Want referrals? Build trust first.

What holds companies back? The credibility & trust of customers.

Most companies can’t send referrals that convert because they have little equity with their customers.

Why?

Because (most of the time) the people serving their customers have never done the job their customers are trying to do.

They fill roles up with people based on prior experience but rarely, if ever, based on industry expertise, network, and ability to help their customers do their job (quite literally).

Referrals are not the goal of partner ecosystems. They are a mere feature.

The goal is a high-trust network where people help each other because they all believe in a shared vision of how their world should work.

They give intel.

They help.

They support.

They serve.

They do anything that helps the market win because it helps them win.

The story of the companies like HubSpot was not written in the book of referrals. It was written on trust.

And trust comes from helping people reach their promised land.

When you or a company are known as someone who helps, you don’t need to send referrals to get referrals.

You just do the right thing. And the right things are done to you in return.

5 hard lessons for tech companies starting in partnerships

A Nearbound motion can drive sales with lower costs and more success. It seems like a no-brainer to go all in.

But, Donagh Kiernan points out in his OpEd, that partnerships aren’t easy. You don’t want to just chase after partnerships like chasing a shiny object.

You’ve got to:

• Find the right fit
• Define your partner proposition
• Commit to partner enablement
• Execute on the right capabilities
• Acknowledge the learning journey

Too many tech leaders jump straight to targeting potential global partners, without a validated partner proposition.

The power of integrations

Ryan Lunka was recently on the SaaS Connect podcast, espousing the power of integrations.

Integration is everything. You wouldn’t have the experience from your personal use of the web or your business use of the web if integration didn’t exist, and it’s foundational to what the internet does.

And so that means if you’re building products that are intended to deliver value in that world, you should be thinking about integration. – Ryan Lunka

Check out this clip here.

Happenings

• Firneo - How to Kick-Ass in Your First Partnerships Role - Wednesday, March 29th, 12 – 1 PM ET – Learn practical, tactical insights to conquer your new role so you can start putting wins on the board immediately. Register here.
• PartnerXperience Partnerships Meetup Berlin March 29th - This event is for Partnership Professionals who would like to connect, learn, and exchange best practices on how to build successful partnerships with other peers. Register here.
• InFUUSE – The Future of Business: Unleashing the Ecosystem Blueprint to Redefine Growth – Thursday, March 30th, 5 PM EST – Join Jared Fuller and an incredible panel of futurists, disruptors, innovators, and dreamers for an electrifying virtual round table to discuss the future of business. Learn why Nearbound is the GTM blueprint. Register here.
• Generating & MOVING Pipeline with Partners – Thursday, March 30th, 2 PM ET – Cory Synder (from Sendoso) is meeting up with Justin Zimmerman to share how he uses tools like Crossbeam, Reveal, Slack, as well as KPIs he’s built to push pipeline & keep aligned with leadership. Register here.

Quote of the Day

We need to reiterate that we’re a partner-centric organization, because when everybody hears that, that’s the beginnings of a strategy that requires tactics and processes to support it. – Raja Nucho, on PartnerUp 103

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