Powerful Insights
Rare knowledge. Bold ideas. Practical magic for partnership leaders.
From Broken to Built: Introducing quarq.ai
The other day, a friend pointed me to a post by Asher Matthew, CEO of Partner Leaders. In it, he claimed that the “#1 problem
Featured Article
From Broken to Built: Introducing quarq.ai
The other day, a friend pointed me to a post by Asher Matthew, CEO of Partner Leaders. In it, he claimed that the “#1 problem in partnerships” was getting fixed, and the problem cited as the one at the top of Ecosystem Problem Mountain? Nomenclature. According to the opinion expressed in Asher’s post, traditional channel leaders adopting more ecosystem-oriented titles is the solution to our “#1 problem.” I could not disagree more. Usually, I’d let an opinion this out-of-touch with reality slide with a groan, but when it comes from someone leading one of the top organizations in the ecosystem space, it deserves a response. This isn’t about calling anyone out but calling us all in. As a community, we
The Problem With B2B Partner Ecosystems Volume 3: Understanding Why the “Partner Paradox” Exists
A few years ago, I led an ecosystem team that, on paper, was wildly successful. However, in our CEO’s eyes…let’s say, ‘not so much.’
At this particular company, I took over a partner ecosystem organization previously run by someone who had created significant animosity by tagging into almost every deal in the pipeline, claiming credit for marginally influenced deals, and producing questionable results.
The Problem With B2B Partner Ecosystems Volume 2: The Non-Linear Nature of Ecosystem Orgs
One of the fundamental problems partner ecosystem teams face is a lack of clarity (a topic I’ll explore in depth later). As I explain the Thrum value proposition to potential investors and prospects, one thing becomes clear: partner ecosystems are poorly understood.
The terminology — partnerships, alliances, ecosystem, partner ecosystem, business development, and even “Nearbound” — evokes different ideas and objectives depending on people’s past experiences with partnerships. These experiences typically shape their future expectations.
The Problem With B2B Partner Ecosystems Volume 1: “Believe Me, It’s Working…”
I’m trying to untangle a complex set of problems underscored by a McKinsey & Co. survey showing that 90% of CEOs believe their B2B partner ecosystem teams “do not add significant value.”
Put another way, B2B partner ecosystem strategies fail nine out of ten times, which means the profession I love—which has given me immense purpose since I stumbled into it over a decade ago—is struggling badly, and companies simply aren’t reaping the incredible benefits realized when ecosystems work well.