But wait—building a partnership team isn’t as straightforward as it may seem.

Many assume that repurposing existing sales or client success resources will work for partnership roles. While it can sometimes fit, it’s often more complex than that.

At a high level, partnership resources can be categorized into two main types:

🔹 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Focused on managing and growing existing partnerships.

🔹 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Tasked with bringing new partners on board, whether through inbound or outbound efforts.

These can be combined, but as your organization scales these roles may need to be separated for optimal performance.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: Finding the right talent can be tough. When you do spot potential candidates, they might not be looking to leave their current roles. This speaks volumes about the appeal of a well-structured partnership function!

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲:

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

• Nurture and expand existing partnerships

• Collaborate on new joint offerings

• Manage escalations and issues (because they will arise!)

• Measure success by revenue growth from partnerships

• Act as the intermediary among your company, the partner, and the client

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

• Identify potential partnership opportunities

• Initiate conversations and pitch the value of partnerships

• Negotiate contracts and manage onboarding

• Oversee the partnership for the first six months post-launch

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘂𝗰𝗲?

For 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, success requires the ability to push back. Remember, partnerships thrive on a give-and-take model—neither side is always right! This is why traditional client success resources may struggle in this role.

For 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, you need to “sell” the partnership while simultaneously consulting on joint solutions. This is much more than just closing a deal!

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗙𝗼𝗿:

• Ownership and accountability

• Urgency and initiative

• The ability to envision and drive joint offerings