Inside Partnering

Inside Partnering with Nancy Sperry, SVP of US Partner Sales at SageAI is changing more than the technology partners sell and implement. It’s changing how they engage customers, how they deliver value, and increasingly, how they build their own businesses.In my latest Inside Partnering conversation, I sat down with Nancy Sperry, Senior Vice President of US Partner Sales at Sage, to explore what this transformation looks like in practice.We covered a lot of ground, from building trust in AI to partner-led innovation, the importance of micro-vertical expertise, and why understanding partner economics is essential to building successful partnerships.Here are several themes that stood out.From Implementing Technology to Delivering OutcomesOne of the biggest shifts Nancy is seeing is how quickly partners are incorporating AI into their businesses.She compared the current AI transformation to the industry’s move to cloud computing, but with a significantly compressed adoption curve.Partners who were exploring AI capabilities just a couple of years ago are now incorporating them directly into their sales and delivery processes.“I see partners extremely excited to embrace and adopt this, and they are building it into their sales methodologies, their delivery mechanisms.”AI-driven migrations are one example. Partners are finding ways to accelerate implementations and deliver results more quickly.Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.But the more important change is what happens after implementation.Traditionally, customers might wait until a project went live before experiencing its value. AI creates opportunities to shorten that cycle, giving partners more opportunities to engage as strategic advisors.“That’s, I think, the biggest shift that AI is making, is we’re moving from activity-based things to outcome-based conversations much more quickly.”For partner leaders, this raises an important question: Are we equipping partners primarily to implement our technology, or to help customers achieve better business outcomes?Building Trust in AI Is a Partner OpportunityIn finance, trust and accuracy are particularly important.Nancy described Sage’s approach as moving from a “black box” to a “glass box,” where users can examine how AI generated a result and review the supporting data.She noted that finance leaders spend significant time verifying AI-generated information before using it to make decisions.Sage’s approach gives users the ability to drill into the results, understand the underlying reasoning, and validate the supporting information.That transparency also creates an opportunity for partners.“Partners have a large role in it in, number one, I think delivering the confidence that customers can rely on the AI.”But partners need confidence themselves before they can deliver it to customers.That’s why Sage is working with partners across product, go-to-market, and project delivery to help them understand and apply AI capabilities.The goal isn’t simply AI adoption. It’s helping customers spend less time validating information and more time making decisions, solving problems, and executing.Co-Building with Partners: Hackathons as a Business Development ToolOne of the most interesting parts of our conversation was Sage’s approach to partner hackathons.Nancy shared that Sage has conducted six hackathons with partners this year, spanning marketing, sales, AI agents, and technical development.These aren’t exclusively developer-focused exercises.Partners are bringing business challenges, experimenting with tools, and building solutions that address specific customer needs.“Our product is things that we build, but to, I think, be effective it’s even more powerful when there are things that partners build.”Nancy shared a recent example of a partner that organized its own internal hackathon.Teams developed three AI agents, packaged them into solutions, and were already demonstrating them to customers.What’s especially interesting is how these activities combine learning, experimentation, and commercial opportunity.Partners develop confidence by building. They discover new use cases. And they can create differentiated offerings around their own expertise.Sage also shares learnings from its experiments with the broader partner ecosystem, extending the value beyond individual participants.Nancy described the hackathons as both trust-building and business-building exercises.That’s an important distinction for partner programs looking to move beyond traditional enablement.Why Micro-Vertical Expertise MattersWe also discussed Sage’s focus on industry specialization, particularly micro-verticals.Nancy explained how partners bring detailed knowledge of specific industries, their business processes, and the terminology customers use every day.Construction is one example, where concepts like retainage, job costing, and revenue recognition require specialized knowledge.Sage works with partners who have spent decades serving these industries.That experience helps customers feel more confident and accelerates the path to value.“When somebody can come in and really talk about the way that other people have deployed or other people have leveraged that brings incredible comfort and expedites the learning curve for the end customer.”Nancy also described partners serving faith-based organizations, nonprofits, and businesses that span multiple industry categories.One example was Habitat for Humanity, where nonprofit operations intersect with construction.Another was the LPGA, which worked with a partner to modernize its financial platform and improve visibility across tournaments, golfers, and marketing initiatives.The broader lesson is that industry expertise becomes more valuable when partners can connect technology capabilities to specific business challenges.Understanding Partner Economics Is FundamentalWe closed with a topic that doesn’t always receive enough attention in partner strategy: partner profitability.Nancy emphasized that successful partnerships require understanding how partners actually make money, what they’re trying to build, and how their business goals align with yours.“I challenge my team really often to think about what is the partner economic model, right? Let’s understand their business in order to understand our outcomes together.”She recalled a partner in Pennsylvania who openly shared its P&L, financial measurements, and operating model.That experience shaped how she thinks about partner relationships and how she leads her team today.Understanding whether a partner prioritizes gross margin, net margin, or other financial measures changes how you approach joint planning.It also moves the conversation beyond individual transactions.Nancy described working with partners to establish shared business goals, measure progress, and regularly revisit their common “North Star.”“It’s really about building businesses together.”That’s a powerful way to think about partner strategy.Rather than focusing exclusively on what partners can deliver for the vendor, the conversation becomes how both organizations can build more valuable businesses together.The Bigger PictureWhat connects these themes is the evolving role of partners.AI is accelerating the shift toward outcomes. Co-building creates opportunities for differentiated solutions. Industry expertise strengthens customer relationships. And understanding partner economics provides the foundation for sustainable growth.For partner leaders, the challenge is bringing these elements together.Are we helping partners build the capabilities, confidence, and business models they need to succeed?That’s the opportunity Nancy and I explored in this episode of Inside Partnering.🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships.Let’s build the future of partnering - together.📌 If you found this p… This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com

