Embrace ecosystem trust dynamics

Trust is the greatest commodity.

Where people used to say oil was the new gold, and data was the new oil, trust is the new data.

Gaining a customer’s trust today requires that you understand an ecosystem’s trust dynamics.

So, here’s how it works:

The ecosystem is the heart of trust.

Everything stems from here. If the ecosystem loses trust, every other party in that ecosystem will suffer.

Agencies amass and direct trust. They help customers achieve success with the main ecosystem provider, and by doing so, gain the role of trusted advisor.

SaaS providers are often seeking trust. They help customers achieve more success, but they borrow the trust of agencies and the broader ecosystem to do that.

The customer in this interaction is the one giving their trust.

To maintain trust in the ecosystem, every party has to uphold its end of the deal.

The ecosystem provider must maintain a flourishing ecosystem. Agencies must continue to help customers achieve more success with and through the ecosystem. And SaaS providers must solve the problems they promise to while giving customers a first-class experience.

So, you want to partner with an agency?

Agencies make partnering decisions by thinking customer-first.

If you’re a partner professional at a tech company, trying to partner with an agency, Josh Wagner (Co-founder & Partner at In Revenue Capital) gave two pieces of advice back when he was working at Shift Paradigm:

1. Cut to the chase

2. Ask more questions.

Cut to the chase.

Agencies want to know your answer to 3 questions.

• Who are your customers—do we serve the same ICP?

• Why are they your customers—what problems do you solve and how do you solve them?

• What’s the gap in servicing or acquiring more of these customers—what’s the problem you need us to solve, and how do you think we’ll do it?

Give them this information as soon as possible, and they’ll tell you whether or not they see the value in the partnership.

Ask more questions.

Agencies know your customers. Take advantage of that.

Ask questions and gain ecosystem intel you can turn into an action plan.

The way agencies are set up, one customer is extremely valuable. They won’t compromise their relationship or trust with a customer for a partnership opportunity.

If you want to hear more, listen to the full From the Vault conversation with Josh Wagner, Jared Fuller, and Isaac Morehouse.

When your brain doesn’t cooperate 

Body: I’m so tired, I’m going to sleep early.

PM Brain: Not so fast…

Thanks for the meme, Rob Rebholz!

Help a partner pro build an agency partnership

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