What are the best strategies for optimizing partner performance over time?

I think partnerships should be approached as you would any business - even standalone. Set clear goals with measurable results. Have set checkpoints. Shift strategies if necessary. Rinse and repeat!

One thing I’ve found useful is to approach partners with honesty and integrity, if we aren’t agreeing then say so and don’t try and manipulate or bamboozle. It is better to be straightforward about what you need from each other and build trust and understanding which develops confidence in working together.

Setting clear quantitative and qualitative expectations in the negotiation and post-sell process is paramount for optimizing partner performance over time. Establishing specific, measurable goals provides a foundation for accountability and aligns both parties' objectives. Quantitative benchmarks enable objective evaluations, fostering transparency and trust. Meanwhile, qualitative expectations, such as communication standards and collaborative efforts, enhance the partnership experience. This strategic approach ensures a symbiotic relationship where partners are motivated to meet and exceed defined criteria, fostering a long-term, successful collaboration built on mutual understanding and shared goals.

A key piece of success as a partner relies on the team you have around you. Trust the team around you and delegate necessary tasks.

Optimizing partner performance over time requires a multifaceted approach that focuses on collaboration, communication, and mutual growth. Here are some key strategies: Clear Communication Aligned Goals Performance Metrics Training and Support Incentives and Rewards Technology Integration Feedback Mechanism Strategic Planning Flexibility These concise strategies focus on essential elements for optimizing partner.

Communicating regularly frees up opportunities that aren't obvious, especially in face-to-face meetings. Regularly can mean different things to different partners, but personally, I prefer more frequent, shorter meetings to longer, less frequent ones.

Stakeholder analysis, communication plans are PM 101. They lay the groundwork for clarity, accountability, and alignment of goals. However, in my personal experience, a big impact often lies in the informal communication - the power of simply picking up the phone and calling a partner. It facilitates quick clarifications, problem-solving, and most importantly, builds trust. When trust is established, partners feel more comfortable discussing challenges and potential issues. This leads to a more collaborative environment where solutions can be found more efficiently. Balancing formal and informal communication is the key. Recognizing when to send an official email and when to make a casual phone call can make a world of difference.

Establish regular check-ins to measure and develop the success of your partnership. These can be scheduled weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, tailored to the specific nature of your partnership. Regular meetings are essential to ensure that both parties stay informed and aligned on objectives and progress. It's important to use clear and concise communication, being straightforward about your expectations, concerns, and feedback. These regular meetings also provide an excellent opportunity to offer constructive feedback, highlighting what is working well and identifying areas for improvement.

In my experience, the best way is to have open and transparent communication while setting clear goals that you want to achieve together and regularly evaluating the outcomes in meetings. In addition to establishing clear goals, it is essential to articulate a shared vision that outlines the direction of the partnership. Regularly assess progress, at least on an annual basis, to ensure that the goals have been achieved and both parties remain aligned with the agreed-upon vision.

Effective communication is the lifeblood of any partnership. I prioritize regular check-ins and open lines of communication to ensure any issues are addressed promptly and successes are shared. This approach has not only helped in resolving challenges quickly but also in building a stronger, more transparent relationship with our partners.

Supporting partners with the necessary resources and assistance is crucial for their performance. In my partnerships, I ensure that we provide adequate training, tools, and support to our partners. This not only empowers them but also shows our commitment to their success, which in turn, enhances their performance and dedication

To maximize success in a partnership, every relevant resource should be shared. Withholding information is detrimental and can undermine trust and transparency. Partners should have open communication channels and be willing to provide training, coaching, and mentoring to help each other develop new skills and capabilities. Examples from other successful partnerships should also be shared, as the goal is for everybody to mutually benefit. By being generous with knowledge, best practices, and support, partners can build a collaborative relationship focused on shared objectives and positive outcomes.

O engajamento em uma parceria inclui toda sinergia, empatia e troca demandada nas pautas a serem desenvolvidas. A Parte que economiza ou minimiza em prover recursos e suportes ao seu alcance fibrila a maximizar riscos a precariza??o de resultados. "A uni?o faz a for?a e gera os melhores resultados mútuos"!

Communicating frequently and effectively enables us to identify partners' expectations over the medium and long term, and to proactively propose solutions and resources that are relevant to the partner's context. It may sound cliché, but it also makes for a more empathetic, win-win approach.

