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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All Account Mapping (11) AI in Partnerships (9) B2B Sales Foundations (24) Co-Selling (30) Ecosystem-Led Growth & Nearbound (9) Partner Attribution & Reporting (12) Partner Enablement & Onboarding (7) Partner Marketing (7) Partner Programs (16) Partner Tech & PRM (17) Partnerships Forecasting (13) Partnerships Roles & Hiring (22) Partnerships Strategy & Leadership (40) Uncategorized (1)Latest Post
AI-Native PRM: What It Is and Why It Beats Bolted-On AI
What is an AI-native PRM? Short answer: An ai-native prm is a partner relationship management platform built from the ground up around AI capabilities rather than bolted on later. It treats the data model, the user interface, and the workflow layer as AI-first surfaces from day one. That distinction matters because traditional PRMs were architected […]
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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 […]
Ecosystem Partnerships: What They Are, How They Work
Ecosystem partnerships are the network of technology, services, and channel partners whose combined presence at the same customer accounts produces co-sell, co-build, and customer-expansion opportunities. The operating model is different from one-to-one channel partnerships, ecosystem partnerships compound through overlap, integration density, and shared customer success rather than through bilateral commercial agreements. Run them well and […]
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What is ELG?
ELG, or ecosystem-led growth, is a go-to-market strategy in which a company’s partner ecosystem becomes the primary source of pipeline, expansion, and retention rather than a sidecar to direct sales and marketing. ELG companies measure ecosystem-influenced revenue as a first-class number, design their CRM and operating cadence around partner overlap data, and treat the partner […]
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Co-Selling: Definition, Models, and How It Works
Co-selling is the joint sales motion in which two companies pursue and close the same prospect or customer together, sharing context, sequencing, and accountability for the deal. The motion runs on shared deal mechanics, same logo, same buyer, same forecast date, same next step, not on shared friendly relationships. Companies that confuse the two get […]
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Co-Sell: 2026 Strategy and Operating Guide
Co-sell is the joint sales motion where two companies pursue and close the same deal together. The motion works when both sellers can name the same buyer, the same use case, the same forecast date, and the same next step. It fails when the relationship is friendly but the deal mechanics are not shared. Get […]
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Alex Buckles
AI Partner Manager: What It Actually Automates and What It Can’t
An AI partner manager is software that automates the operational layer of a human partner manager’s job: tracking partner activity, surfacing co-sell opportunities, drafting partner communications, capturing attribution, and producing executive-ready reports. It does not replace the human relationship-building work, which is irreducible. The defensible model: AI handles the 60 to 70 percent of partner […]
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Account Mapping Software: 2026 Buyer’s Guide for Partnerships Teams
Account mapping software in 2026: Crossbeam is the category leader; PartnerTap fits enterprise multi-partner co-sell; WorkSpan and Together cover adjacent niches. When to buy, how to evaluate, and what compounds.
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Alex Buckles
How CROs Should Think About Partner Pipeline (Without Discounting It to Zero)
Most CROs don’t trust the partner pipeline number their CPO walks into the weekly forecast call with. The reason is structural: the partner pipeline gets built on a different attribution model, refreshed on a different cadence, and aggregated at a different level of confidence than the direct pipeline. To earn a seat in the forecast […]
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Alex Buckles
The CRO’s Comp Model for Partner-Sourced Pipeline
Partner-sourced pipeline should pay AEs the same commission as direct deals with full credit, no haircut. Partner managers get separate quota credit from a different comp pool. This eliminates the zero-sum fight and prevents AE sandbagging of partner intros.
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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 […]
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Partner Content Syndication: A Field Guide for B2B SaaS
Short answer: partner content syndication is one of the cheapest pipeline sources in B2B SaaS. Most programs underperform because they treat it as a logo-swap, not a real demand motion. The model that works is simple. Syndicate content only when it is valuable on its own, attribute leads at the source, and build a follow-up […]
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