ELG Insider

Buyers don’t just convert — they lurk. They watch, listen, and trust what real people say about your brand before they ever engage. So, who should be leading the charge in brand advocacy? ? Your happy customers ? Your teammates ? Your partners ELG makes advocacy second nature. It transforms your marketing into a trust-building machine — without adding friction. When your customers, teammates, and partners become active evangelists, your brand doesn’t just get seen. It gets believed. Want to win mindshare? 1?? Let your teammates create content freely — raw, real, and unfiltered 2?? Turn happy customers into megaphones. Spotlight their wins, not just yours 3?? Build trust-based relationships instead of chasing leads 4?? Rely on those your audience already trusts and partner with them And as Matt Bolian ? said last week, the game isn’t lead gen, the game is brain real estate. If they don’t remember you, they can’t buy from you. Own the conversation — before someone else does. Learn more about Ecosystem-Led Growth marketing and how to create brand advocates here:https://lnkd.in/gC_NENb8

2025 is shaping up to be a defining year for startup tech leaders. According to Gartner?’s latest report, the most successful CEOs will focus on three key priorities: ?? Get a product-market fit (PMF) faster with GenAI by automating, analyzing, and iterating at lightning speed. ?? Balance innovation with buyer trust, in this case compliance isn’t just a checkbox, it’s a competitive advantage. ?? Establish business credibility thought leadership, early wins, and financial discipline set you apart. But here’s the kicker: The fastest way to execute on all three? Ecosystem-Led Growth. Leverage partnerships to accelerate PMF. Ecosystem data can validate use cases, unlock co-sell motions, and fuel product innovation. Build trust through network credibility. Buyers trust brands that work alongside proven players in the space. Scale credibility through partner-backed success. Shared wins with established partners boost legitimacy and open new market doors. Startup CEOs, don’t go at it alone. Your ecosystem is your unfair advantage. Use it. Read the complete report here: ??????????://??????.??????????????.??????/????/????????????????/????????-????????????-??????-??????????????-????????

Too often, teams jump straight to solutions without asking why — and then wonder why adoption falls flat. Enter the "Five Whys" method: asking why repeatedly until you uncover the root cause. Take ecosystem partnerships, for example: ?? Why aren’t more customers adopting our integration? ? Because they don’t know about it. ?? Why don’t they know about it? ? Because our sales team isn’t mentioning it. ?? Why isn’t sales talking about it? ? Because they don’t see the value. ?? Why don’t they see the value? ? Because we haven’t enabled them properly. ?? Why haven’t we enabled them? ? Because we assumed the value was obvious. Boom. There’s your real issue. ?? ELG isn’t just about adding more partners just for the sake of it — it’s about understanding the right problem so you can integrate the right partner to solve the right problem. In this way all your GTM teams, and your customers actually win together. The best ELG strategies don’t just connect companies. They align teams, uncover blind spots, and drive real value where it matters most. Where in your ecosystem strategy could you dig a little deeper? ??

When GTM teams are actually aligned, it’s an Oprah-level moment. ?? Deals start closing left and right, reps are winning, and customers actually feel the love. But here’s the reality check: According to the 2025 Future of Revenue Report, misaligned teams lose 48% more deals. Why? Disjointed messaging and internal chaos push customers away faster than you can imagine. When sales, marketing, customer success, and partnerships are truly in sync everybody wins. Learn more stats and tips about team alignment here: https://lnkd.in/eBgSg7HQ

Companies investing in ELG are 24% more likely to hit or exceed their revenue targets in 2024. Why? Because partnerships unlock higher-quality leads, faster deal cycles, and stronger close rates. But ELG success doesn’t happen by accident. Here’s how to make it work: ? Develop a partner playbook: Align on goals, define ideal partners, and build structured co-selling and co-marketing frameworks. ?? Invest in ecosystem tools: Use platforms like Crossbeam? to map account overlaps and identify mutual revenue opportunities. ?? Incentivize collaboration: Reward sales teams who drive revenue through partnerships with SPIFs, deal referral rebates, and co-selling incentives. ELG isn’t just about connecting companies — it’s about aligning teams, leveraging data, and winning together. Want to see the full breakdown of ELG’s impact on revenue? Download the 2025 Future of Revenue Report by Pavilion? and Crossbeam?: https://lnkd.in/e-dszzjF

