In this podcast, Alexander and Robert Gimbel discuss partnership sales in the B2B SaaS industry. Robert shares his experience working in the Berlin tech scene, particularly at Camunda, where he built a go-to-market engine. They discuss the importance of partnership sales in a company's growth journey, the benefits of partnerships, and the challenges involved. Robert emphasizes the need for clear business cases and alignment of interests between partners. He also advises focusing on building a strong sales team before scaling the partnership program and highlights the importance of understanding and incentivizing partners. They discuss measuring ROI and the influence of partners in deals. Robert suggests being selective when acquiring partners and developing a profile that aligns with your company's needs. Lastly, he gives advice to smaller companies, encouraging them to prioritize building their sales team and then consider programatizing their partnership approach. He emphasizes the importance of providing value to partners and treating them like valued customers.
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Questions?
Alex:
alexander@sellabl.co
Alex's LinkedIn

Robert:
Robert's LinkedIn
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00:00 - 04:43: Introduction

04:43 - 06:08: Robert shares his experience transitioning to the go-to-market side at Camunda and the mission to build a go-to-market engine.

06:08 - 09:30: Discussion on how Robert ended up in the go-to-market function and the importance of partnership sales in the B2B SaaS industry.

09:30 - 14:04: The significance of partnership sales in a company's growth journey, the challenges and benefits of partnerships, and the need for clear business cases and alignment of interests.

14:04 - 17:07: Exploration of partnership sales in different market segments and advice for building partnership sales in mid-market and smaller businesses.

17:07 - 21:12: Discussion on the organizational structure for managing partnerships and avoiding channel conflicts in the sales organization.

21:12 - 24:25: Handling product-related issues in partnerships and seeing them as an opportunity to test commitment and problem-solving capabilities.

24:25 - 26:43: Acquiring new partners and considerations in selecting the right partner profile and size.

26:43 - 32:28: Measurement of ROI in partnerships, including tangible metrics like sourced opportunities and partner-influenced deals.

32:28 - 36:32: Advice for smaller companies building partnership sales programs, prioritizing building a strong sales team and understanding partner motivations.

36:32 - 43:12: Focus on treating partners as valued customers and the importance of understanding their motivations in partnerships.

43:12 - 46:09: Final advice on focusing on building a sales team first and establishing strong partnerships based on mutual benefit.

46:09 - 46:26: Outro and closing remarks.