Samrah Khan on partner specialization, faster customer outcomes, and Google Cloud’s evolving ecosystem strategyThe system integrator business is undergoing a fundamental transformation.For years, the traditional model was relatively straightforward. Technology vendors sold platforms, customers selected implementation partners, and SIs delivered projects that could stretch across multiple years.AI is changing that equation.Customers want more than technology implementation. They’re looking for partners who can help define their AI strategies, identify business opportunities, develop specialized solutions, and deliver measurable results in months rather than years.In my latest Inside Partnering conversation, I welcomed back Samrah Khan, Director of Google Cloud SI/GSI Ecosystem North America, to explore how these changes are reshaping the partner ecosystem.Samrah leads Google’s SI/GSI partner relationships at a particularly interesting moment. Google Cloud’s business experienced an amazing 82% year-over-year growth in Q2!But the more interesting story isn’t the growth itself. It’s how the expectations of customers, technology providers, and partners are changing.Here are six insights from our conversation.1. Customers Want a Unified AI Strategy, Not Another Technology ImplementationOne of Samrah’s clearest observations is that enterprise customers are approaching AI very differently from previous technology transitions.They’re no longer simply shopping for infrastructure or selecting a systems integrator after choosing a platform.Instead, they expect technology providers and partners to work together from the beginning, bringing a comprehensive perspective on business transformation.“Customers are looking at both the partners as well as the hyperscalers or technology providers to come in and look at the whole enterprise from A to Z.”Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Different customers are at very different stages of AI maturity.Some need help establishing an AI strategy from scratch. Others already have a direction but need partners with the expertise to identify the right technologies and use cases.For partner leaders, this represents an important shift in positioning.The opportunity isn’t simply to become the preferred implementation resource. It’s to become part of the customer’s strategic decision-making process.That requires a clear point of view on how technology creates business value.2. Partner Specialization Has Two DimensionsWe often discuss specialization in terms of industry expertise. Samrah described a more nuanced framework.She sees two distinct dimensions of specialization.Vertical specialization involves deep industry and subindustry expertise. A partner might specialize in financial services, but differentiate further through expertise in banking, capital markets, or consumer banking.The opportunity is to combine that knowledge with technology to build reusable, industry-specific intellectual property and solutions.Horizontal specialization focuses on particular AI capabilities or business functions.A partner might specialize in building AI agents, transforming HR workflows, or modernizing applications.“Even within the AI world, different partners have different roles to play because the problem of data state hasn’t gone away just because everybody’s chasing towards AI.”The distinction matters because enterprises increasingly need multiple partners.A large GSI might manage enterprise architecture, security, data governance, and compliance, while a smaller specialist delivers AI applications for a particular business function.The strategic question for partners becomes: Where can we develop expertise that customers genuinely value and that complements the broader ecosystem?3. There’s Room for Both Global Integrators and Specialized PartnersOne of the most interesting parts of our discussion was how Google Cloud thinks about the roles of large and small SIs.Samrah sees a growing market for both.Large global integrators are well positioned for what she calls “wall-to-wall AI transformation.”These engagements require enterprise-wide coordination, architecture, governance, infrastructure modernization, and the ability to manage complex transformation programs.Smaller, specialized partners can compete through speed, deep expertise, and focused outcomes.She described opportunities where customers want to move from zero to measurable ROI in 90 days, supported by partners with hands-on AI engineering capabilities.“I think the co-opetition environment is here to stay and we’re going to see more and more where customers based on their needs are going to lean in on specific type of partners where partners have strengths.”This creates an interesting dynamic for ecosystem leaders.The objective isn’t necessarily to identify one partner capable of delivering everything.It’s to understand which partners are best suited to different customer needs and how those capabilities fit together.4. AI Is Changing the Economics of Professional ServicesSpeed emerged repeatedly throughout our conversation.Customers are no longer willing to wait years for the first meaningful return on an AI investment.And AI is giving services partners new ways to accelerate delivery.Samrah shared an example of a partner using Gemini Enterprise to modernize approximately 50,000 lines of COBOL code.Work that previously took weeks could now be completed in approximately two days, according to the partner.That acceleration has significant implications for how services businesses operate.“They no longer want to wait for a project from the start of day zero to see first deliverable or ROI two years down the road.”Traditional time-and-materials engagements aren’t necessarily appropriate for every AI project.Customers increasingly want outcome-focused engagements with shorter delivery cycles and earlier ROI milestones.For SI leaders, this raises important questions about delivery models, pricing, staffing, and differentiation.If AI dramatically reduces the time required to complete certain tasks, partners need to think carefully about how they create and capture value.5. Co-Building Requires More Than a Collection of AI AgentsSamrah also emphasized the importance of partners developing differentiated solutions with technology providers.Simply claiming to have thousands of AI agents isn’t enough.Customers want to understand why a particular solution is better suited to their needs.That might mean faster deployment, lower total cost of ownership, or better performance.“If a partner goes in and says, ‘Hey, one plus one equals three,’ it’s great.”The underlying point is that partners need a distinctive value proposition.Google Cloud is investing in partners building solutions and go-to-market playbooks around Gemini Enterprise.The emphasis is on creating offerings that partners and Google can take to market together.For alliance leaders, the lesson is particularly relevant: co-building should result in something differentiated and repeatable, not simply another implementation capability.6. Partner Success Is About Sourcing Business and Driving AdoptionGoogle’s $750 million partner funding initiative was another important topic.Samrah explained that the investment supports multiple stages of the customer lifecycle, including solution development, presales, post-sales adoption, activation, and change management.She also described two priorities against which her organization is measured.First, sourcing new business through partners.Rather than waiting until customers have made their technology decisions, Google wants partners actively involved in creating opportunities.Second, driving product adoption.Implementation alone isn’t sufficient. Customers need to use the technology effectively.“It’s not like just, ‘Hey, do the delivery and be out of the account,’ but partners also need to wowork on user adoption.”That includes AI li… This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com

For partner leaders, one of the hardest questions isn’t identifying your best-performing partners. Most organizations already know who they are.The harder question is: Who should you invest in next?That question sits at the center of my conversation with Kenneth Fox, CTO and founder of ChannelScaler. Kenneth has spent his career in channels and partnerships, and his perspective combines the technology side of partner management with the practical realities of running partner programs.Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.We talked about AI, co-selling, technology alliances, partner journeys, measurement, and why human relationships remain essential even as more of the partner experience becomes automated.One idea came through repeatedly: technology is most valuable when it helps partner teams focus their limited resources on the activities and relationships most likely to produce results.The Channel Has Become a Complex EcosystemTraditional partner program fundamentals aren’t going away. Kenneth still sees incentives, marketing, tiering, rebates, deal registration, portals, and content management as table stakes.What has changed is the environment around them.Partner ecosystems now involve many different types of partners and increasingly complex sales motions. A single enterprise opportunity might involve a vendor, a reseller, a services partner, and potentially others.That makes co-selling much more than simply sharing an opportunity.