Nearbound Marketing: What It Is and How It Works
Demand generation that runs through partners by borrowing their trust, measured as pipeline.
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Forecastable's Education Center -- The best advice on building partner programs that produce forecastable revenue.
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OEM vs Reseller: A 2026 Comparison for Programs
What is the difference between OEM and reseller? Short answer: OEM vs reseller is the decision between embedding your product inside a partner’s offering (OEM) versus letting a partner sell your product as-is alongside theirs (reseller). The two motions look adjacent and produce opposite operating models. The economics, the legal posture, the support model, and […]
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Editor's Picks
MDF Programs That Generate Real Pipeline (Not Just Activity)
Short answer: most MDF (Market Development Funds) programs in B2B SaaS waste 50 to 70 percent of their budget. The cause is structural, not size. MDF gets framed too narrowly as marketing money. It then goes to partners who will not run the activity that drives pipeline. The fix is a defensible MDF program that […]
Joint Demand Generation: How to Run Co-Marketing That Converts
Short answer: joint demand generation campaigns with partners produce 2x to 4x the ROI of solo demand-gen when designed correctly. They produce 0.5x or worse when designed wrong. The difference comes down to four design decisions. You need a shared ICP, a single accountable owner, lead-level attribution, and a structured handoff motion. Get those four […]
Atlassian’s Komal Shah Said Five to Eight Partners Per Enterprise Deal Is the New Default. Most Companies’ Operating Cadence Is Still Built for One.
Short answer: Atlassian’s Komal Shah said it on the ELG Summit stage: five to eight partners are now involved in each enterprise deal. However, most partner-program architectures, the deal-reg system, the comp plan, the partner-manager assignment, are still built for one partner. Therefore, the cadence problem is structural. Specifically, four operating layers, the shared mental […]
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Partner Ecosystem: How Modern B2B Companies Build One
A partner ecosystem is the network of companies a vendor sells with, sells through, and integrates with. That includes tech alliances, resellers, distributors, OEMs, agencies, ISVs, and service implementers. Together they produce more revenue than any single direct motion can. A modern partner ecosystem is not a logo wall. It is an operating system for […]
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Ecosystem-Led Growth (ELG): Why 70% of the Revenue Comes from Execution, Not Tooling
ELG (Ecosystem-Led Growth) is a real third revenue motion alongside outbound and inbound. The conversation around ELG in 2026 is mostly wrong: roughly 70% of public content is about tooling; the actual revenue split is the inverse. Here’s the operational frame.
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Partnerships in 2026: A Revenue Function or a Marketing Function With the Wrong Title
Partnerships is the function inside a B2B company that builds revenue-generating relationships with other companies. The defining feature is owning a revenue number. Here’s the four-question diagnostic that tells you whether you have a partnerships function or a partner-marketing function with the wrong title.
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Alex Buckles
Stop Hiring the Wrong Fractional Channel Chief
A fractional channel chief is one experienced operator working part-time as your head of partnerships. A partnerships consultancy is a firm with methodology and execution capacity. Most companies pick the wrong one and waste 6 to 12 months. The right answer hinges on whether your gap is leadership or execution.
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Why Your CFO Distrusts Partner-Sourced Pipeline
Partner-sourced pipeline is revenue originated by a partner referral. Partner-influenced pipeline is revenue where a partner participated but didn’t originate the lead. Most teams blur the line, which kills CFO trust and makes the entire partnerships investment indefensible at budget time. The fix is operational, not editorial.
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Premium
Alex Buckles
*Sourcing Revenue from Large SaaS Partners:* A Strategic Guide
Forging strong partnerships has emerged as a core to how B2B revenue actually compounds, but the market demands not just innovation in products and services, but also strategic alliances that can extend reach, enhance offerings, and ultimately drive revenue. Let’s dive into the system for sourcing revenue from large SaaS partners, with the practical playbook […]
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Alex Buckles
*The Secret* to Partner-Sourced Revenue: Stop Focusing Solely on Sales Reps as Referral Partners
Stop Focusing Solely on Sales Reps as Referral Partners When organizations go to market to source partner revenue, they often focus on engaging the partner’s sales team. They’re thinking about how to get them to refer business, or how to ensure they recognize and communicate their value proposition without having to ask them. This fixation […]
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Alex Buckles
*Systematic Category* Domination for Anchor SaaS Companies
Definitions: Anchor SaaS Company: SaaS provider with a large ecosystem of both service and technology partners. Supporting Partners (SaaS/Services/Hardware): Any partner or category of partner who’s critical along the ideal customer journey the Anchor SaaS Company has defined. The route to SaaS success (systematic revenue acquisition, retention, and expansion) has become a collaborative journey, involving […]
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Alex Buckles
*B2B Partnerships:* Why They Should Matter to Sales Reps
Understanding the value of business-to-business (B2B) partnerships is crucial for your sales reps. Often, when thinking about partnerships, fears and concerns come up. Questions about deal management, partner spend, and the overall impact of having somebody else involved in the deal can lead to a spiral of negative thoughts. However, these fears are valid only […]
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