The Complete Guide to B2B Partnerships Masterclass

Topics in Video #1 - PARTNERNOMICS Introduction

1. Introduction to PARTNERNOMICS

2. The “Core PARTNERNOMICS” program

3. Biz Case for Partnering

4. Download the PARTNERNOMICS mobile app

Questions to Consider:

1. Are your executives convinced that partnering can offer significant value to your company?

2. How does your company’s partnership success rates compare to global averages?

3. In which areas of your business could partners add significant value (sales, marketing, product development, implementation, etc.)?

Topics in Video #2 - Indirect Sales vs. Solutions Partnerships

1. Two Categories of Partnerships: Indirect Sales (Selling) & Solutions (Building)

2. Indirect Sales Partnerships consist of vendor/partner relationships

3. Indirect Sales Partnerships methodology uses a 6-phase methodology

4. Solutions Partnerships are centered on a co-innovation initiative

5. Solutions Partnerships methodology uses a 6-phase methodology

Questions to Consider:

1. Does your company use Indirect Sales Partnerships today? If yes, compare your current partnering process to the PARTNERNOMICS methodology.

2. Does your company use Solutions Partnerships today? If yes, If yes, compare your current partnering process to the PARTNERNOMICS methodology.

3. Does your company have a formal Organizational Partnering Plan (OPP)?

4. Does your company have formal Strategic Partnering Plans (SPP)?

Topics in Video #3 - The Partnering Toolbox

1. 10 resources to help advance your career

2. Connect with seasoned partnering professionals

3. Gain access to tools, people, and processes that can help accelerate your success

4. Complete courses, earn certifications, leverage expert coaches and implementers

Questions to Consider:

1. What professional organizations do you currently utilize?

2. What resources do you use (podcasts, webinars, conferences)?

3. Which of the 10 PARTNERNOMICS resources shared could help you most?

4. In what ways could you better utilize the PARTNERNOMICS collaboration groups?

Topics in Video #4 - Laying the Foundation - Part 1

1. Defining “general partnerships” vs “strategic partnerships”

2. Transactional vs Collaborative relationships

3. Independence vs Interdependence

4. The partnering mindset

Questions to Consider:

1. What percentage of your current partners are truly “strategic?”

2. In what ways do you recruit, manage, and lead strategic partners differently?

3. Does your company’s culture lean towards “independence” or “interdependence?”

4. Do you leverage partners to create solution “differentiation” within your market?

Topics in Video #5 - Laying the Foundation - Part 2

1. Birth of the iPhone

2. Quadrants of a Solutions Lifecycle

3. Why Form Partnerships

Questions to Consider:

1. Which company is your most strategic Indirect Sales Partner and why?

2. Which company is your most strategic Solutions Partner and why?

3. Which quadrant best describes your company’s largest (core) solution and why?

4. How would you recommend that your company’s largest solution be innovated?

Topics in Video #1 - Indirect Sales Partnership Types - Facilitator

1. “Facilitator” versus “Channel” Partnerships

2. 6 Types of “Facilitator” Partnerships

Questions to Consider:

1. Which type of Facilitator Partnership does your company use the most (influencer, referral, affiliate/affinity, co-sell, service/agency, marketplace)?

2. Which Facilitator Partnership type offers the most upside for your company to add to your mix of partnering programs?

Topics in Video #2 - Indirect Sales Partnership Types - Channel

1. 7 Types of Channel Partnerships

Questions to Consider:

1. Which type of Channel Partnership does your company use the most (ISV, VAR, MSP, SI, OEM, or Disti)?

2. Which Channel Partnership type offers the most upside for your company to add to your mix of partnering programs?

Topics in Video #3 - Types of Solutions Partnerships

1. Indirect Sales Partnerships vs Solutions Partnerships Methodology (Phases)

2. 4 Types of Solutions Partnerships

Questions to Consider:

1. Which type of Solutions Partnership does your company use most often (research & development, platforms & ecosystems, technical integrations, systems integrators)?

2. Which Solutions Partnership type offers the most upside for your company to add to your mix of partnering programs?

Topics in Video #4 - Partnership Success Pyramid

1. The 5 Imperatives for Partnership Success

Questions to Consider:

1. Which imperative is your company best at evaluating in prospective partnerships (trust, alignment, transparency, esprit de corps, or results)?

2. Which of the imperatives of partnership success does your organization need to work on the most?

3. How can you incorporate the Partnership Success Pyramid to guide your conversations with prospective partners?

4. Do you believe in the philosophy of transparent communications, why or why not?

5. Do you believe that your partners (new and old) have high levels of esprit de corps (ultimate levels of commitment) to your organizational partnership?

