Episode Focus: Recap and analysis of Catalyst 2025; top takeaways, trends, tools, and areas to watch in partner ecosystems.

🔹 Segment 1: Setting the Stage – Catalyst 2025 Overview (5–6 min)

Purpose: Contextualize the event for listeners and explain why it matters

• 700+ attendees: Partner, ecosystem, channel, and alliances leaders

• Partnerships now have a seat at the table—more exec-level engagement than ever before

• Rise of the Chief Partnership Officer (CPO)—a legitimized function

• The evolution: from “nice-to-have” to “critical growth lever”

Conversation Prompts:

• How has the perception of partnerships changed over the past 5 years?

• What was the energy like at this year’s Catalyst?

• Biggest surprises or moments that stood out?

🔹 Segment 2: Top 5–7 Takeaways That Matter Most (12–15 min)

Purpose: Highlight the most important trends and insights shaping partner strategy

1. Partnerships as a GTM Strategy

→ Not just a channel—central to business growth

→ PLG (Partner-Led Growth) is replacing traditional outbound

2. Trust > Transactions

→ Pipeline swaps are dying—deep collaboration wins

→ Trust-building as the foundation for scale

3. Partner Data Strategy & Attribution

→ Joint dashboards, LTV/CAC metrics, sourced vs. influenced revenue

→ “If you can’t measure it together, you can’t scale it together”

4. Smarter Ecosystem Curation

→ Fewer, deeper, aligned partnerships over "partner with everyone"

→ Strategic > reactive, aligned to ICP and GTM motion

5. AI + Automation in Partner Ops

→ Tools like Paai, Crossbeam Copilot, WorkSpan driving automation

→ AI is accelerating prioritization, onboarding, and reporting

6. Partner Enablement Remains Undervalued

→ Still too many partners without clear support

→ Enablement = revenue multiplier if done right

7. The Rise of Cross-Functional Alignment

→ Partner success needs sales, CS, product, and exec buy-in

→ Silos are still the biggest barrier to scale

Conversation Prompts:

• Which takeaway felt most urgent for your own team?

• Are companies doing a good job with attribution yet?

• How are partner teams using AI realistically—not just buzzwords?

🔹 Segment 3: Challenges and Watchouts for 2025 (8–10 min)

Purpose: Discuss what might derail progress or stall partnership programs

Top Challenges:

• Misaligned incentives across internal teams

• Partner fatigue / lack of prioritization frameworks

• Attribution confusion leading to underinvestment

• Overly complex partner tech stacks

• Low executive visibility into partner impact

Key Things to Watch:

• More tech consolidation and platform-centric partner plays

• Rising importance of co-innovation and co-sell motions with hyperscalers (AWS, Microsoft, GCP)

• Ecosystem maturity → not about having logos, but real joint value creation

• Increased headcount + budget for partner teams (especially new roles like Partner PMs)

Conversation Prompts:

• Where are most partner programs falling short?

• Is partner enablement getting enough love and budget?

• Are companies still confusing BD with real strategy?

🔹 Segment 4: Final Thoughts + What Comes Next (5–7 min)

Purpose: Inspire action and reflection for listeners

Closing Topics:

• Partner orgs need to stop thinking like support teams and start thinking like core revenue engines

• Building partner trust = building customer trust

• The next generation of partner pros is already making waves—empower and invest in them

• AI won’t replace partnership strategy—it will enhance and accelerate it

• Co-build, co-market, co-sell — the new 3Cs of growth

Final Provocations:

• How are you prioritizing your partner stack?

• Are your partners solving real problems—or just filling checkboxes?

• What’s one thing you’ll do differently after hearing this episode?

You don’t need a booth to own a conference.

In this episode of The Channel Surfers, we break down how to maximize every minute on the floor — without a single branded tablecloth. From pre-show planning to partner power moves and post-show follow-up, this is your blueprint for turning badge scans into real revenue.

Pound the pavement. Skip the swag. Let’s go.

[Listen here] #TheChannelSurfers #ChannelSales #PartnerFirst #ConferenceHustle

In this episode of The Channel Surfers, John McCabe and Jeff Lennon welcome Asher Matthew, CEO of Partnership Leaders and a true force in the modern channel and ecosystem movement. Asher brings his unique blend of startup energy, enterprise channel chops, and community-first leadership to a deep conversation about where the partner ecosystem model is heading—and how go-to-market leaders can evolve to keep up.

Asher shares his journey from hands-on channel operator to startup advisor and now CEO of one of the most influential communities in partnerships. The discussion centers around the mindset shift required to build with partners, not just through them, and how companies can drive repeatable, scalable success across all stages of growth.

