Partnering, sales channels, call it what you will, partnering is an important part of the marketing and sales mix for many B2B businesses.
Partnering can mean a number of things:
1A simple referral relationship, which might be one way or
two way, or
A strategic partnership where a partner resells a vendor's products or services, adding value for their customer, and often receiving incentives for sales volume, or even
A joint venture, where two businesses form a jointly-owned subsidiary to offer relevant products/services usually with a cross-selling opportunity into their existing customer bases as well as potential equity value.
And, in my opinion, far too many vendors, especially targeting financial services verticals, grandly use 'partnering announcements' to obfuscate and make grandiose an announcement about a new customer signing. Signing a contract with a customer for them to pay you for your products or services is not partnering, it's normal course of business.
Partnering can open up a world of indirect sales opportunities by leveraging the partners' existing client list and own marketing efforts, but done wrong can simply cost you margin. There are many many details to consider and nuances to explore when setting up a partnering arrangement. For example, it's important when considering introducing partnering as a route to market not to compete with your existing direct sale model, or vice versa.
The share of revenue between the vendor and the partner is also crucial to get right:
how to avoid pricing your offering above competitors', but retain a good profit margin for both the vendor and the partner?
How to incentivise the partner sufficiently that they recommend your solution over a competitor's who they could potentially also partner with.
How to manage your partners, because they need nurturing and strategic input just like key accounts... the list goes on.
You know how to contact me to explore this or anything else sales related.
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Thomas Coles, 27 July 2026