“The channel has become a very complex ecosystem of partners.”Kenneth described the challenge of coordinating multi-partner deals where each participant may be operating from a different CRM and even using different names for the same end customer.The critical questions become remarkably operational: Who owns which part of the deal? What’s the next step? Who owns that step? When is it due? And what can the vendor do to move the opportunity forward?For partner leaders, that level of visibility becomes increasingly important as ecosystems expand.AI Should Make Partnering EasierKenneth divides ChannelScaler’s application of AI into three broad areas: reducing friction and improving ease of doing business, removing operational obstacles through automation, and generating better insights.The first two can address some very practical problems.An AI agent can help determine whether a deal being registered may already exist. It can surface relevant content during deal registration. It can automate elements of MDF claims and flag transactions that require human review.The objective isn’t simply to add AI to a partner platform. It’s to remove work.Kenneth sees that eventually changing the partner experience itself.“It will become an agentic-led experience for partners and vendors.”Instead of requiring partners to navigate through a portal looking for what matters, an agent can potentially surface what needs attention: an open deal, an expiring fund request, a rebate claim, or a certification required to maintain status.That connects directly to one of Kenneth’s core principles:“Ease of doing business is the single biggest pain point in the channel.”And his conclusion is equally direct:“If you are the vendor that is easiest to work with, you will be the vendor that wins.”Build What Differentiates You - Partner for the RestAs CTO, Kenneth also has to make a decision familiar to many technology companies: What should we build ourselves, and where should we partner?His framework starts with knowing what the company is actually good at.“We know what we’re good at, and we stick to, you know, our lane.”ChannelScaler uses technology alliance partners where capabilities fall outside that lane. Kenneth cited XTRM for payments, Structured for TCMA, and PartnerTap for identifying ecosystem whitespace. The goal is to integrate complementary capabilities rather than recreate technology that another company already does well.In other cases, such as co-sell functionality, Kenneth believes the capability sits directly within ChannelScaler’s core area of expertise, making internal development the faster route.There isn’t one universal build-versus-partner rule.Each capability has to be evaluated on its own merits.Find the Next 10 PartnersPerhaps the most interesting application of AI in our conversation was partner prioritization.Most channel leaders can identify the partners generating the majority of their revenue. Kenneth argues that AI can help answer a more valuable forward-looking question: Who are the next 10, 20, or 30 partners worth investing in?ChannelScaler looks across attributes including revenue, deal volume and value, certifications, participation in programs, end customers, geographies, training, and other signals.“I look at the attribution of my best partner or my best 100 partners, and now I can use AI to scrub that against the next thousand to figure out actually who’s the next best 10 I should focus on.”Once those partners are identified, Kenneth recommends putting them on a targeted partner journey.And importantly, a journey isn’t synonymous with onboarding.It might be designed for a brand-new partner, a mature strategic partner, or a group of high-potential partners. One example Kenneth described was a revenue journey where the vendor and partner establish specific growth objectives, net-new-logo targets, leads, marketing investments, and next steps.That’s a fundamentally different approach from giving every partner essentially the same program experience.Measure Engagement, Not Just EnrollmentKenneth also challenges one of the most common partner-program vanity metrics: total partner count.“You have 500 partners. Well, guess what? You don’t really have 500 partners.”If only 110 of those partners have actually engaged, the other 390 shouldn’t automatically be treated as productive members of the ecosystem.Measurement should instead reveal what partners are doing, how programs are performing, where processes are slowing down, and which behaviors correlate with success.Kenneth’s principle is simple:“You can only manage what you measure.”The bigger opportunity is to connect measurement to action. Identify the attributes of successful partners. Find other partners with similar potential. Put them on a deliberate journey. Track the commitments on both sides. Then continuously adjust.AI Doesn’t Replace the RelationshipFor all the discussion about AI and automation, Kenneth was unequivocal about what technology doesn’t replace.“It’s not a human relationship. And certainly when you move into the enterprise and you’re doing big deals... people buy off people.”That may be the most important distinction for partner leaders.The opportunity isn’t to automate partnering.It’s to automate enough of the administrative burden, analysis, and process friction that partner professionals can spend more of their time doing what technology still can’t do for them: building the relationships that move the business forward.🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships.Let’s build the future of partnering - together.📌 If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience? This spreads the word and keeps me interviewing and sharing content that will help you grow your partnership business and career.Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! This post is public so feel free to share it.🎧 Want more conversations like this?💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.comCheck out all 130+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clipsKnow someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com

At Sage FUTURE in San Francisco, I sat down with Dan Miller, EVP of Financials and ERP at Sage, to talk about how Sage is thinking about AI, ecosystem partnerships, and the future of ERP platforms.One of the clearest themes from the conversation was this: finance leaders are not resisting AI. They simply want transparency, accountability, and confidence in the outputs.For partner leaders, ISVs, and ecosystem builders, that creates a very different opportunity than the generic “AI transformation” messaging dominating the market right now.Dan framed it around trust.“What finance and operations professionals really want is confidence in the tools that they’re deploying are doing exactly what they are expected to do.”That requirement shapes how Sage is building both its AI capabilities and its broader partner ecosystem.Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.AI Adoption in Finance Requires TransparencyDan pushed back on the idea that finance organizations are inherently resistant to innovation.Instead, he described a customer base that is willing to experiment with AI - as long as the systems remain explainable.“It’s not that they don’t want to experiment. It’s that they want to know when they experiment, there’s going to be a good result.”That distinction matters.Sage is positioning its AI capabilities around visibility into how outputs are generated, rather than treating AI as a black box. Dan described how Sage customers can inspect the reasoning behind cash flow predictions, financial close recommendations, and other AI-generated outputs.“It’s not a black box. It’s actually transparent. You can see into how the steps were determined.”That transparency extends into Sage’s Copilot capabilities, where users can interrogate how the system arrived at a recommendation or prediction.For CFOs and finance teams, that creates auditability and confidence. For partners, it creates an environment where AI adoption becomes easier to operationalize with customers.The Partner Opportunity Around AI EnablementOne of the more interesting parts of the conversation was how Sage views AI through the lens of partner enablement, not just customer productivity.Dan talked about how Sage is helping partners accelerate implementations and reduce deployment friction.“One of the most important things for a partner is to have a pipeline of new business being delivered.”He connected that directly to Sage’s recent acquisition focused on accelerating Intacct migrations from systems like QuickBooks.The idea is straightforward: if Sage and its partners can reduce migration complexity and implementation timelines, partners can onboard more recurring revenue customers faster.That’s an important point for ecosystem leaders.AI is not only being positioned as a feature set for end customers. It is increasingly becoming an operational multiplier for partners themselves.Why Open Ecosystems Still MatterDan was also very clear that Sage does not believe a single company can build every workflow or every vertical solution customers need.That philosophy continues to shape Sage’s ISV strategy.