Highlights include:

• 🌐 Why the future of GTM is ecosystem-led—and what that means for traditional channel orgs

• 🤝 The traits of modern partner leaders (and the importance of being product-aware and revenue-tied)

• 🛠 Frameworks for building community and activating partners earlier in the customer journey

• 🔁 The feedback loop between field teams, product, and partner orgs—and how to make it real

• 💡 Tactical advice for channel professionals looking to stay relevant and drive impact in today’s ecosystem-driven world

Asher’s perspective is both practical and visionary—offering real-world stories, frameworks, and plenty of quotables. If you’re a channel leader looking to modernize your motion or a founder building your first partner strategy, this episode is packed with takeaways you can put into action.

📢 “Partners don’t just amplify what you do—they co-create the future with you.” – Asher Matthew

In this episode of The Channel Surfers, John McCabe and Jeff Lennon sit down with Craig Gleason, a seasoned channel strategist and one of the leading voices in the fractional executive space, to explore how companies can scale smarter and faster by leveraging fractional channel leadership.

Craig breaks down what a Fractional Channel Executive actually does and why more companies—especially early-stage and high-growth tech vendors—are turning to this model to accelerate partner program development, GTM execution, and revenue without the overhead of a full-time hire. From building a channel strategy from scratch to revitalizing stagnant partner ecosystems, Craig shares real-world examples and key KPIs fractional leaders can impact in under 90 days.

In this light-hearted episode, we explore how the game of golf mirrors the journey of building a strong channel business. From strategic patience to playing the long game, we break down the parallels between swings on the course and swings at growing partnerships.

Key Talking Points:

Why you need more than one "club" in your partner bag

The difference between big swings and steady putting (flash vs. follow-through)

Understanding each partner like you read the course

The value of tempo, timing, and follow-up in deals

How a long-term mindset wins in golf and the channel

Takeaway:

Just like golf, building a winning channel strategy is about consistency, finesse, and knowing when to go big—or lay up.

In Part 2 of this 2 Part episode, John and Jeff look into how professionals, especially in tech and channel sales, are dealing with layoffs in this tough market:

1) Storie from the Field: • Real life examples of people getting laid off. 2: Mindset & Mental Health

• Managing stress, uncertainty, and imposter syndrome

• The importance of professional networks and community support

• Tactical Next Steps

• Personal Branding: Updating LinkedIn, sharing expertise

• Leveraging Networks: How to reconnect with past colleagues, mentors, and industry leaders

• Exploring New Paths: Consulting, freelancing, starting a business

• Upskilling & Certifications: Making yourself more competitive

In this episode of The Channel Surfers, John McCabe and Jeff Lennon sit down with Jared Fuller — Co-Founder of nearbound.com, host of PartnerUp, and a leading voice in the partnerships ecosystem.

Jared brings the heat as we dive into:

• Why the traditional channel mindset is outdated

• The evolution from channel to ecosystem

• How “nearbound” is shaping the future of go-to-market

• What most companies get wrong about partner strategy

• And why trust is the new currency in sales

Whether you’re a seasoned channel leader or just starting your partnerships journey, this episode is packed with insights, frameworks, and real talk about what it takes to win with and through partners in today’s landscape.

🎧 Tune in and get ready to think bigger, broader, and more collaboratively.

#ChannelSurfers #Partnerships #Nearbound #Ecosystem #JaredFuller

⸻

Want me to tailor it more to your tone or add any call to action?

In Part 1 of this 2 Part episode, John and Jeff look into how professionals, especially in tech and channel sales, are dealing with layoffs in this tough market.

• Why this conversation matters:

• Market conditions (tech layoffs, economic shifts)

• The emotional and financial impact

• Strategies for bouncing back

Segment 1: The Reality of Layoffs

• Brief market context:

• Recent industry trends (channel sales, tech, cybersecurity)

• How the job market is reacting (hiring slowdowns, shifting priorities)

• Common reasons for layoffs in this economy

• Psychological & emotional impact on professionals

Segment 2: Hiring Insights & Market Trends

• What hiring managers and recruiters are looking for in today’s market

• Alternative career paths for those coming from channel sales and partnerships

• How to position yourself for success in this environment

John and Jeff explored with Michelle Eatherton the push and pull shaping the partner ecosystem in the era of AI—what’s changing, what’s staying the same, and how past lessons can guide us through the next wave.

Trends may come and go, but a thoughtful approach ensures we’re always learning and evolving. What lessons did we learn during the cloud boom during my time at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and how is that playing out in the AI avalanche happening at Liminal??

This is a must listen to podcast!

In Episode 8, The Channel Surfers discuss PRM Solutions. As a channel executive, Are You a Believer in the power of a PRM (Partner Relationship Manager)?

We flip the script on the show format, and Jeff interviews John on his knowledge/expertise on implementing PRM solutions over the past 10 years.

Key Takeaways from this Podcast

1) Is your Channel Program big enough for a PRM

2) PRM solutions are an important tool to help show sales progress and growth in your channel program.

3) Make sure you negotiate the cost of a PRM solution to fit your organizations budget.