Allie Schratz
Jotform Sr. Partner Marketing Manager
Relationship building skills
This is a relations-focused role! Being a natural "people person" who is comfortable walking into a room full of strangers is not a dream scenario for most, but that's how the "good" partner marketers make their marks and grow their networks. They are unafraid to start a conversation, to proactively propose a partnership venture, or to simply initiate a connection between other marketers.
Strong negotiation tactics
It can take some clever compromising and bargaining to bring your partner project to life; understanding each sides' priorities and what they would consider a 'win' can help illustrate the best path forward, but the skill comes from knowing how to tactfully ask these questions and move forward with the best plan to meet your collective goals.
Time and project management skills
At any given time, there are a lot of competing projects going on (both within your own team, and cross-functionally.) Planning ahead, staying organized, maintaining communication, and anticipating needs are all tools exemplified by "good" partner marketers.
Daniel Dawson
Aircall Sr. Partner Marketing Manager
Good partner marketers have to be people persons. If you're interacting directly with partner companies and their staff, you need to be friendly and enjoyable to work with. "Easy to work with" is a qualitative point of data I grade partners on. You have to be social, be a natural at making connections and connecting people, and be able to create relationships that are beyond transactional.
Partner marketers who are flexible and can see the bigger picture will also go far. If you are very rigid or "by the books" you will miss out on a lot of opportunities. It does take critical thinking to determine which opportunities could be worth taking a shot on versus passing up, but the important lesson here is to have an open mind. There are a million and one things that can go wrong in a partnership or partner marketing campaign, especially when you're dealing with two or more companies with different goals, resources, budgets, timelines etc. but the person who is able to "plan" for inevitable change, thrive in some ambiguity will thrive in partnerships.
Good project managers also make great partner marketers. With many people, someone needs to keep track of the team, the goal and the project. Someone who is organized and able to keep track of, and drive, many moving pieces will excel.
Beth Wells
LoyaltyLion Senior Partner Marketing Executive
1) Relationship management
Building and retaining great relationships with partners is crucial in partner marketing. Not only is important to nurture your relationships with your internal Partnerships Managers but make sure to spend time building relationships with your peers across the partner network. There’s a small but mighty network of partner marketers out there wanting to share best practices and their top tips with you :)
2) Communication
Clear communication and visibility are everything in a role like this. Partner marketers have many stakeholders - both internal and external - and you need to keep everyone informed and in the loop with a lot of your decisions and thinking.
3) Organization
At times, partner marketing can feel like juggling lots of mini-marketing campaigns. There are always lots of deadlines and requests to meet that span multiple co-marketing initiatives with different partners.
“Good” partner marketers are incredibly organized so they are able to meet these simultaneous deadlines/requests and be selected as the go-to partner for future campaigns.
“Great” partner marketers are able to take this one step further by planning their partner marketing activity three months in advance.
4) Creativity
The ecommerce partner ecosystem is a friendly space, but it can also feel overcrowded at times. With many partners delivering similar co-marketing initiatives, don’t be afraid to be creative - your prospects and your partners might just thank you for it!
Lindsay Kolinsky
Okendo Partner Marketing Lead
1) The ability to collaborate across teams. This requires having a thorough understanding of both your partner and marketing teams, in terms of their goals, what their day-to-day looks like, and what they find valuable, so you can act as the bridge between the two of them.
2) Proactive. Sometimes you're going to have to create marketing opportunities for your partners before you can expect to receive marketing opportunities back, so being ahead of that will only help drive your success.
3) Story-telling. You're going to have to understand the ins and outs of your company's platform more thoroughly than the average marketer if you want to successfully create a "better together" story with your partners.
4) Relationship Building- partnerships are all about relationships. It's important to not only build strong relationships with your partner managers, but also your partner marketing counterparts and even partner managers at other organizations. Partnerships are a small world so don't be afraid to fully immerse yourself in your partner ecosystem.
Charlene Strain
Pendo.io Partner Marketing Manager
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the skills and characteristics that make a good partner marketer vary depending on the specific industry and company.
However, there are some key skills and characteristics that are essential for all partner marketers.
Some of the most important skills for partner marketing include:
1. Strong communication skills: Partner marketing requires constant communication with both internal and external stakeholders. A partner marketer needs to be able to clearly articulate their vision and goals, and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
2. Organizational skills: Partner marketing can be a complex process, involving many different moving parts. A partner marketer needs to be highly organized in order to keep track of all the details and ensure that everything runs smoothly.
3. Negotiation skills: Partner marketing often requires negotiation in order to secure the best terms for both parties involved. A partner marketer needs to be able to effectively negotiate on behalf of their company in order to get the best results.
Some of the most important characteristics for partner marketing include:
1. Passion: A good partner marketer is passionate about their work and truly believes in the product or service they are promoting. This passion helps to drive results and ensures that partners are engaged with the program.
2. Creativity: A good partner marketer is creative in their approach, always thinking of new and innovative ways to promote their products or services.
3. Persistence: A good partner marketer is persistent in their efforts, always following up with partners and working to keep the program running smoothly.
The skills and characteristics that make a good partner marketer vary depending on the specific industry and company. However, there are some key skills and characteristics that are essential for all partner marketers. Strong communication skills, organizational skills, negotiation skills, passion, creativity, and persistence are all important for partner marketing success. Thank you for this Q!