“We believe at our very core that we need to be open. We know there’s no possible way that we could invent every piece of technology that solves for every vertical, every micro vertical, every workflow.”Instead, Sage is leaning heavily into ecosystem extensibility.The company works with a broad range of ISVs integrating into Sage platforms, while also creating tighter strategic relationships in priority verticals like nonprofit, healthcare, manufacturing, distribution, and financial services.In some cases, that means co-development. In others, it means packaging and selling integrated solutions together.The more interesting extension of this strategy is how Sage is now applying the same thinking to AI agents.AI Agents Become the Next Ecosystem LayerDan described Sage’s new AI developer program and marketplace as the next evolution of the platform ecosystem.The goal is to allow developers and partners to build highly specialized agent workflows directly into the Sage experience.That includes micro-vertical use cases where partners may have unique expertise, proprietary workflows, or integrations that only exist within a narrow industry segment.“Agents are going to be a new mode of delivery of capability.”Rather than treating AI agents as external tools, Sage is embedding them directly into the ERP workflow and user experience.Partners can build agents that appear inside the same Copilot interface Sage users already interact with.Just as importantly, those agents inherit Sage’s authentication and security framework.“Those agent capabilities are protected by the same kind of authentication capabilities and controls that we do for our users.”That creates a potentially important differentiator for enterprise AI adoption.Instead of customers stitching together disconnected AI tools with inconsistent governance, Sage is positioning AI agents inside an existing operational and security framework.The Bigger Ecosystem SignalOne of the broader signals from this conversation is how platform companies are evolving their ecosystem strategies in the AI era.Historically, ERP ecosystems were largely built around integrations and workflow extensions.Now, they are increasingly becoming marketplaces for intelligent workflows, embedded agents, and verticalized AI expertise.That creates new opportunities for ISVs, SIs, and developers that deeply understand a particular industry process or operational workflow.The winners may not simply be the companies with the largest models or most generic AI capabilities.They may be the ecosystem partners that can combine trusted data access, workflow expertise, and operational context into highly specific business outcomes.And as Dan emphasized throughout the conversation, trust remains central to that equation.“We provide those controls, those guardrails, those are in place, which provides real value for customers because they know that they’re protected by that same set of standards that we hold ourselves accountable to.”🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships.Let’s build the future of partnering - together.📌 If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience? This spreads the word and keeps me interviewing and sharing content that will help you grow your partnership business and career.Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! This post is public so feel free to share it.🎧 Want more conversations like this?💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.comCheck out all 130+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clipsKnow someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit insidepartnering.substack.comAt Sage FUTURE in San Francisco, Nancy Sperry, Vice President of North American Partner Sales at Sage, shared a practical view into how Sage approaches partnerships, co-selling, and AI enablement.The conversation focused on operational execution - how to help partners scale faster, create industry-specific customer outcomes, and build durable businesses together.One theme came through consistently: Sage is designing its ecosystem strategy around partner growth, not just partner participation.Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Building a Partner BusinessSperry framed Sage’s approach around a simple idea: if partners grow, Sage grows alongside them.“How do we remove the barriers to growth for the partner? That’s an incredible kind of focus.”Rather than viewing partnerships strictly through pipeline contribution or resale metrics, Sage appears to be thinking more holistically about partner economics and operational scalability.Sperry described investments in tooling, acquisitions, AI capabilities, and co-sell motions as intentionally designed to help partners execute faster.“All of it is designed to be executed through the lens of partner.”That philosophy extends into how Sage structures its go-to-market organization. According to Sperry, Sage’s North American partner organization works closely alongside partner sales teams in the field, helping partners add sales capacity, industry expertise, and execution support.Co-Sell as Staff AugmentationOne of the more interesting operational models discussed was Sage’s approach to co-selling.Sperry explained that Sage account executives can effectively operate as an extension of partner sales teams.“What that does is it actually gives partners some additional sales capacity.”For smaller or growing partners, this becomes a meaningful scaling mechanism. Instead of waiting until they can independently fund new headcount, partners can leverage Sage resources to accelerate pipeline development and industry expansion.Sperry described this as a practical way to help partners grow faster while reducing operational friction.“If they want to go into a particular industry, we can add a little bit of industry knowledge.”That support can include:* Additional sales coverage* Industry specialization* Mentorship for new partner reps* Joint customer engagement* Pipeline accelerationImportantly, she framed this as a shared investment model.“We’re investing together.”That alignment matters because many partners are balancing hiring decisions, utilization targets, and services capacity while simultaneously trying to grow recurring revenue practices.The Power of Micro-Vertical ExpertiseAnother major theme was Sage’s focus on industry depth.Sperry explained that while Sage serves many broad industries, partners often go even deeper into highly specialized micro-verticals.“We have over 50 micro verticals that we can kind of talk about.”This is where the ecosystem becomes a force multiplier.Partners combine:* Sage technology* Industry expertise* Specialized services* ISV integrations* Workflow customizationThe result is highly tailored customer experiences that are difficult for generalized providers to replicate.Sperry also highlighted how partners frequently overlap across multiple ecosystem motions simultaneously. A reseller may also build proprietary technology. An outsourcing partner may also operate as an ISV.That flexibility creates broader customer coverage and more specialized outcomes.“One partner may not solve that challenge exactly the same way.”For partner leaders, that observation matters. Ecosystems increasingly win through combinations of expertise rather than through single-vendor standardization.Trusted AI Requires Trusted PartnersAI was a central topic throughout Sage FUTURE, particularly around trusted AI for finance and accounting workflows.Sperry emphasized that Sage’s long history in accounting gives the company a strong foundation for responsible AI adoption.“We get to build on the foundation of not just strong strength in accounting, but also bringing forward that trusted AI.”She also made an important point about the role partners play in AI adoption.For many customers, the partner is the first trusted advisor they turn to when evaluating how AI should be applied to their business.That’s why Sage is involving partners directly in AI development initiatives, including its agentic AI developer program.“They’re building AI with us.”Sperry referenced partners already building agents and AI-driven solutions on top of Sage capabilities.This reflects a broader ecosystem trend: hyperscalers and platform companies increasingly need partners not just to sell AI, but to operationalize it within specific workflows and industries.

