Learn how to implement a crawl, walk, run strategy (with a template) to pave the way for success in building and scaling partner programs.
I’ve built five partner programs from zero to one and reached $150m+ in ARR.
One of the most critical parts of this is having a clear crawl, walk, run strategy to get executive alignment and resource allocation. Here’s why a crawl, walk, run strategy can be a game changer:
- It gives you time in the first phase to lay a solid groundwork for long-term partner success.
Examples include:
- Being able to do enough customer interviews to understand the customer journey
- Meeting with and learning from cross-functional stakeholders on what’s working and what isn’t
- Building an ideal partner profile and mapping it to the customer journey
- Building a process for both inbound and outbound partner workflows
- Finding partner market fit with validated customer demand
- It sets proper expectations around timelines and outcomes.
- It mitigates risk. You don’t want to try to scale a partner program when you haven’t found a partner market fit based on the customer’s needs.
- Efficient resource allocation to ensure sustainable long-term growth.
To bring this to life for the partner community, I’ve built a template (in partnership with Partnership Leaders, Gamma, and nearbound.com) that includes:
- 7 key partnership pillars to consider
- 75 considerations in moving from current state to future state
- 3-phase approach with a detailed breakdown by potential timeline
- 3 key success factors
- Case studies template
