delivering on commitments are non-negotiables in partnerships.
• Having big friends in an ecosystem can lead to significant impact and integration.
• Governance and steering committees are crucial for partnership success.
• Engaging with key stakeholders, including the CFO, is important in partnerships. Aligning KPIs with partnerships is crucial for success.
• Understanding an organization's KPIs and aligning them with partner KPIs is important.
• Showing KPIs in steering committees helps gain support and resources.
• Certified resources and integrations are valuable KPIs for partnerships.
• Retention is becoming as important as acquisition in partnerships.
• Starting with regional systems integrators and boutiques can be a good strategy before approaching larger GSIs.
• Assessing readiness for GSIs is essential before pursuing partnerships.
• Articulating messaging that highlights the value for SIs is key to getting their attention.
• Building diverse teams and mentoring individuals is crucial for success in partnerships.