At Sage FUTURES in San Francisco, Gretchen O’Hara delivered a clear message to partners: the market is shifting fast - and the opportunity is massive. But despite the noise around AI, one thing hasn’t changed.Partners are still at the center of how businesses win.“The channel is one of the most important things because our partners are the ones that have the deepest industry expertise and are closest to customers that can really solve their unique, unique business challenges.”AI may accelerate execution, but it doesn’t replace the need for domain expertise, customer proximity, and trusted advisory. In fact, it amplifies it.Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Cutting Through AI Noise with Real ValueOne of the biggest challenges partners face today is separating signal from noise.There’s hype everywhere - startups, tools, promises of automation. But Sage is pushing partners toward something more grounded: delivering real, measurable value to customers.“There’s a lot of hype on AI, there’s a lot of startups, there’s a lot of noise in the market. And so how do we help our partners sort of cut through that noise? Delivering real value with AI to our customers.”For SMB customers in particular, the bar is high. These are financial systems. Accuracy and trust are non-negotiable.“AI has to be right a hundred percent of the time in this space and SMBs shouldn’t expect anything less.”That requirement fundamentally shapes how partners need to approach AI - not as experimentation, but as production-grade capability tied directly to business outcomes.The AWS + Sage Strategy: Enabling the EcosystemA major announcement at the event was Sage’s strategic collaboration with AWS. But this wasn’t framed as just a technology partnership - it’s an ecosystem play.The goal is to enable partners to build, extend, and monetize solutions on top of Sage’s platform using modern AI infrastructure.Three priorities stand out:* Enable ISVs and builders to create extensions via an agentic marketplace* Remove friction from customer migration to modern cloud environments* Deepen co-sell collaboration across Sage, AWS, and partnersThe intent is clear: reduce barriers, accelerate adoption, and create new revenue opportunities for partners.“We want to remove the complexity. We want to remove the financial risk… and help our partners make that move with our customers faster.”This is less about incremental improvement and more about unlocking a new phase of ecosystem-driven growth.A Defining Moment for PartnersO’Hara was explicit about timing. This is not a “wait and see” moment.“The time is now. The time is to really focus on making sure that you’re bringing the best delivery, the best service, the best advisory to your customers.”The partners who commit early - especially in areas like agentic AI and modern finance workflows - will have a structural advantage.At the same time, Sage is signaling that it intends to bring the entire ecosystem along, not just a subset of leading partners.PwC and the Shift in the SI Business ModelOne of the most important signals came from Sage’s announcement with PwC.The core idea: use AI to dramatically reduce implementation timelines - from months down to a fraction of that - and shift value toward higher-level services.“Reduce implementation time… and shift the value of the dollars that customers are spending, not on the time it takes for the implementation, but the value we’re going to get on these integrated workflows.”This represents a fundamental shift in how system integrators operate.Historically, revenue was tied heavily to implementation effort. But in an AI-driven world, that model starts to break down.“Why am I paying these billable hours for something that should be easy to run and go and help me?”Instead, partners move up the stack:* Advisory services* Solution design* AI-driven innovation* Ongoing optimization“My billable hours aren’t going to go away… but the value I’m bringing to customers is so much higher.”For partners willing to evolve, this is not a threat - it’s an expansion of opportunity.From Implementation to Lifetime ValueAnother key shift is how partners think about customer relationships.In a cloud and AI-driven world, success isn’t defined by implementation - it’s defined by ongoing adoption, usage, and impact.“You are now a strategic advisor in that business… you’re going to stay, you’re going to retain, you’re going to grow that customer.”This changes the economic model:* Less focus on one-time projects* More focus on lifetime customer value* Greater emphasis on retention and expansionPartners who lean into this transition can build more durable, scalable businesses.The Unique Strength of the Sage EcosystemAfter six months in the role, O’Hara highlighted something she sees as distinctive about Sage.“Partners are our strategy. It’s not afterthought, it’s not an add on, it is the ecosystem of how we’re going to make this future win together.”That level of commitment shapes everything - from product direction to GTM strategy.It also creates a foundation for long-term trust and collaboration, including multi-generational partner relationships.But even within that strong foundation, partners are asking for clarity.How do we win in this next phase?How do we monetize AI?How do we evolve our business models?Those are the questions Sage is now focused on helping answer.Final ThoughtThe biggest takeaway from this conversation is not about AI itself.It’s about the role of partners in an AI-driven market.AI will change how solutions are built, delivered, and monetized.But the partners who understand customer needs, bring industry expertise, and deliver real outcomes will only become more important.🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships.Let’s build the future of partnering - together.📌 If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience? This spreads the word and keeps me interviewing and sharing content that will help you grow your partnership business and career.Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! This post is public so feel free to share it.🎧 Want more conversations like this?💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.comCheck out all 130+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clipsKnow someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com

For years, partnerships with global systems integrators were often viewed through a narrow lens - implementation, services, and support.Rajiv Batra challenges that assumption directly.“A lot of times when we work with GSIs… there is a notion that it’s more focused on process consulting… I will say that’s not fully true.”Instead, GSIs are increasingly central to building differentiated, industry-specific solutions. The real value is not just delivery - it is co-creation.Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Start with Industry, Not TechnologyOne of the most important shifts Rajiv describes is where solution building begins.Not with products. Not with features.But with industry patterns.“Pick an industry… focus on what exactly are the common patterns which we are seeing… the challenges our customers are facing.”GSIs bring decades of domain expertise across healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and beyond. That knowledge becomes the foundation for building solutions that actually resonate.Google Cloud and ISV partners brings the platform and technology.GSI Partners bring the context.Together, they build something neither could deliver alone.The Blurring of ISV and SI RolesOne of the most interesting dynamics in the conversation is how traditional categories are breaking down.