Topics in Video #5 - 21st Century Economy

1. Technology is Changing our Economy

2. Moore’s Law

3. Market Statistics

Questions to Consider:

1. How are new technologies creating opportunities for your company and industry?

2. Do your executives view market changes as a threat or an opportunity?

Topics in Video #6 - Leading Change with Partnerships

1. Culture of Innovation

2. Jobs-to-be-Done Theory

3. Be Solutions-Focused, not Product-Focused

Questions to Consider:

1. Do you classify your company as “innovative”? Why or why not?

2. What is your customer's "job to be done?" What part(s) of that job is your organization delivering?

3. What does the ultimate “easy button” look like for your ideal customer? Which of the required capabilities does your company not provide today?

Topics in Video #1 - Power Analysis

1. Power - A Required Ingredient

2. Opportunities or Threats

3. Cast a Compelling Vision

Questions to Consider:

1. Do you conduct a Power Analysis before engaging partner candidates?

2. What are your company's greatest points of "power?"

3. How might a Power Analysis better prepare you for an evaluation/negotiation?

Topics in Video #2 - Needs-Wants-Limits Analysis

1. Identify Your Organization’s Needs

2. Identify Your Organization’s Wants

3. Identify Your Organization’s Limits

Questions to Consider:

1. Do you conduct a Needs-Wants-Limits Analysis before engaging a partner candidate?

2. What are your company's typical “needs”?

3. What are your company's typical “limits”?

4. How might a Needs-Wants-Limits Analysis better prepare you for early-stage candidate discovery calls?

Topics in Video #3 - SWOT Analysis

1. Identify Your Organization’s Strengths

2. Identify Your Organization’s Weaknesses

3. Identify Your Organization’s Opportunities

4. Identify Your Organization’s Threats

Questions to Consider:

1. Do you conduct a SWOT Analysis to evaluate partnership opportunities?

2. What are your company's typical “strengths”?

3. What are your company's typical “weaknesses”?

4. How might a SWOT Analysis provide value to your partnering initiatives?

Topics in Video #4 - Business Growth Flowchart - Part 1

1. The Business Growth Flowchart

2. Incremental versus Exponential Growth

3. SWOT Analysis

4. Constraints Framework

Questions to Consider:

1. Does your organization have a holistic “strategic plan” that covers the next 12-24 months? If yes, is it clear in your mind?

2. Is your organization committed to “exponential” growth right now? What executive actions corroborate your answer?

3. Do you consider your organization to be “innovative?” Why or why not?

4. Have you engaged your executive team to create a SWOT Analysis for your overall partnerships function? If yes, how could the collaboration have been improved?

5. What is your organization’s greatest “constraint” where a partnership could help?

Topics in Video #5 - Business Growth Flowchart - Part 2

1. The Business Growth Flowchart

2. The 6-Cs Framework

3. Growth Engine

Questions to Consider:

1. Have you used a framework like the “6-Cs” to help identify growth opportunities?

2. Which of the 6-Cs will likely bring great insights to your organization by conducting a deeper evaluation (competitors, customers, complements, capabilities, concepts, capacities)?

3. What “Growth Engine” idea would you like to present to your executive team?

Topics in Video #6 - Wild Child Simulation

1. The Business Growth Flowchart

2. Growth Engine Ideas

3. Tapped Out Mobile App (Solution)

Questions to Consider:

1. Articulate your assessment of Wild Child’s “growth engine” idea to incorporate a food delivery service into their Tapped Out mobile app.

2. Articulate your assessment of Wild Child’s “growth engine” idea to launch a referral partnership with brewery supply vendors to help sell the Tapped Out mobile app to brewery owners.

Topics in Video #7 - Business Growth Flowchart - Part 3

1. Pros/Cons of an Organic Growth Strategy

2. Pros/Cons of an Acquisition Growth Strategy

3. Pros/Cons of a Partnering Growth Strategy

Questions to Consider:

1. When considering an avenue for growth does your organization consider “cross-pollination” as a potential benefit of working with other organizations?

2. Regarding the pros/cons of partnering, for which of the characteristics do you feel your company lacks consideration?

Topics in Video #8 - Business Growth Flowchart - Part 4

1. The Business Growth Flowchart, an A to Z Walkthrough

2. Growth Engine Ideas - Using Wild Child Brewing

Questions to Consider:

1. Are your organization’s solutions commoditized (significant downward pressure on price)?

2. What opportunities exist for your organization to innovate?

3. Describe your primary customers' core “jobs-to-be-done.”

4. How can your organization take an “ecosystem approach” to deliver a holistic solution?