Friends with Benefits – Details, episodes & analysis

On today's episode, we dive deep with Brian Jambor, a true architect of partnerships and human connection. In this episode of Friends with Benefits, Brian unpacks the nuances of scaling partnerships, shares lessons from his career, which range from making headlines in the Wall Street Journal to launching innovative AI collaborations, and gives his take on the future of partnerships in the age of AI. Discover why trust, ethics, and connection are at the heart of his success, and hear how he’s helping redefine partnerships as a genuine, people-first approach to business. If you’re passionate about building impactful alliances, this episode is packed with insights to guide your journey.

In this episode of Friends with Benefits, Jason and Sam sit down with Jen Igartua, CEO of GoNimbly, to talk all things RevOps. Jen walks us through her journey in the world of revenue operations, unpacking how RevOps has become essential for scaling B2B SaaS companies. We dig into the value of operationalizing partnerships and hear how GoNimbly has made this a core part of their strategy, especially through their powerhouse partnership with Gong. Jen also dives into the trickier side of RevOps, like solving attribution challenges and syncing up with C-suite priorities. And as a bonus, we get a peek into her creative world of improv and game design, showing us how creativity and adaptability make all the difference in business. This episode is packed with laughs, strategic insights, and Jen’s unique take on where RevOps and partnerships intersect.

This week we're chatting with a couple of legends, Michelle Eatherton and Dorothy Copeland, on their experiences and insights on building successful ecosystems in the tech space including AWS, IBM, Hubspot, and Stripe. Dorothy talks about her journey at AWS and Stripe, highlighting the importance of choosing the right partnerships and building the right culture while scaling. Michelle discusses her role in developing the AWS partner network and her current venture at Liminal, emphasizing a partner-first go-to-market strategy. Both guests delve into the challenges and strategies of balancing high-powered careers with personal lives, offering a candid look at the dynamics of work-life integration.

Dive deep with us as we explore:
- The genesis and evolution of AWS partner network 
- Strategies for building and scaling effective partner ecosystems.
- The art and science of partner development
- Personal insights on balancing high-impact careers with personal life.

Interested in joining us here in Bozeman, MT for the Arcadia Leadership Experience? 

In this episode, Jason and Sam chat with Greg Portnoy, a prominent partner leader known for his influential LinkedIn presence and newly released PRM, Euler. Greg discusses the significant effort behind his LinkedIn content and the importance of building genuine, value-added relationships in the business world. He shares insights from his career in partnerships, emphasizing the need for authenticity, strategic alignment, and trust in fostering long-term business relationships. The conversation also delves into the challenges and strategies of managing partner programs, particularly with agencies, and the critical role of clear communication and expectations in partnership success. Greg's experiences highlight the nuanced dynamics of partnerships and the continuous effort required to maintain and grow professional networks effectively.

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In this episode, Jason and Sam chat with Katie Lambert, Director of Partner Marketing and Enablement at HubSpot. The conversation delves into the multifaceted role of partner marketing, exploring its ambiguous nature and diverse responsibilities. Katie shares insights on how her team manages partner communications, events, and co-marketing efforts, emphasizing the importance of creating a shared vocabulary and understanding within the partner ecosystem. The discussion also covers the strategic aspects of partner marketing, such as aligning partner interests with company goals and the significance of executive engagement in nurturing partner relationships. Katie's approach highlights the importance of treating partners as extensions of the company, ensuring they are well-informed and engaged, which she believes is key to fostering successful partnerships and driving mutual growth.

Episode Highlights:

➕Katie's Unique Approach to Partner Marketing

➕Keys to Creating a Successful Partner Program

➕The Power of Community in Partnerships

➕Hubspot’s vision for the Future

Sam Jacobs, CEO of Pavilion and author of Kind Folks Finish First, discusses the importance of kindness and building strong relationships in business. He shares his personal journey of prioritizing values and principles in his career and how it has shaped his approach to partnerships.  He also addresses the challenges of balancing kindness with business considerations and navigating situations where kindness may be perceived as a weakness. The conversation highlights the importance of self-reflection, defining values, and finding strength in staying true to one's principles. Sam shares his personal journey of self-discovery and finding his purpose. He emphasizes the importance of knowing what you stand for and aligning your values with your actions.  He highlights the significance of accepting and embracing your whole self in building meaningful relationships. 

