Elaine Sloboda

A successful partner enablement strategy drives engagement, knowledge retention, and revenue growth. Key indicators include high activation rates, training and certification completion, and active use of partner resources. Partners should close their first deal within 60-90 days, with increasing deal volume and revenue contribution over time. Strong engagement in portal logins, sales enablement materials, and co-marketing efforts signals effectiveness. Additionally, high partner satisfaction (NPS) and retention rates indicate long-term success. If partners struggle to close deals or remain inactive, refine training, support, and incentives. Regular tracking and feedback ensure continuous improvement.

The key is to speak their language, align with their business goals, and reduce perceived risk. Here’s a structured approach to getting them to the table: 1️⃣ Craft a Strong Partner Value Proposition (Why Should They Care?) Before reaching out, make sure your messaging clearly answers: ✔ How will this help them win more deals? ✔ How will this help them deliver better client outcomes? ✔ How will this help them differentiate in the market? You should also be tailoring messages based on partner type: • Design & Development Agencies → Focus on faster project delivery, recurring revenue, and upsell potential • Solution Integrators → Focus on seamless integration, expanded offerings, and enterprise credibility 2️⃣ Inbound Attraction: Make Them Come to You - this depends more on your marketing team than you, so it’s more of a bonus. 🔹 Build a Partner-Focused Landing Page • Show clear benefits (revenue share, co-marketing, lead access) • Include ROI calculators (“Increase project margins by 30% with [SaaS]”) • Feature partner testimonials • Referred out revenue and deals (“We sent partners $10M of business last year”) 🔹 Industry-Specific Content & Thought Leadership • Host webinars (e.g., “How Agencies Use [SaaS] to Unlock Recurring Revenue”) • Publish case studies featuring agencies/SIs winning with your product • Share benchmark reports on trends impacting their industry 🔹 Partner-Led Success Stories • Interview existing partners in videos or blog posts • Have partners speak on co-branded events 3️⃣ Strategic Incentives to Lower Barriers 🔹 “Low-Lift” Entry Points • Offer a free sandbox account or demo environment • Create a “Quick-Start” Partner Package (with templates, training, and lead support) 4️⃣ Leverage Ecosystem & Community Engagement 🔹 Be Present Where They Are • Be present at industry events & conferences where they are - IRL is important! • Engage in Slack communities & LinkedIn groups where agencies/SIs discuss tools & services • Build trust through authentic engagement 🔹 Partner Referrals & Testimonials • Ask tech partners to introduce agency partners • Clients and folks in your network may very well know the folks you want to get in touch with, or at least folks at the company. Leverage your network, and always try a warm intro before defaulting to cold outbounds. 💡 Key Takeaway Getting service providers to the table without prior relationships requires a combination of inbound attraction, strategic outbound, and strong incentives. The key is showing clear business value, making it easy for them to engage, and reducing friction to start.

Similar to the about, some common partner enablement mistakes include unclear value propositions, where partners don’t see how your solution benefits their business. Overly complex onboarding can overwhelm and disengage them before they ramp up. Lack of tailored training prevents partners from confidently selling and implementing your product. Inadequate sales and marketing support leaves them without the right tools to generate demand. Failing to provide early deal support can stall momentum, while weak ongoing engagement leads to partner inactivity. Lastly, neglecting feedback loops prevents necessary improvements. To succeed, keep enablement clear, structured, and continuously optimized for partner success.

Partner activation is the process of transitioning a newly signed partner from onboarding to actively selling, implementing, and driving value with your SaaS solution. Activation is typically defined by key milestones, such as completion of onboarding and training, certification, engagement with sales and marketing resources, and most importantly, closing their first deal or delivering their first project. A fully activated partner is one who can independently position, sell, and support your product within their service offerings. However, several blockers can prevent successful activation. Lack of clarity on value proposition can make it difficult for partners to see how your product fits into their business model. Complex or lengthy onboarding processes can lead to disengagement before they fully ramp up. Limited access to sales enablement materials or demo environments can hinder their ability to confidently pitch to clients. Insufficient incentives or deal registration support may cause partners to prioritize competing solutions. Weak internal buy-in within the partner organization, especially from leadership or sales teams, can delay momentum. Additionally, lack of ongoing support and engagement after initial onboarding can lead to stagnation. To drive successful activation, focus on clear value alignment, structured onboarding, hands-on support for early deals, and continuous engagement through co-marketing, sales incentives, and enablement resources.