Partnerships aren't just about connecting tools — they’re about driving real business impact. Just ask CallRail. Faced with the challenge of deepening their relationship with @HubSpot, Jennifer Keepes (Strategic Partner Marketing Manager, CallRail) and Mike Stocker (VP of Partnerships, CallRail) led the charge to transform their integration strategy. By working closely with HubSpot, they didn’t just optimize their integration — they redefined their strategy. By leveraging two-way data sharing, investing in partnerships, and getting sales buy-in, they unlocked: ? 167% increase in HubSpot integration adoption ? 3x YoY growth in HubSpot-sourced opportunities ? 42% higher free trial-to-customer conversion rate How’d they do it? A mix of smart hiring, strategic co-marketing, and ecosystem data insights from Crossbeam. Oh, and a relentless focus on making it easy for sales teams to see the value — right where they work. Key takeaway: Internal enablement + ecosystem data = major revenue impact. ?? Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/gkYz6Spq

In the early stages of your partner program, it's tempting to say "yes" to every partner's request to strengthen relationships. Especially since some new partner programs have as a goal the number of partners in your partner program. However, before committing to a partner's request, assess its alignment with your strategic goals. And just like Eleanor Thompson Founder and Principal Consultant at Branchworks, and Heather K. Margolis, President and CEO of Channel Maven, mentioned last week, you have to ask yourself the following questions: ?? Does this request support our long-term objectives? ?? Do we have the resources to fulfill it effectively? ?? Will this commitment be scalable as we grow? By evaluating each opportunity through this lens, you ensure that your partner program remains both effective and sustainable. Remember, a strategic "no" can be more valuable than an unsustainable "yes."

?? Prospect ghosted you? Don’t panic — tap into partner intel! Your ecosystem holds insights you can’t see alone. Your partners may already know why your deal stalled — whether it’s a new decision-maker, shifting priorities, or even a competing solution in play. ?? ELG tip: Leverage your ecosystem data to identify shared accounts, surface hidden objections, and craft a stronger re-engagement strategy. A quick partner check-in could be the key to reviving that deal! Check out ELG Insider for more tips to leverage partner intel:? https://lnkd.in/epjQXjCV

The best revenue leaders don’t just support integrations — they make them a strategic priority. Take Abi Asher, Head of Technology Partnerships at Gong, who shared: "Once customers start using integrations, they become much stickier by definition. They use our solution more effectively, and leadership sees the value." To build a seamless, modern sales tech stack for their customers, Gong partnered with Alexis Petrichos (Sr. Director, Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Marketing) and the Chili Piper team — even before the data fully supported the decision. In the end, the results spoke for themselves: customers using value-add integrations (like Chili Piper) saw higher ACV and lower churn — with even greater impact as they adopted more integrations. To maximize this partnership, Gong uses Crossbeam to track which customers are leveraging the integration and identify those who could benefit from it. This partnership isn’t just about adding tools — it’s about building an interconnected, high-performing sales ecosystem. Read how and why Chili Piper and Gong built their integration: https://lnkd.in/gXc5Mnfh

Partnerships are driving revenue like never before — but are companies fully leveraging their potential? Asher Mathew?, CEO and Co-founder of Partnership Leaders, and the Partnership Leaders? team, in collaboration with Bridge Partners?, analyzed 5,000+ companies to create The Ecosystem Compass Report 2025.? This report uncovers what makes the best partner programs (like Infobip?, Amazon Web Services (AWS)?, Workday?, and Databricks?) stand out.? Here’s what they found: ?? 51% of companies generate almost 30% of their revenue through partnerships — and many generate far more. ?? 73% of respondents say their partnership goals align with company goals, showing a strong commitment to ecosystem growth. ?? The best partner programs invest heavily in both people and incentives while consistently sending high-value opportunities to their partners. Yet, friction between partner teams and sales teams remains a key challenge. How do we bridge that gap and create even stronger alignment? The State of Partner Sales Report explores these insights in depth — and is a must-read for anyone looking to optimize their partner strategy. You’ll find the links to The Ecosystem Compass Report 2025 and the State of Partner Sales in the comments. ??