How do you demonstrate value and get prospective partners to the table (Outside of leveraging relationships) to kick off partnership discussions?

Two good ways to demonstrate value to prospective partners is to firstly 'go where they go' and secondly, try to 'create moments' 'Go where they go' means being part of the communities that they are also a part of - linkedin groups, events, etc. this is a good way to build some natural trust and understanding, you have similar interests, you connect with similar people and companies that they also connect with. 'Creating moments' is taking this one step further. Creating moments to have the right conversation or to naturally get Partners inquisitive about what you do. Its important to work closely with Partner Marketing or the Marketing team on this but think about how you might have an industry viewpoint, or invite them to a low key networking event connecting them with their peers, perhaps look at guest blog posts or even just asking for advice or their viewpoint on something that affects both you and the Partner. A great example of this is what we are a part of right here! PartnerPage.io have created a way to bring together their target audience and provide a platform for us to share knowledge and help one another through PartnerLed. You get the chance to give something back to your community, sometimes get some recognition all facilitated by a Partner or potential Partner, either way it puts PartnerPage.io top of mind, builds trust and creates a 'moment' to be able to open a conversation - great work!

One of my favorite tactics is the BUDDY SYSTEM - where you bring a buddy from a customer or a key prospect to make an introduction, or to join a meeting with a potential partner. Just last week I was on a call with a sales leader at a key ISV partner, and he made four key GSI introductions for me, just by asking! I also loving bringing top customers and customers, or their POV to meetings to help get a door open.

How we as an iPaaS can help the partner with their integration strategy.

A prospective partner page and partner case studies can help here. If you can lay out exactly how your current partners are benefiting from being in your program, it is going to help a prospective partner make the business case for joining. Stats like 'our partner directory or integration marketplace gets X views, customers install Y integrations and reach out to Z solution partners' or 'our average partners gets A referrals a month' etc can help to show the value of your program. Developing a strong partner brand also gets people excited to work with you even beyond the numbers. A brand comes from being a good partner, but also being active in the partner community and showcasing how you are supporting and enabling your partners.

If you can find a common go-to-market strategy where both parties win, you can create a game plan and see if a partnership makes sense. A lot of times, I'll ask if there's something I can do to help or provide value. From there, you can start building a working relationship.

This is a great question, and I might cheat a little on the answer, so bear with me! The best partnerships are the ones that make sense. There are a couple of elements that you can figure out on your own/prior to outreach to set you up for success, such as identifying customer overlap and ICP alignment. If the prospective partner is already introducing your product to their customers, there's an indicator for a relationship to add value. Outreach focused on both alignment (we have overlapping customers) and discovery (is there a way that a partnership can drive value) can often lead to an initial discussion. When the other person doesn't respond, I recommend turning to relationships. (yes, cheating!) However, those relationships don't have to be with the prospective partner - they can be with trusted allies in the ecosystem. I often turn to friends at respective service/tech companies to see who they have a strong relationship with, and to get a better understanding of their partnership ecosystem. That often results in a better understanding of 1. what to bring to the table, and 2. if that company has the resources to support a partnership.