To build a strong go-to-market (GTM) strategy with a service partner (design agencies, development firms, or solution integrators), you need comprehensive enablement materials that empower them to sell, implement, and support your SaaS product effectively. Start with partner onboarding guides that outline program benefits, engagement expectations, and success metrics. Next, provide training materials, including product deep dives, use cases, industry positioning, and a certification program to ensure technical and sales readiness. A sales playbook is crucial, detailing ideal customer profiles (ICPs), pain points, pricing models, objection handling, competitive differentiation, and proven sales scripts. Additionally, co-branded marketing assets—such as landing pages, case studies, email templates, social media toolkits, and webinar decks—help partners generate demand. To support deal execution, offer demo environments, proof-of-concept (POC) guides, and integration documentation, ensuring partners can showcase your product effectively. A deal registration process and incentives guide ensures partners are motivated to prioritize your solution, while contract templates and pricing calculators streamline proposals. Ongoing enablement webinars, office hours, and a self-service partner portal provide continuous learning and access to updated content. To track success, equip partners with performance dashboards and quarterly business review (QBR) templates to align on metrics and improvements. Ultimately, a well-structured partner GTM kit ensures service partners can confidently market, sell, and deploy your solution, driving mutual revenue growth.

If you are incredibly targeted in who you’re reaching out to and very prepared it can work, but the best way to get in touch with someone you don’t know is to leverage your network and try to get an introduction through someone you already know. If you have to go cold, be as personal as you can. People respond to people, not optimized messages.

A strong go-to playbook should focus on engagement, enablement, and early wins to drive long-term success. Phase 1: Onboarding & Enablement Objective: Ensure partners understand your platform, see value, and start engaging with clients. ✅ 1. Welcome & Kickoff • Send a personalized welcome email with: • A quick-start guide • Access to the partner portal (if it exists) • Host a 1:1 or group onboarding session • Assign a Partner Success Manager (PSM) 🎓 2. Training & Certification • Self-paced learning paths (product knowledge, use cases) • Technical certifications for key team members • Sales & positioning training (pitch decks, objection handling) • Host a live product demo and Q&A session If the partner is actively engaged in this phase and you have an aligned ICP around the deals of focus that matter for you, it’s appropriate to invest more resources and time into hardening opportunities! Phase 2: First Wins & Engagement Objective: Help partners generate quick wins and become self-sufficient. 🔥 4. Hands-on Support for First Deals • Assign solution engineers to help with: • First client demos & POCs • Proposal & pricing guidance • Offer deal registration incentives (discounts, bonuses) 📢 5. Co-Marketing & Lead Generation • Feature partners in your partner directory • Provide MDF (Market Development Funds) for events or ads 🏆 6. Partner Recognition & Feedback Loop • Share success stories internally & externally • Launch a joint marketing campaign (case study, webinar, blog, social posts) • Invite them to a partner roundtable for feedback • Offer badges & incentives for engagement (e.g., “Gold Partner”) By now you have an engaged partner with experience on a client. This is so important, make sure you're getting to a deal with a partner and not keeping them on a roster with no experience for too long. Phase 3: Scaling & Retention Objective: Deepen engagement and make them long-term advocates. 📈 7. Ongoing Support & Expansion • Provide exclusive partner-only content & roadmaps • Hold quarterly business reviews (QBRs) • Introduce new service opportunities (custom integrations, managed services) 💡 8. Community & Thought Leadership • Invite partners to speak at events • Run a partner referral program • Recognize top performers in a Partner of the Year Awards 🔑 Success Metrics to Track 1. Activation Rate – % of partners completing onboarding 2. Time to First Deal – How fast they close their first sale 3. Partner Engagement – Training completion, co-marketing participation 4. Revenue Contribution – Deals & upsells influenced by partners 5. Retention & Growth – Repeat projects and account expansion The goal is to have partners with high engagement, fast adoption, and revenue growth. You can measure a lot of other measures of success, but those three will lead you to your best partners.