Key Takeaways:

• Why Kindness and building strong relationships are essential in business.
• Sam's key principles for successful partnerships.
• Instilling values and principles in teams.
• Self-reflection and defining values 
• Strength comes from feeling emotions without letting them dictate one's happiness or peace. 
• Know what you stand for and align your values with your actions.
• Accept and embrace your whole self in building meaningful relationships.
• Put in the work and continuously practice self-love and self-awareness.
• Create the time and space to provide value and support to others.

In this episode, Jason, Sam, and Mac Redding discuss the concept of go-to-network (GTN) and how it can revolutionize sales and marketing strategies. Mac explains that GTN is about building a network of champions to pull the market to you, rather than pushing your product or service onto the market. In this conversation, Mac discusses the misalignment between words and actions in leadership, the need for a shift in traditional sales playbooks, and the importance of building networks and activating them. He emphasizes the value of authenticity in building a personal brand and the need for collaboration and breaking echo chambers. The conversation concludes with a fun dinosaur fact.

Takeaways

✚ Go-to-network (GTN) is about building a network of people to pull the market to you, rather than pushing your product or service onto the market.
✚ Implementing a successful GTN strategy requires a mindset shift and creating space for relationship building.
✚ Leadership support and intentional space for learning and understanding the target audience are crucial for a successful GTN strategy. 
✚ Traditional sales playbooks may no longer be effective in the current market landscape.
✚ Building networks and activating them can lead to valuable partnerships and business opportunities.
✚ Authenticity is key in building a personal brand, and it is important to be intentional and genuine in online interactions.

Emir Elliott-Lindo shares his insights and experiences in the field of partnerships. He emphasizes the importance of building relationships, trust, and credibility in partnerships. Emir also discusses the significance of cross-pollination and strategic relationships in driving success. He highlights the non-negotiables and institutional beliefs that lead to successful partnerships, including treating everyone well and delivering on commitments. Emir also introduces his company, Big Friends, and explains the concept of having big friends in an ecosystem. He emphasizes the need for governance and steering committees and the importance of engaging with key stakeholders, including the CFO. Finally, Emir discusses the impact and integration that can be achieved through partnerships with strategic partners. In this conversation, Emir Elliott-Lindo shares insights on aligning key performance indicators (KPIs) with partnerships and the importance of understanding an organization's KPIs. He emphasizes the need to show KPIs in steering committees and highlights certified resources and integrations as important KPIs. Emir also discusses the growing focus on retention as the new acquisition and provides advice on working with global systems integrators (GSIs). He suggests starting with regional systems integrators and boutiques before approaching larger GSIs. Additionally, Emir shares tips on assessing readiness for GSIs, articulating messaging for SIs, and getting the attention of GSIs. Finally, he discusses building teams and mentoring in partnerships.

Takeaways

• Building relationships, trust, and credibility are essential in partnerships.
• Cross-pollination and strategic relationships can drive success.
• Treating everyone well and delivering on commitments are non-negotiables in partnerships.
• Having big friends in an ecosystem can lead to significant impact and integration.
• Governance and steering committees are crucial for partnership success.
• Engaging with key stakeholders, including the CFO, is important in partnerships. Aligning KPIs with partnerships is crucial for success.
• Understanding an organization's KPIs and aligning them with partner KPIs is important.
• Showing KPIs in steering committees helps gain support and resources.
• Certified resources and integrations are valuable KPIs for partnerships.
• Retention is becoming as important as acquisition in partnerships.
• Starting with regional systems integrators and boutiques can be a good strategy before approaching larger GSIs.
• Assessing readiness for GSIs is essential before pursuing partnerships.
• Articulating messaging that highlights the value for SIs is key to getting their attention.
• Building diverse teams and mentoring individuals is crucial for success in partnerships.