“The lines are blurred now.”GSIs are no longer just implementers. They are building IP, assembling multi-vendor solutions, and packaging repeatable offerings.At the same time, platforms like Google Cloud are leaning heavily into ecosystem orchestration.The result is a more connected, interdependent model where:* ISVs contribute product innovation* GSIs contribute industry solutions* Platforms enable scale and distributionThe differentiation comes from how well these pieces are integrated.AI Is Changing How Partnerships OperateRajiv makes a clear distinction when talking about AI.The real transformation is not about automation. It is about moving from data to insight to value.“The real power… is not about the capture of data… that’s the starting of the journey.”This shows up in two critical areas.1. Internal Productivity and Decision MakingRajiv describes using AI as a “chief of staff” to prioritize work, summarize information, and guide daily execution.“Gone are the days where I start my day with a cluttered inbox… today, I start my day talking to my AI chief of staff.”This is not just efficiency - it is focus.2. Transforming Core GTM MotionsMore importantly, AI is reshaping how partners plan and execute together.Traditional joint business planning relied heavily on:* Account mapping* Territory alignment* Historical relationshipsThat model is being replaced.“We have moved away from spending time on data gathering to alignment on scalable and joint solutions.”Instead of asking “where do we sell?”, the question becomes:“What solutions can we scale together?”From Pitch Decks to Live DemosAnother major shift is how partners engage customers.The old model centered on presentations.The new model is experiential.“No more are the days where I’m basically getting into a meeting… nowadays, it’s not PPT… we run through the demo.”This is a meaningful change.Rather than describing value, teams are showing it in real time.And increasingly, those demos are generated dynamically using AI - tailored to specific industries, use cases, and customer challenges.Co-Sell Is Not a Standard PlaybookOne of the most important takeaways is how Rajiv frames co-sell with GSIs.“CoSell with GSI partners… is a very unique, tailored motion.”Why?Because GSIs are not operating at the transactional level. They are embedded with customer leadership, helping shape long-term transformation.That changes everything about how co-sell works.The motion starts with:* Deep industry segmentation* Specific problem definition* Pre-built or demo-ready solutionsFrom there, execution becomes a three-way alignment:* Partner* Platform seller* Partner ecosystem team“There is nothing called… partner source, Google source… it’s truly about co selling to the end customer together.”Measuring What Actually MattersMeasurement is another area where Rajiv pushes beyond conventional thinking.Yes, traditional metrics still matter:* Influenced revenue* Bookings* CertificationsBut they are not enough.“Looking at either of these in silos is actually… a wrong approach.”Instead, Google evaluates partners holistically across two dimensions:1. Current PerformanceRevenue impact, pipeline, and capability2. Future PotentialExecutive alignment, joint planning, and co-build initiativesThe combination of both determines true partner value.The Role of Leadership in Scaling PartnershipsFinally, Rajiv shares a simple but powerful philosophy for leading partner teams.“You run your business… partnership as your core business.”His focus is:* Providing data and insights* Acting as an unblocker* Helping prioritize what mattersIn a fast-moving environment - where partners, products, and customers are all evolving simultaneously - clarity becomes a competitive advantage.🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships.Let’s build the future of partnering - together.📌 If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience? This spreads the word and keeps me interviewing and sharing content that will help you grow your partnership business and career.Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! This post is public so feel free to share it.🎧 Want more conversations like this?💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.comCheck out all 130+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clipsKnow someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com

At AWS Global Partner Summit last week, a clear theme emerged: the next evolution of partnerships isn’t just better programs or more incentives.It’s intelligence embedded directly into partner teams’ workflows.In this episode of Inside Partnering, I spoke with Abhisheikh Lahoti, Director, AWS Marketplace and Partner Services and Jessica Rudy, Partner Experience Leader at AWS. Jessica and Lahoti help unpack what AWS is building with Partner Central Agents - and why it has the potential to fundamentally change how partners operate, sell, and scale.The Core Problem: Fragmentation Slows Everything DownFor years, partners have faced a familiar challenge:* Fragmented data across systems* Siloed expertise across teams* Manual coordination across organizationsAs Lahoti puts it:“If you’re working across organization boundaries… fragmented data, siloed expertise, just the manual coordination… slows things down.”The result?Slower deals.Missed opportunities.And a heavy reliance on a small group of “AWS experts” inside partner organizations.Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.From Bottlenecks to “Expertise on Demand”The shift AWS is making is simple in concept, but powerful in execution:Move intelligence from centralized teams into the hands of every seller.“Partners get guidance when they need… imagine you’re getting recommendations on when AWS will give you incentives.”Instead of relying on:* Deal desks* Partner ops teams* Internal expertsSales reps can now access:* Funding recommendations* Sales plays* Next-step guidanceDirectly inside their workflow.Whole Org Activation - Not Just Alliance TeamsOne of the most important ideas in the conversation is what Jessica calls “whole org activation.”Historically, partnerships have been concentrated in a small group:* Alliance leaders* Partner managers* SpecialistsEveryone else?They rely on second-hand knowledge.“People need the information at the moment that they need it… expecting everybody to absorb all of this… is a little untenable.”This leads to a predictable pattern:* Create enablement programs* Build internal processes* Add operational layersBut those layers become bottlenecks.Agentic workflows change that by pushing intelligence directly to:* Field sellers* Account teams* Customer-facing rolesDeal Velocity Becomes the North StarAt the center of all of this is one metric:Deal velocity.AWS is using agents to compress what used to take weeks into minutes.“You’re actually showing up in front of customers in a much better prepared fashion… now this is possible in minutes.”That preparation includes:* Customer context and industry insights* Objection handling* Co-sell strategy* Validation criteriaAnd it doesn’t stop there.From Static CRM Updates to Continuous IntelligenceOne of the more transformative capabilities discussed is how agents interact with live deal activity.