Groundwork

Ron Piovesan is back on Groundwork, this time to share why Okta is going deep with fewer partners instead of going wide. In this episode, Ron unpacks the strategic shift from managing a broad ecosystem to focusing on a small number of high-impact partnerships. He shares how his team aligns long-term product roadmaps and go-to-market strategies with just six partners, while still supporting a vibrant integration ecosystem.

Our favorite takeaways:

- Focusing on fewer, high-impact partners enables deeper collaboration and better returns

- Empathy is essential for navigating internal alignment and sustaining long-term partnerships

- Scalable ecosystems require delightful, self-serve partner experiences

- Developer relations and partnerships are converging, and companies need to adapt

- Data-driven signals from sales and product can reveal the next strategic partner

Timestamps:

03:01 - Why Okta Is Prioritizing Fewer Partners

06:28 - The Business Case for Going Deep

10:03 - The Risk of Missing the Next Big Partner

12:17 - Managing a Massive Integration Ecosystem

14:43 - What Makes a “Delightful” Partner Experience

17:05 - Developer Relations vs. Partnerships

19:06 - How Small Companies Can Get on Okta’s Radar

25:10 - Using Data to Identify Emerging Partners

27:53 - Ron’s Ideal Internal AI Tool

30:49 - Why Customers Are the Best Advocates

33:01 - Avoiding the Novelty Trap

35:02 - How Empathy Drives Internal Alignment

#Partnerships #EcosystemStrategy #TechPartnerships #DeveloperRelations #SaaSGrowth #B2BMarketing #PartnerPrograms #IntegrationStrategy #GoToMarket #ChannelPartners #StrategicAlliances

Partnership Leaders is a premier industry association for partnership, channel, and business development professionals. As a leading community, it connects over 2,000+ members worldwide, facilitating virtual and in-person events, sharing insights, and promoting personal and professional development.

In this episode, Roman Lobas, Head of Partnerships at Fuelfinance, joins Tai Rattigan to explore the dynamics of venture partnerships. Roman breaks down how to build trust with VCs, align incentives, and craft a value proposition that gets remembered. Drawing from his experience at Deel, Roman shares actionable strategies for scaling partnerships and fostering long-term relationships with investors.

In this episode, Andrey Lipattsev, from Google's Chrome Privacy Partnerships team, shares his journey from trust and safety roles to leading product partnerships at Google. He discusses the Privacy Sandbox initiative, which aims to update outdated technologies and enhance user privacy.

In this episode, Jen Waltz, Founding VP of Global Alternate Channel Sales at Kron Technologies, shares her extensive experience in business development, focusing on digital transformation, strategic partnerships, and cybersecurity.

In this episode, Daisy shares her unconventional journey from a background in child development to becoming a leader in cloud partnerships. She offers insights into balancing internal and external partnership efforts and the strategic role of SI partners in cloud ecosystems.

In this episode, Rachel Fefer shares her extensive experience in partnerships and channel sales. She shares insights from her journey in notable companies like Bloomreach and Magento, the transition to partner-led services, the importance of executive buy-in, and the unique dynamics of the Israeli tech ecosystem.

In this episode, Jennifer Rhima, Director of Partnerships at Apollo.io, discusses her journey in building successful partnerships across the globe. From her early days as a congressional intern to leading partnerships in the Middle East and North Africa, Jennifer shares insights on adapting to diverse business cultures, proving the value of partnerships, and scaling teams from scratch.

In this episode, Kyle shares his career journey in partnerships from an intern at ExactTarget to his current role. We covered the importance of structured partnerships, the transition from ExactTarget to Salesforce, and the strategic role of partnerships at Movable Ink. (movableink.com) Kyle explains how his team supports sales regions, measures success through partner involvement in revenue, and the significance of building long-term relationships.

In this episode, Tai Rattigan chats with Eleanor Thompson about her journey in partnerships, from starting at Blue Prism to founding Branchworks. They discuss the concept of a funded head, the importance of internal enablement, and strategies for aligning sales and marketing teams.

Eleanor also shares practical tips on navigating attribution challenges and building strong partner relationships. This episode is packed with actionable insights for anyone looking to enhance their partnership strategies and drive business growth.

03:26 - The Concept of a Funded Head

05:06 - Role and Experience with Resellers

06:37 - How Reseller Businesses Operate

07:59 - Relationship Management in Sales

09:10 - Channel Conflict and Direct Sales

10:31 - Standing Out in a Reseller Environment

12:55 - Internal Enablement and Alignment

15:28 - Successful Internal Enablement Examples

17:45 - Responsibility for Internal Enablement

19:23 - Time Split Between Partner Activities and Internal Enablement

21:59 - Celebrating Wins and Continuous Enablement

23:18 - Attribution Challenges with Sales and Marketing

26:15 - Engaging Executive Leadership for Alignment

29:42 - Encouraging AE's to Work with Partners

31:41 - Marketing and Attribution Conflicts

34:03 - Solutions for Attribution Issues

37:24 - Educating Partners on Deal Logging

39:40 - Engaging CEO's and Founders Early

42:30 - Supporting Partnership Leaders with Resources

45:24 - Advocating for Resources and Training

48:38 - Building a Budget and Hiring Plan

Partnership Leaders is a premier industry association for partnership, channel, and business development professionals. As a leading community, it connects over 1,700 members worldwide, facilitating virtual events, sharing insights, and promoting personal and professional development.

#Partnerships #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #Branchworks #Ecosystem

In this episode, Alexander Shyshko takes us through his career journey, starting in direct sales and his transition to partnerships. Now the CRO at Outbound Funnel, Alex shares his insights on how his passion for building relationships has shaped his career and current role.

He and Tai cover the following:

- Differences between working in tech companies and running an agency.

- The importance of capacity planning in agencies.

- Strategies for managing capacity, including efficient hiring and talent deployment.

- The role of standardization in process optimization and client satisfaction.

Timestamps:

00:43: Alex's Journey into Partnerships

02:45: Transition to Agency Work

03:24: Differences Between Tech Companies and Agencies

04:27: Treating Agency Partners as Extensions

05:28: Importance of Capacity Planning

06:48: Challenges of Scaling in an Agency

07:54: Capacity Planning Process

08:59: Empathizing with Capacity Constraints

10:01: Standardizing Processes in Agencies

11:01: Seamless Handoffs Between Partners and Agencies

12:03: Customizing Projects for Specific Clients

13:35: Ensuring Project Success with Proper Planning

15:43: Balancing Referrals and Capacity

17:14: Financial Incentives for Agencies

18:46: Strategic Use of Agency Partners

20:18: Enhancing Customer Success with Agencies

22:43: High-Impact Referrals from Agencies

25:21: Standardizing Statements of Work (SOW)

27:23: Customizing SOWs for Unique Client Needs

29:26: Transparency and Documentation in Agency Work

31:18: Importance of Continuous Collaboration

33:05: Educating Partners and Teams

35:07: Accountability and Timeline Management

37:10: Sharing Control in the Sales Process

Partnership Leaders is a premier industry association for partnership, channel, and business development professionals. As a leading community, it connects over 1,000 members worldwide, facilitating virtual events, sharing insights, and promoting personal and professional development.

#partnerships #saaspartnerships #ecosystems