Partnerships is a people business.

I was recently sitting on a plane, thinking about my role as CEO. Being a CEO is something I’m learning. I’m not in the executive suite, as someone recently told me, I’m the Chief Everything Officer. And the numerous people reaching out letting me know my successful rise to C-level status only reminds me, oh, they don’t know the story. I typed three letters on my LinkedIn one day.

That’s the beginning of me being a CEO. What does that have to do with partnerships?

As the CEO, I get the opportunity to help set the vision for the future of our company, and begin to influence the future of how partnerships evolve in the world of tech. I see an opportunity and a place for CoPort to join the conversation and set a vision for how partner leaders everywhere can help their companies grow through partnerships.

Because we’re in the business of helping companies be successful.

There’s a tagline on our website that says, “Companies don’t partner with companies. People do.”

It got me thinking. Since partnerships is about the people—about you and me—then we have to provide the tools for the people who work to make partnerships successful. The focus must be on the people. It’s not in the ideals or the ever-discussed IPP, it’s in the relationships we build with the people at the company our technology might integrate with. Also, just because we’re friends doesn’t mean that the partnership works either.

There’s something else.

John Maxwell said, “When all things are equal, people do business with people they like, and when things are not, they still do.”

Partnerships work well because people do the work to make them work well. It’s so much more than the friendships we build, though I have made some incredible friends in the world of partnerships.

So at the core of helping our companies grow through partners, we need to encourage ourselves and help other partner leaders continue to grow in their own personal development. When we get better at partnering, then our partnerships have the best chance of succeeding and supporting out companies.

Therefore, as you’re partnering, we put together a list of tips to help you in growing in your partnering endeavors.

Get to know the person, not just the product

On a recent partnership call I realized how much I have gotten to know a certain partner manager I’ve worked with for a few years now. We spent the first 10 minutes talking about our families, running, and recent changes in our jobs. We had a lot of work to cover, but it was really important to see the person on the other end of the Zoom call. The relational equity we’ve built has allowed us to move quickly through our agenda and move our companies forward. Our integration is so cool, too, but what makes this partnership work is not the integration. It’s our relationship and ability to work together towards our joint goals. We’re already hitting milestones we didn’t hit last year. And yes, I do think it’s because we’re taking the time to invest even more in the relationship.

Come to serve, not to be served

I like to start every partner call getting a recap of what’s going on in the other person’s life. Don’t forget, your partnership is not the only partner relationship they’re working on. You know that because you’re working on numerous others as well, but sometimes we don’t treat every call like we know that. We are going to be much more successful when we come to serve the other company rather than expect them to serve us. This can come in the form of seeing what projects they’re working on and what obstacles are getting in their way. It could be that you realize they’re dealing with another hard partnership and struggling to figure out how to build a good synergy. Collaborate with them. Recently, a partner and I have been working on a campaign with a small group of their AEs. We’re making sure that the work campaign we’re doing isn’t just about my company’s goals, but helping this other partner manager build a playbook that he can take to other partners as well. Now, that’s true partnership.

Clear goals, with flexible plans

If you haven’t read the 7 Habits series we did over the last few months, I’d encourage you to check it out. It’s important to start with the end in mind. Make goals. If you don’t know where you’re both going, you’ll both end up somewhere else. So set the goal and work towards it. And along the way, be flexible with how you achieve that goal. There’s an old adage that says, “What got you here won’t get you there.” What’s worked in the past might be a good framework for moving forward, but today’s business needs are different. The post-Covid world has caused all of us to figure out how we work in a hybrid working environment. Make the goals and end results clear, but give flexibility to how you get there.

Communicate often

When people are quiet in partnerships, someone is going to fill in the blank space. When there’s no communication, it’s interesting how much that actually communicates. Don’t assume that just because the communication isn’t happening that someone hasn’t been thinking something on the other end. It’s up to you to make sure you’re communicating with your partners. This can come in all sorts of various mediums—newsletters, Slack groups, IMs, text messages, emails, campaigns. Just make sure you’re communicating in some sort of fashion. Don’t be ashamed if you have to remind yourself to message a partner regularly. We get busy and a focus might shift for a season. That’s okay. Just don’t forget, put a reminder in to reach out to your partner for future planning. Communicate often.

Give it time

The last tip I might give from my own experiences of building partnerships, and probably the hardest lesson I’m still learning, is this—give it time. Just like with people, partnerships take time, because, again, businesses don’t partner with businesses, people do. So then why do we think that partnerships should just work out immediately? These things take time, so I encourage you, set correct expectations early and check in often. One partnership I’ve worked on has taken a year or so to really get going, sometimes it’s less, hopefully not more. We remind you, don’t rush it. Just because there’s a signed contract doesn’t mean the leads are flowing. The partnership will take time, so take the time to work with the people, because it will eventually prove it’s worth.

Partnerships is a people business.

Take the time to review these tips and try them today as you jump on the next partner call. We’re cheering you on, because our companies win when our partnerships get better.