Build partner marketing

Who this is for

Founder led lower-middle market companies with 5 to 50 million in annual revenue that sell into ecosystems.

The quick answer

Find partners who sell to the same buyer and solve a related problem. Trade introductions and run a joint offer with a clear split. Review results each quarter and keep only the few partners that deliver meetings and revenue.

The method in six steps

Map your ecosystem
List vendors, integrators, and advisors that share your buyer.
Score partners
Fit to buyer, overlap with your offer, reach, and reliability.
Design a joint offer
A package or a workshop that solves a shared problem. Keep the split and handoff rules simple.
Plan two plays
A co hosted webinar with a follow up offer and a field event or executive roundtable.
Set targets and ownership
Meetings, opportunities, and wins. Name one owner on each side.
Review and prune
Quarterly review. Keep the partners that create pipeline. Replace those that do not.

Example

A software firm paired with a services partner to offer a short readiness assessment. The offer created warm meetings and net new pipeline for both sides.

Pitfalls and fixes

Vague value split. Write the split and the handoff.
Too many partners. Focus on the few that perform.
No follow up plan. Book meetings during the joint event.

Checklist

Ecosystem mapped and scored
Joint offer and two plays defined
Owners named and targets set
Quarterly review rhythm in place