Blake Williams on The Pattern & Process for a Successful Partnership - Episode #34

The GTM Cheat Code

This episode is a treasure trove for those looking to elevate their partnership capabilities, offering practical advice on overcoming common obstacles and tapping into the untapped potential of collaboration in the tech sales arena. Blake Williams is the Founder and CMO of GrowthStory. Blake joins Hosts Justin Gray and Josh Wagner to discuss real-world experiences of driving value through relationships, explaining the nuances of co-selling and the essential elements of crafting and executing effective partnership strategies.

Takeaways:

• A well-constructed partner go-to-market architecture upon which the partner program design is built is critically important. This entails segmenting and defining the roles partnerships will play throughout the customer journey, ensuring a seamless integration that amplifies value on both sides.
• Understanding not only what you aim to achieve with a partnership but also what your partner seeks is fundamental. This alignment of objectives ensures more cohesive and directed efforts.
• A cornerstone of effective partnerships is establishing a mutual benefit structure. It's not always about maintaining balance but ensuring both parties derive significant value from the relationship.
• Embrace a ‘Give to Get’ mentality. Contributions to the partnership ecosystem without immediate expectations can foster goodwill and open doors to reciprocal actions, enhancing the long-term value extracted from the relationship.
• Successful partnerships exploit each other's strengths to cover their weaknesses, especially in areas like customer success, sales, and operational efficiencies. This approach should be evangelized across the entire organization, ingraining a partnership-first mindset in all functions.
• Mobilizing partners through actionable, clear, and concise plans is crucial. Partner activation involves not just the signing of agreements but ensuring partners have all the necessary tools, resources, and motivations to engage actively in promoting mutual growth.
• The foundation of any partnership lies in trust and transparency, elements that should be cultivated from the outset. This includes clear communication of goals, expectations, and roles, as well as the mechanisms for feedback and adjustments as the partnership evolves.

Quote of the Show:

• “It doesn't need to be predictable, but it does need to have a pattern and a process that your internal functions can capitalize on.” - Blake Williams

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakeampfactor/
• Amp Factor Website: https://ampfactor.com/
• Underrated Podcast: Coming Soon

Shoutouts:

• Katie Lambert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katieelambert/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpM8myxsUinc5bfLIbjJz?si=0af576adfb8e49f8
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cheat-code/id1692445190
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/cb0b3afa-063f-4f3b-96be-b98214c74912

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CheatCodePodcast