Don’t make this mistake

As a partner pro, if you’re not tracking your impact on retention/LTV and expansion revenue, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

Not doing so just makes you a glorified and higher-salaried Account Executive.

Partnerships impacts so much more than net new revenue, and our impact spans across even more KPIs and OKRs through product, marketing, CS, and more.

If you’re not doing this today, you’re being evaluated on the same KPI as a lower-based AE. How do you think that’s going to work out for you?

Thanks for contributing to this section of the PhD, Marco De Paulis.

CRM vs. PRM

Brian Hattaway had a controversial take on the side of CRM. He said your CRM MUST be the center of your partner universe. He wrote:

Your job is to create a partnering program that runs efficiently - don’t start out with tools that create technical debt before you’ve even had a chance to scale up." — Brian Hattaway

Brian guides us through the partner reference architecture.

Here’s the executive summary:

- Keep your partnerships inside your CRM. This is your crown jewel.

- Integrate or die. Only use a CRM if it integrates with 3rd parties.

- Focus on the task (partnering); not the tech.

As a partner pro, your job is to create a partnering program that runs efficiently - don’t start out with tools that create technical debt before you’ve even had a chance to scale up.

Read the whole article here.

And check out Jay McBain’s comments on it here.

We’re going to SaaS Connect!

You can’t miss us! We’re just totally normal dudes in PartnerHacker tracksuits ;). Watch the full video here.

We’re sending our Head of Video Production, Ademola Adelakun, and our Head of Partnerships, Will Taylor, to SaaS Connect.

Will you be there? They want to talk to you!

You can’t miss ’em.

It’s happening April 19-20, in San Francisco.

They’ll be gathering content, interviews, and behind-the-scenes coverage of the latest in the partnersphere.

Join ’em there (maybe they’ll feature you in a video).

Go level up your partnerships know-how and network with the brightest minds in B2B SaaS.

Register here for a $50 discount!

Shopify incentivizes partners

Shopify has the largest ecommerce partnerships ecosystem in the world, and it’s about to get bigger. They’re launching a new partner program to incentivize partners to generate revenue.

They’re also launching a certification program to help partners display their technical skills. They’re hoping to equip their partners with training and enablement. Partners will be able to display course certification badges that demonstrate product expertise.

Check out the full article here.

Happenings

• Magentrix - The State of Partner Engagement and Partner Portals in 2023 & Beyond - Today, 1-2 PM ET - Hear from Aaron Howerton, Rob Rebholz, and Paul Bird about the root causes behind a lack of partner engagement with your portal and what you can do about it. Register here.

• Firneo - Now - April 14th - Applications are being accepted for Certified Partnerships Professional Spring 2023 cohort. Learn the frameworks and tactics to excel in every facet of your partnerships role. Apply now.

• SaaS Connect – April 19 -20 – Where SaaS partnership leaders meet to connect the market. PartnerHacker’s Ademola Adelakun and Will Taylor will be there! Register here for a $50 discount.

• HubSpot x Reveal - How to be Successful in a Large Ecosystem - April 25, 2023, from 2pm - 2:45pm EST - Learn how HubSpot’s app partners have driven more revenue and increased retention by investing in the HubSpot ecosystem. Register here.

• Contractbook x Aptitude 8 x Reveal - Leveraging Nearbound Data with HubSpot – April 26th, 2023, from 3pm-4pm EST. Join Connor Jeffers of Aptitude 8, Per Allin of Contractbook, and Jared Fuller as they share how to unpack the secrets of Nearbound data so you can win in 2023. Register here.

• Partner Playbooks - April 27th, 11 AM CT – The Event Led Playbook for Partner Managers & Marketers! Mark Kilens (CMO of Airmeet) is meeting up with Justin Zimmerman (Partner Playbooks) to share how managers and marketers can drive leads, sales, and new partners with events and webinars! Register here.