Who’s in your corner?

I bet you can picture a few faces and names when you read that question.

We all need support. We all need to feel like someone has our goals and best interests at heart. It’s a deep-seated need that’s there from the moment we’re born, and it extends into our professional lives.

When that need is met, we show up big in return. 

For example, People Management reports, “Employees who feel well supported by their line manager are 3.4 times more likely to feel engaged at work.”

So, Partner Managers, with this in mind, let’s get real:

If you asked this question to your Sales team or your partner’s Sales team, would they think of you?

If the answer is ’no’, you’ve got work to do. 

Be a sales rep’s ride-or-die

Every seller is different, and Partner Managers have to find that key thing that will make them pay attention. 

Sam Yarborough explains that this key thing is personalized support. 

You might not be able to get every member of the Sales team on board with your Nearbound strategy, but what you can do is find the ones who you can lean into and learn how to work with them. 

Evangelize that internal person. 

To build trust with your sellers (and to help them leverage it to win), start doing this:

• Celebrate wins to attract attention to your partner program. 
• Engage AEs in bi-weekly account reviews, offering support to generate Nearbound leads. Involve partners in every deal to access valuable intel, referrals, and influence over the pipeline. 
• Demonstrate commitment and provide value to strengthen partnerships and drive growth.

Show support for your sales reps’ individual KPIs, and they’ll start thinking of you first. 

Openness between partners will save us post-pandemic

One of the many things COVID-19 taught us was just how fragile most organizations’ supply chains were—both internally and externally. 

Forbes reports that healthy strategic partnerships are the only way to remain agile enough to survive and thrive in this post-pandemic world, and that this kind of collaboration must extend to your internal teams.

Organizations that emphasize collaboration aren’t going to withhold important information from upstream or downstream partners, because their focus is the end goal of facilitating a smooth, streamlined supply chain experience for everyone. When this happens, supply chain costs decrease, customer satisfaction increases and everybody wins.

These same principles must also guide internal supply chain-oriented collaborations. Customer-facing teams, marketing, finance and more are all involved in this effort on some level, and establishing strong partnerships between departments can simplify your operations and help your team avoid miscommunications.

Increased communication and transparency create stronger collaborations between departments and between partners, resulting in better experiences for customers. 

It’s a no-brainer. 

Stuff you don’t want to miss!

• September 7, 4-10 PM EST — INVITE-ONLY EVENT — Nearbound at Night – We’re partnering with HubSpot for some major fun on the green. Only a 5-minute walk from HubSpot’s Inbound 2023 conference. VIP guest list. Toasts from industry leaders like Scott Brinker, Harbinder Khera, Tyler Calder, and more. Request an invite here.
• Apply by September 22nd for Firneo’s Certified 8-WeekCohort — Learn the frameworks and tactics to excel in every facet of your partnerships role. Apply here.
• September 28, 12 PM EST — Game Changers: Isaac Morehouse — Isaac will join Oana Manolache to talk about how to use content creation to define a category. He’ll share the 3 elements to help you build brand awareness, drive pipeline, and unite your team. Register here.

Register for the summit!