Where are we in the decade of the ecosystem?

It’s easy to see how history repeats itself looking backward, but what about in the moment? Could you tell that history was repeating itself if it was happening right now?

B2B legends like Scott Brinker, Jay McBain, Jill Rowley, and Tyler Calder believe we’re at a pivotal point in B2B that’s similar to the early days of martech.

Tyler Calder explained this “revenue renaissance” last week, claiming this is a huge opportunity for partner leaders.

In the early 2000s, marketers had to rise to the challenge of the digital world.

Now, partner leaders need to rise to the challenge of an interconnected world.

Here’s where the rubber meets the road.

“There is a sentiment that the current crop of partnership leaders, the incumbents, don’t have what it takes to make the promise of partnerships, ecosystem-led growth, nearbound happen. They see us driving results, but they’re small and isolated. They want scaled results.”

That sentiment is dead wrong. Let’s build into the decade of the ecosystem, together.

Click here to listen to Tyler Calder’s session on the Revenue Renaissance in B2B and get his slides.

4.7 star syndrome

How do buyers think and purchase?

That’s the million (or potentially billion-dollar) question in B2B.

Last week Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius, one of the biggest review sites out there shared some of the secrets TrustRadius is learning.

Use this information to make your website, marketplace listings, and review site listings higher converting.

• Buyers are more risk-averse

• Purchase decisions require more information

• Time to close is longer

• Each decision requires more decision-makers.

Scores, demos, or even base-line product, feature, and pricing information isn’t enough.

Buyers care about efficiency and social proof. They want to know who is reviewing products (are they relevant and credible), and what context they’re using the tools.

To get buyers to make purchase decisions you need to give more.

“Today, the brands that embrace the strategy of meeting buyers where they are, giving them what they want, and aligning to their expectations will outperform in the longrun.”

Vinay shared one impressive example. While scanning, pay attention to the information and the delivery of that information.

Click here to watch the recording.

Nearbound overlay versus underlay

You hear about nearbound, and you’re all in.

The philosophy — yes.

The problem — you see it.

But before you plunge in, decide if an overlay or an underlay approach is better for your organization.

A nearbound underlay works when you’re already at ground zero. It’s where your nearbound tactics come from the answers to questions like: who is our buyer; where do they live; who surrounds them.

A nearbound overlay strategy is different in that you start with what you’re already doing, and you layer nearbound on top of it.

Already writing content? Great, pull in some partners.

Already expanding product capabilities? Awesome, let’s figure out which integrations to build.

You don’t have to start over to do nearbound well. Just integrate it into what you’re already doing! 

Listen to Isaac’s full session and get the slides here.

Perfecting your presale GTM strategy is not an easy task. Many pros encounter challenges like: 

• Limited impact from sales leads

• Hurdles in effective collaboration, and 

• The perpetual quest to raise brand equity and influence the sales process positively.

The good news? Reveal, HubSpot, and Cloud Software Association are here to help. 

Join Kelly Sarabyn, Jared Fuller, Jessica Fewless, Sunir Shah, and Alexander Buckles on November 16, 2023, at 2 pm ET / 8 pm CET to learn how to transform your presale challenges into triumphs.

Save my seat.

Stuff you don’t want to miss!

• November 16th —Elevate Your Presale GTM with Tech Partners— Learn from industry experts like Kelly Sarabyn (HubSpot), Jared Fuller (nearbound.com and Reveal), Sunir Shah (AppBind), and Alexander Buckles (Forecastable). Evolve your GTM strategy with tech partners. Register here. 

• Enroll by November 17th —Firneo’s Mastering Partnerships Strategy (4-week course)— Registration is now open! Learn how to diagnose and solve your partner program’s biggest challenges from the world’s top partnership leaders. Use the code "NEARBOUND" for a 1:1 Strategy Coaching package (worth $1,000) for FREE. Enroll (or check out a free preview) here 

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Nearbound is not new. There are people all across B2B already succeeding by running nearbound plays. Let’s win this decade of the ecosystem by learning from them, together!