Optimizing partner performance over time hinges on providing robust support and resources to help partners thrive in your ecosystem. A key strategy involves offering tailored training, coaching, and mentoring that address the specific needs of your partners, ensuring they have the skills and knowledge to align with your business objectives. Sharing relevant information, tools, and best practices is essential to help them streamline their processes, enhance quality, and improve efficiency. By offering continuous support and the right resources, you empower partners to enhance their capabilities and performance, ultimately fostering a more productive and satisfying partnership that drives mutual growth and success.

This sounds so simple, and it is from a monetary reward standpoint, but it can often be overlooked on the recognition side. Everyone, partners included, are moving so fast these days onto helping the next joint customer together that we can lose the recognition piece on previous wins and capturing those positive stories. We put an emphasis on both internal win wires to feature partner involvement and creating external success stories with our partners.

One thing I've found helpful is mapping out who are all the key stakeholders on both sides in the process, whether it's for a sale or a product delivery or service, and to make sure their incentives are all aligned to achieving the partnership performance you want to achieve. For example, it could be that one part of your sales team (e.g. product specialist) is incentivized to make the deal successful, but the other part of your sales team is not (e.g. account manager), or perhaps another team prioritizes the profitability metric over customer satisfaction. Ensuring the rewards and incentives are aligned to each partner's goals and each person's individual goals goes a long way to help achieve partnership performance.

We celebrate successful partnerships by creating content on our blog and feature our partner. We also create a lot of social posts and mention them everywhere. We co-create content together and highlight each other.

Acknowledging and rewarding your partner's achievements can significantly boost morale and motivation. I've found that celebrating milestones, no matter how small, fosters a positive and productive partnership environment. This recognition not only reinforces successful behaviors but also strengthens the partnership bond.

In my experience, it is the best thing to do. Recognizing and rewarding your partners when they are doing well is the best way to motivate them and retain them. As the competition increases, your partners obviously will have more options, thus it is extremely vital to reward their work. Think of them as your own team members and make sure they are motivated and satisfied.

Feedback is a two-way street. I always encourage open and honest feedback from our partners and ensure that it's acted upon. This practice has been instrumental in improving our processes and strategies, demonstrating to our partners that their opinions are valued and considered.

We go back to our partners frequently to ask for feedback on the process, the results, everything. The key is to constantly aim to improve every aspect of the process and to make everything as straight foward as possible. We also sometimes step into the role of the partner to be able to see the world through their eyes in order to improve the process.

We have implemented a quarterly survey to gather honest feedback from our partners. We identified the top three areas of concern, created action plans to address each, and reported the results in the following quarterly meeting. This approach has been successful in gaining a higher level of appreciation and respect across the organization, which has led to better working relationships.

Concordo com a necessidade de constante otimiza??o estratégica para que n?o acabe por engessar a existência de uma cultura que, por repeti??o, e aceita??o, podem assumir o que na filosofia seria tradi??o ou hábito. Com as parcerias firmadas, numa lideran?a que ainda enfrenta resistência no seu exercício que ultrapasse os jarg?es dos manuais da “epidemia da carência de status de líder”. Em que folhas de pagamentos n?o precisam ser inchadas e mudan?as se tornem de difícil adapta??o. Com metas e estratégias tra?adas para curto, médio e longo período de execu??o de a??es que foram pensadas com alian?as fluidas, as metas, variáveis em diferentes de matura??o das estratégias tra?adas. Além da autonomia instigadora sugestiva entre iguais.

One must not forget the impact of the cultural specificities in international environment. Behaviours have to take into consideration the cultural impact on businesses (see “cultural map” from Erin Meyer for more details - strongly recommended)

The best way to optimise partner performance is to show them how to add profit to their business model. Have a proper Growth Analysis conducted and work out improvement areas. A few of the areas we see need work by most IT resellers is in Customer Insights, Packaged Services, and Value-Added Services. Once agreed, add the improvements to the Partner Development Plan and manage to it.

If, for real estate experts, the three most important factors in determining a property's attractiveness are "location, location, location", in partnerships I believe that "context, context, context" is paramount. If the partner is in a precarious situation or, on the contrary, in a situation of unbridled growth, the solutions and resources proposed should be different.

Sustainability Think long term and with sustainable mind set, and to find mutual goals, so be comprehensive for some loss to certain extent while ensuring long term benefit

Move away from playing Buzz Word Bingo and develop strategies that understand that SAP is just a big Database and not every company is collaboratively the same. Therefore understand the challenge even down to the shop floor level, then work with your client to understand why the challenge really exists, many times the client is looking in the wrong place, thereafter consider the solution. Don't jump into a super fast Methodology and go straight into solutioning. Use the Methodology as a guideline.