What are the best ways to create alignment and trust between sales teams and partners to ensure smooth co-selling? Are there any blockers/red flags I should watch out for?

Trust takes time. You can align partners and sales reps on KPIs, but that doesn't mean there's trust from day one. Selling is a team sport, you can't just throw a partner into a deal and expect chemistry. You need shared experience, joint wins, and time in the trenches together. The best way to build that is through small wins. Pair a strong partner with a rep who's open to the model. Start with the right account, deliver results, and build from there. You can't force reps to work with partners, but you don't need to. Some will naturally gravitate toward it, lean into those reps, build momentum, and let word of mouth do the rest. Partner managers should also be internal advocates. Highlight wins, give shoutouts, and make working with partners feel like a competitive edge. Help partners show up strong. Push them to be proactive, give more than they ask for, and act like an extension of the team. Red flags to watch for: 1. Partners who overpromise and underdeliver—whether it’s missing meetings, failing to follow through on hiring, or sending proposals late 2. Constantly having to push a partner instead of them pushing you 3. Lack of follow-up, missed small commitments, or reactive behavior 4. Partners who don’t treat your priorities as their own And always measure objectively. CSAT, retention, pipeline conversion, average deal size. Numbers don’t lie. Even if the partner has the right attitude, if the metrics are off, that needs to be addressed. Stay close to the data and use it to guide where you invest your time.

My view has always been that the success of a partner program requires executive buy in from the CRO or head of sales. The AEs are their army. They will 'fight' where their leaders send them. If an CRO/head of sales won't include you in oppty reviews, planning, etc, you have a problem. I have always positioned partners as 'force multipliers' - more sellers/influencers, etc to lighten the workload on AEs while increasing their productivity. • AE-to-AE Mapping & Joint Planning: Pair reps across orgs and run territory-level co-sell sessions with named contacts. • Provide Playbooks & Attribution: Give reps clarity on how partners help close deals and ensure they get quota credit. • Watch for Red Flags: Sales ignoring partners, unclear ownership, or lead poaching signal breakdowns requiring immediate correction.

As the partner manager, I like to put myself in the sales team's shoes; what value to partners provide to them, and which partners would I lean on if I were selling the product? Then communicate that clearly and continuously to sales. I like to put partner training in the sales onboarding materials. I encourage for the sales team to have relationships with key partners directly, away from the eyes of the Alliances team. I facilitate those encounters but don't need to be on every call with them. Also understand that its enough for one bad deal experience to sour a relationship between a seller and a partner. So demand excellence from your partners.

Like in any human relationship, COMMUNICATION is the basis of everything. With clear communication, trust can be built, and having trust, good things start happening in the ecosystem. I usually try to engage AE´s with partner executives from the early stages of the onboarding so that we can build a startegy together. Red Flags should be raised when communication is broken.

First – see my answer to “What’s the absolutely best way to coordinate those early co-selling conversations between AEs and the prospect?” above A tip for increasing mutual trust is having key partners join for the last 30 minutes at the end of your sales team’s QBRs to get really specific on where they can help your team & your clients. These partner QBR presentations can also be followed by a partner + sales team happy hour or dinner, providing an ideal opportunity to get both teams comfortable with one another and excited to collaborate! To the second part of your question, here are couple of co-selling red flags I’d keep an eye out for: - Don’t just show up with your hand out - In a situation where the partner is making an introduction to a greenfield account for your company, ensure your AE has at the very least researched the account thoroughly (for some Target accounts, maybe your partner team even contributes to the account research). Ideally, you & your sales team can also come prepared with specific use cases and case studies that you think the end client could be interested in – show these to the partner and get their feedback as to how they anticipate the client will respond. - Prevent “co-opetition” with partners - If you’re working with a services partner on an opportunity, be careful that your sales team maintains a care to detail - down to adjusting their standing desks - to avoid any faux pas such as: positioning or promoting your company’s own internal services over a partner’s in a co-sell situation, or including your partner’s competitor’s logo in a client-facing presentation. - Avoid Client Engagement Friction - I’ve seen countless situations in which a prospect goes dark on one or both parties. For example, perhaps your team is having a hard time progressing procurement conversations, but the partner continues to have regular syncs with the client. Or conversely, the partner stops hearing from the client, while your team’s conversations continue. Sometimes, the fear of deal slip or progress slowdown will make your sales team want to join a standing partner call. The best way to avoid friction is to keep honest, consistent communication with your partner. I recommend standing 15 min weekly or biweekly syncs, or even creating a joint Slack channel or group GChat to make it easy for both teams to provide quick updates. Whenever possible, try not to “ambush” the client by having a partner unexpectedly join your sales team’s call with the client, or having your sales team join a standing partner + client call. Instead - ask a specific question on behalf of your partner, or have the partner take specific questions to their own client call!

The best way to create alignment between the sales team and partners is to ensure that both sides have a clear understanding of the value of their collaboration. When sales teams recognize how partners contribute to their success—and vice versa—it fosters stronger engagement and more effective teamwork. Choosing the right partners is essential. Partners should be carefully selected based on their ability to help the sales team achieve its goals rather than just broad market coverage. A fair and transparent partner program strengthens alignment by ensuring that both teams are working toward a shared objective, rather than competing against each other. Building trust and strong relationships is key. At the end of the day, sales teams will naturally work more closely with the partners they know, trust, and see as valuable allies. Encouraging frequent collaboration and open communication helps deepen these connections. However, challenges can arise—especially if the channel team and sales team are not aligned or have different priorities. This is why having shared OKRs and clear, measurable goals is crucial. When both teams operate with the same objectives and priorities, collaboration becomes more seamless, driving better results and long-term success.

5 Keys to Co-Selling Alignment & Trust: 1. Shared Goals & Metrics: align on KPIs like revenue, pipeline influence, and deal ownership. 2. Clear Co-Selling Process: use account mapping tools and define lead-sharing workflows. 3. Sales Enablement: train teams on product positioning, ICP fit, and joint playbooks. 4. Consistent Communication: hold bi-weekly syncs and use shared dashboards for real-time updates. 5. Trust & Accountability: ensure fast lead follow-ups, fair deal handling, and transparency. Red flags to watch for: - Misaligned incentives - Slow follow-through - Competing priorities - Data hoarding - No exec buy-in