Everyone's favorite married Co-CEO couple, who's growing a unicorn company join us this week to talk about the importance of transparent communication, wearing multiple hats and experimentation. In this episode, co-CEOs of Chili Piper, Alina and Nicolas Vandenberghe discuss their journey as a married couple and business partners. We learn how they met and the start of Chili Piper. Partnerships have been an important lever in growing their business and they highlight the need for persistence and experimentation in partnerships to find what works. The conversation covers the importance of experimentation and iteration in go-to-market strategies, the value of having a dedicated partnership seat, the benefits of transparency and communication in building a strong company culture, the use of nonviolent communication and decision memos, and tips for balancing work and family in a co-CEO relationship.

Takeaways

• Partnerships play a crucial role in the growth and success of Chili Piper.
• Understanding different roles and having a diverse skill set is important for effective partnership management.
• Building strong relationships and providing value to partners is key in successful partnerships.
• Persistence and experimentation are necessary in partnerships to find what works. Experimentation and iteration are crucial in finding what works in go-to-market strategies.
• Having a dedicated partnership seat is important for successful partnerships.
• Transparency and communication are key in building a strong company culture.
• Nonviolent communication and decision memos can improve decision-making and conflict resolution.
• Balancing work and family requires open communication and support for each other.

Aaron Howerton, a Partner Operations expert, joins the podcast to discuss the importance of partner operations and its role in driving successful partnerships. Aaron explains that partner operations is distinct from channel operations and encompasses all aspects of partnerships beyond resale and distribution. He emphasizes the necessity of partner operations and the value it brings to both external partners and internal teams.

Aaron shares insights on operationalizing partner programs, building internal alignment, and leveraging CRM integration for effective partner management. He also highlights the challenges faced by partner leaders in justifying the need for partner operations and offers strategies for overcoming these obstacles.

Key Takeaways:

• Partner operations is a crucial function that aligns cross-functional teams and improves the user experience for all stakeholders involved in partnerships.
• Distinguishing partner operations from channel operations is essential, as partner operations encompasses all aspects of partnerships beyond resale and distribution.
• Partner operations should be considered a necessity rather than a luxury, as it plays a vital role in scaling partner programs and enhancing operational efficiency.
• Building internal alignment is a key responsibility of partner operations, as it ensures that all teams are working together towards common goals and objectives.
• CRM integration is crucial for effective partner management, as it allows for streamlined processes, accurate tracking of partner activity, and seamless collaboration between sales and partner teams.

Notable Quotes:

• "Let me be the bad guy. I'm the program manager, the ops manager for how the program functions and what the rules are. So you partner manager, you advocate for the partner. I want them to always be showing up for the partner, arguing for the partner, defending the partner in private." - Aaron Howerton
• "If you can't justify good, tight operations for your core business, partner operations becomes way down the list, something that's not even functional." - Aaron Howerton
• "Operationalizing a program involves establishing core principles, focusing on user experience, and aligning decisions with company strategy and goals." - Aaron Howerton

Resources:

• Aaron Howerton on LinkedIn

Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to the Podcast: Introducing Aaron Howerton
03:08 Diving into Partner Operations: Definitions and Importance
15:43 Operationalizing Partner Programs: Strategies and Challenges
29:19 The Roadmap to Effective CRM Integration for Partner Programs
32:14 Unlocking the Mystery of Partner Operations
34:18 The Importance of CRM in Partner Management
35:32 Navigating the Challenges of Partner Ops
39:51 Leveraging Workflow Tools for Effective Partner Management
43:20 Measuring Success in Early Partner Programs
50:05 The Power of Personal Connections in Partnerships
01:00:45 Embracing Remote Work and Partner Ops Insights