“You just need to… upload that recording… it’ll automatically… add next steps… and you don’t need to go into the CRM again.”This represents a major shift:From manual CRM updates → to automated deal progressionInstead of:* Logging notes* Updating stages* Coordinating internallyThe system:* Analyzes conversations* Identifies risks and blockers* Recommends next actionsAll in real time.Simplifying Complexity Without Losing FlexibilityFunding programs are a great example of the tradeoff AWS is trying to solve:* Simplicity vs flexibility* Standardization vs innovation“We want it to be really simple, but… we don’t want to stop finding opportunities to fund a new strategic engagement.”Agents allow AWS to:* Maintain a complex, evolving system* While presenting a simple interface to partnersThat’s a critical unlock.The Bigger Vision: Expanding Beyond the DealWhile much of the focus today is on pipeline and deal execution, the roadmap goes further:* Top-of-funnel campaign generation* Account planning* Personalized sales plays per lead* Partner upskilling and validation* Migration accelerationThe goal?End-to-end lifecycle support.“We wanna move more upstream… account planning and driving top of funnel campaigns… at scale through agents.”Lowering the Barrier for New PartnersOne of the most overlooked implications is how this impacts early-stage partners.“We’re really trying to accelerate that time to activation… so that partners see value… right out of the gate.”Historically, success with AWS required:* Relationships* Experience* Institutional knowledgeNow, much of that can be:* Guided* Accelerated* EmbeddedA Shift in How We Think About PartnershipsStepping back, this is about a shift in operating model and really transforming the partner engagement model when working with AWS.“Everything we’re trying to do is allow that convergence to happen… and make the most of that convergence.”Jessica describes this as convergence - bringing together:* Data* Teams* Systems* WorkflowsWithout requiring rigid standardization.Final ThoughtFor partner leaders, the takeaway is clear.AWS is delivering intelligence embedded in execution.And the organizations that adapt fastest to this model will have a significant advantage.🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships.Let’s build the future of partnering - together.📌 If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience? This spreads the word and keeps me interviewing and sharing content that will help you grow your partnership business and career.Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! This post is public so feel free to share it.🎧 Want more conversations like this?💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.comCheck out all 130+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clipsKnow someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com

Partnerships have always been important in enterprise technology. But according to Shobana Shankar, Head of ISV Sales for Data Analytics at Google Cloud, they are no longer optional.Partnerships are foundational to how modern cloud platforms deliver value to customers.In this episode of Inside Partnering, Shankar shares how Google Cloud approaches ISV partnerships - from joint business planning and co-sell execution to the role of marketplace and AI in shaping the next generation of ecosystems.Her message is clear. Partnerships are evolving from opportunistic relationships to deeply integrated go-to-market motions.Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.From “Partners, Who?” to Embedded in Every Account PlanShankar joined Google Cloud about eight years ago after spending a decade working in the Cisco ecosystem.At the time, cloud partnerships were still early.“I remember talking to sales teams and we were like, partners, who? It was so early at that time for cloud to be thinking about partners.”Today, the picture is very different.Partners are now embedded in Google Cloud’s sales and account planning processes.“Partners are absolutely ingrained in every single account plan and business plan that our direct sellers have.”That shift required more than enthusiasm for partnerships. It required structure.Partner programs, incentives, and enablement have become the mechanism that transforms the intent to partner into a repeatable system.The Three Pillars of a Successful ISV PartnershipShankar describes Google Cloud’s ISV partnerships through three core motions.* Co-build* Co-marketing* Co-sellEach ISV partnership includes a joint business plan that outlines how those three pillars will work together.“There has to be the co build, there has to be the co marketing, and there has to be a co sell.”The goal is to create solutions that neither company could deliver alone.“We’re always with ISVs chasing that better together story. What is that 1 plus 1 equals 3?”When the partnership works, the combined solution solves a customer problem more effectively than either product independently.That outcome becomes the North Star for the partnership.Quality Over Quantity in the Partner EcosystemOne of the challenges of ecosystem strategy is deciding how broadly to expand the partner base.Shankar says Google Cloud has become more selective.“Our core focus is going deeper with a more select group of partners where we can have a material impact.”That does not mean ignoring innovation.In fast-moving areas like AI, new partners are constantly emerging. The strategy is to balance structure with agility.Google Cloud supports established partners while remaining ready to identify emerging companies that may become key ecosystem players.Marketplace as a Strategic DifferentiatorOne of the most interesting shifts Shankar describes is how Google Cloud thinks about marketplace.Marketplace is no longer viewed simply as a transaction layer.“We don’t want marketplace to be a transaction vehicle anymore. We want it to be a strategic differentiator.”That shift changes how partnerships are structured.Joint business plans increasingly focus on how Google Cloud can help partners:* accelerate deals* increase deal size* source new opportunitiesShankar’s team now has compensation tied to generating opportunities for ISV partners.“My team’s compensation has a component where they have a target to source opportunity for our ISVs.”In other words, the hyperscaler is expected to actively help drive partner revenue.The Evolution of the Partner Sales RoleOne of the biggest changes in Google Cloud’s ISV organization is how the partner sales team is built.Early on, the team hired primarily for alliance experience.That has evolved.“Our hiring has evolved significantly. Hire for folks with direct sales acumen and individuals who have that hunter mentality.”The reason is simple. Co-selling effectively requires understanding how sales leaders think.Shankar believes partner specialists should operate almost like embedded members of the ISV sales organization.“The CRO of the ISV should tap into the specialist on my team as someone who works for their company with a google.com domain.”That level of alignment requires people who understand pipeline generation, deal cycles, and revenue goals.Measuring Partner SuccessRevenue remains a critical metric, but Shankar emphasizes that partner success must be measured across the entire lifecycle.Google Cloud tracks both leading and lagging indicators.Examples include:* marketplace revenue* Google-sourced opportunities* pipeline generation* account mapping and engagement* marketing activity* joint demos and specializationsPipeline health is especially important.“We definitely think about having the 3x pipeline at a minimum for ISVs.”Quality matters just as much as quantity.Pipeline must reflect real opportunities where the joint value proposition resonates with customers.The Impact of AI on the EcosystemAI is accelerating both innovation and partnership.In many cases, hyperscalers and ISVs may overlap in capabilities.But Shankar sees that dynamic as a natural part of modern ecosystems.“Sometimes we compete and sometimes we complement, but regardless… gone are the days for us to think about one solution from one company can solve all of customers.”The reality of AI is that no single vendor can solve every problem.Partnership becomes the mechanism for delivering integrated solutions.The Era of Deep PartnershipsShankar believes the industry has entered a new phase.Partnerships are no longer optional go-to-market experiments.They are central to how technology companies succeed.“We are in the era of deep, authentic partnerships. It’s not just a strategy anymore. It is a fundamental necessity for success.”For partner leaders building ecosystems today, that may be the most important takeaway.The future of technology innovation will not be built by single companies.It will be built by ecosystems.🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships.Let’s build the future of partnering - together.📌 If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience? This spreads the word and keeps me interviewing and sharing content that will help you grow your partnership business and career.Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! This post is public so feel free to share it.🎧 Want more conversations like this?💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.comCheck out all 130+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clipsKnow someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com

One of the clearest themes from this conversation with Erica Hakonson is that partner strategy has to reflect where a company actually is in its lifecycle. Too many organizations copy a partner model that worked for someone else, without asking whether it fits their own stage, resources, or goals.Erica has lived this from multiple angles - advising partners inside the Microsoft ecosystem, running Maven Collective Marketing, and even founding her own ISV.“It really depends on what stage in your journey as a company you are.”For mature companies introducing a new product or service line, Erica recommends a controlled, pilot-style approach. A small number of well-chosen partners, deeply enabled, can tell you whether the model works before you scale it.Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Startups face a very different reality.“From my perspective as a founder where we came with no partners and bootstrapped funding, it was the name of the game was how many partners can we get?”In that scenario, partners also function as marketing, air cover, and credibility. Volume matters early, with refinement coming later once patterns emerge.Why the Second Deal Matters More Than the FirstA recurring insight in this episode is that partner success is not defined by the first transaction. First deals can be accidental. Repeatability is what signals a real motion.“Getting that first sale is great but can be a fluke. It’s getting to that second sale that really means, okay, now we’re cooking.”That second deal proves several things at once - that sellers understand what they are selling, that incentives are aligned, and that the partner sees ongoing value. Without that, partner programs stall quietly, even if the pipeline looks healthy on paper.This is where enablement, compensation, and internal support intersect. Technical certification alone is not enough if sellers are neither confident nor motivated.“You could have someone technically trained inside of these partner organizations, but if the sellers don’t know what they’re selling and they’re not incentivized to sell, you’re going to have technically trained individuals and nobody’s selling.”Co-Sell Only Works When You Align to the PlatformWhen the conversation turns to Microsoft co-sell, Erica emphasizes alignment over tactics. Partners that perform well are not guessing at Microsoft priorities - they are mapping directly to them.“It’s really just aligning year after year with what are Microsoft’s priorities, how are we aligning our solution playbook with their solution playbook.”Marketplace has become central to this alignment, especially as Microsoft increasingly expects transactions and quota retirement to happen there.“There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Microsoft wants to be a marketplace.”What has changed is not just visibility, but incentives. Field sellers can now retire quota through marketplace transactions, which fundamentally alters behavior.“The fact that they can retire quota in marketplace is a game changer.”For partners, this raises the bar on readiness. Listings, co-sell materials, customer stories, and transactability are no longer optional hygiene - they are how partners get discovered when a seller does not already know them.Making It Easy for the Field to Choose YouMicrosoft sellers are overloaded. Erica is blunt about what cuts through the noise.“Sellers are going to pay attention to the things that help them retire quota.”The partners who earn repeat introductions are the ones who reduce risk for the field. That means clear proof points, repeat wins, and disciplined communication.“If we have partners that are continually showing us they’re winning in this industry or they’re winning in this workload, we as leaders will share that out to our team.”Win wires, case studies, and consistent updates are not busywork - they are signals of reliability. The goal is simple: make it easy for a seller to say yes without fear of a bad introduction.Incentives Matter - But Only If You Understand ThemMicrosoft incentives evolve constantly, and Erica acknowledges how difficult they are to track.“They’re novels.”Still, she is clear that partners who invest in understanding incentives outperform those who ignore them. Whether it is AI readiness, marketplace transactability, or workload-specific funding, incentives shape behavior across sellers, partners, and customers.The challenge is operational. Partner Center is complex, and many organizations under-resource it.“It’s worthwhile to invest in someone that can navigate you through that because there’s plenty of incentives, plenty of funding that’s happening.”Measurement That Drives the Right BehaviorFinally, Erica returns to measurement - not as a reporting exercise, but as a lever for growth.Marketplace performance, listing decay, and engagement metrics now require ongoing attention as the platform evolves. But one metric stands out above the rest.“What’s the opportunity to land and expand?”Tracking how partners and customers move from one workload to the next creates a clear expansion roadmap. When sales teams understand how that expansion translates into revenue, behavior follows.“If they can translate that product or that service into, ‘Hey, this makes you more money,’ generally the sales team is right on board.”Partner programs succeed when strategy, incentives, enablement, and measurement reinforce each other. This episode offers a grounded look at what that actually requires.🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships.Let’s build the future of partnering - together.📌 If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience? This spreads the word and keeps me interviewing and sharing content that will help you grow your partnership business and career.Thanks for reading Inside Partnering! This post is public so feel free to share it.🎧 Want more conversations like this?💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.comCheck out all 130+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clipsKnow someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidepartnering.substack.com